Kia Sorento Review
October 26, 2009 by Alborz Fallah
2010 Kia Sorento First Steer Review
There was a famous advertising campaign by a rental company in the United States some time ago that depicts the attitude of some large multi-nationals. The advert read “We are number 2, so we try harder”. This is a very good way to explain why sister companies Hyundai and Kia have been kicking so many goals lately. They are out to beat Toyota.
Whilst the Japanese seem to be contempt with their ideas, the Koreans are pushing as far and as fast as possible. A similar story to what happened when the Japanese first came to the market and woke up the European and American car manufacturers. Many parallels can be seen between the business plan of big Japanese companies during the 80s-90s to the Koreans today.
Kia has gone from a brand associated with little and cheap cars to producing some of the best looking cars we’ve seen all year. Starting this year with the Kia Cerato, then the Cerato Koup, the Korean company has ended its Australian invasion for 2009 with the introduction of the all-new second generation Kia Sorento.
The previous Sorento was a car that put Kia on the map. Kia sees Sorento as the vehicle which changes the consumers mind about what Kia really means and for that reason an extreme amount of effort is put into the new Sorento to stand out amongst the pack.
To launch the car, Kia invited the motoring press to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. From here we would travel hundreds of kilometres, on dirt and asphalt to get to know the new Sorento as well as possible.
Since its launch in 2002 (2003 in Australia), nearly 900,000 first-generation Sorentos (pictured above) have been sold worldwide with about 9,000 of them in Australia. Back in 2003 there were 12 competitors to compete against, now there is 18 and more are coming. Incidentally, the market for such vehicles has also almost doubled in size in the last six years.
All of this means the new Sorento really needs to have its game together. We saw a glimpse of the new Sorento as the KND4 concept back in 2007 at the Seoul Motorshow and although the production version gained two more doors and added a few kilos here and there, the similarities between concept and production model are rather apparent.
Perhaps the biggest change at Kia has been the introduction of Peter Schreyer in charge of Kia design, formerly the head designer for Audi, Schreyer has brought a new European design to all new Kias, starting with the Cerato and Cerato Koup. The Schreyer grille, as it’s called, has been a great hit with consumers who often can’t believe the cars are Kias!
Apart from looking a heck of a lot better than the old Sorento, the new model is also designed with aerodynamics in mind, it’s 95mm longer but 15mm shorter and 55mm lower. It also has a drag coefficient of 0.38 compared to 0.43 of the previous model and weighs 215kg less than before. This is partially due to the move from body-on-frame type chassis to a monocoque.
I still can’t work out why the Koreans are designing such beautiful cars whilst some of the Japanese manufacturers just can’t seem to get their designs right. Not that it’s any worry to Kia or Kia customers. From the front the new Sorento looks far more expensive than it really is and the rear is no different.
Black bezel wrap-around headlamps at the front and LED rear lights give the new Sorento a very European look. Meanwhile the two-tonne bumper is meant to express off-road ability.
With such a gorgeous exterior, the interior has to match also. Although Kia says it has worked extensively to carry the vibe inside, there are still hard plastics on the doors and dashboard. Nonetheless, it’s hardly worth complaining about as overall it looks very Mazda-esque inside, which is a good thing.
The big news with the new generation Sorento is the choice of engines. In order to keep petrol lovers happy a 2.4-litre Theta II engine is still offered which delivers 128kW and 226Nm of torque with a combined fuel economy of 9.2L/100km. Frankly you’d be rather misinformed to buy a Sorento with a petrol engine and I hope to convince you in favour of the diesel. Kia knows this too, which is why petrol is only offered in the base specification.
The real engine for the new Sorento is the 2.2-litre R-turbo diesel. Now this engine makes little sense for one particular reason, it out performs pretty much any other diesel engine in the same category, something you just don’t expect from Kia, but times are changing.
The small capacity diesel puts out an impressive 145kW and a massive 436Nm of torque at just 1,800 RPM (in auto – manual is 422Nm). Fuel economy is 6.7L/100km in manual and 7.4L/100km in auto. So it has a smaller capacity than its petrol brother, puts out 17kW more power and around 200Nm more torque. The choice really isn’t that hard.
You know Kia & Hyundai are serious about putting this engine is pretty much everything as they have as they’ve spent 42 months designing it in Europe, it cost the Koreans around $250 million and took a team of 150 engineers. A great deal of hot weather testing was also conducted right here in Australia. All of this investment has paid off as the Sorento diesel is superb.
Although the new Sorento’s fuel tank is 10L less than the previous generation it can still travel further, Kia claims it will manage around 1,040km on a single tank. If you do a lot of highway driving, expect figures in the low to mid 4L/100km. The engine design is capable of being Euro 5 and Euro 6 compliant during its life cycle but currently only meets Euro 4 standards.
Apart from the engine the Hyundai-Kia group has also independently designed its own six-speed transmission, a sign of a company that wants to get to number one. Work on this took even longer than the engine, over four years and 300 patents. According to Kia, the transmission is the world’s most compact 6-speed automatic.
Compared to the old five-speed used by the company, the new box helps deliver 10 per cent better fuel economy, 14 per cent faster 0-100km/h time and 24 per cent quicker 60-100km/h time. It also just happens to weigh 12kg less and use 62 fewer parts. How a six-speed has less parts than a five-speed is a concept I won’t try and understand.
One of the clever ways in which it helps save fuel is to go from Drive to Neutral when the car is stopped, of course it does this without the driver’s knowledge and it was all rather seamless when tested. Additionally the gearbox is sealed completely, so it requires no maintenance or oil changes.
One of the complaints with the new Sorento will be it’s lower towing capacity and off-road ability compared to the previous model, this is partially due to Kia’s move to a monocoque chassis. According to the company only 20 per cent of previous Sorento buyers ever used their car for towing or off-roading so the decision was made to focus on the 80 per cent majority.
Not that it won’t do any off-roading, far from it, during the launch we drove through many tough dirt roads and the Sorento behaved perfectly. However the 4WD variants are now 4WD on demand, which means they are driven via the front wheels until the front loses grip and power is diverted to the rear. This is all done instantly and without any input required from the driver.
When needed, a 50:50 power mode can be selected for speeds under 30km/h.
Engine, gearbox and 4WD system apart, one of the more interesting features of the new Sorento is the self-levelling system which maintains rear vehicle ride height when under load from passengers or cargo. Essentially once the vehicle is loaded up and begins to move the system will slowly adjust it self to bring the rear back up to its original height. Benefits include reduction in tyre wear, a constant headlamp angle and increased ground clearance.
The new Sorento is the first Kia 4WD to be offered with seven-seats in Australia. The additional seats are standard across the entire model range and having sat briefly in the third row of seats, they are great for kids but large adults with struggle over long distance trips. Cargo space is 1047L with a five-seat configuration and over 2000L with only two-seat setup.
Moving to safety, the situation with the current Sorentos available in Australia at the time of writing is somewhat humorous. Due to the most simple omission, be that a seat-belt reminder for the passenger, the new Sorento misses out on a 5-star safety rating from our own ANCAP. Of course it has already been granted the maximum 5-stars from Euro-NCAP.
Kia Australia says models delivered from December onwards will have the seat-belt reminder and hence score five-stars in the local tests. So if an annoying beeping reminder system doesn’t phase you, don’t be alarmed by it’s temporary four-star local rating.
Six airbags are standard, so is electronic stability program, traction control system, anti-lock brake system, electronic brake distribution and brake assist. Hill-start assist control and downhill brake control complete the passive and active safety features.
All the facts and figures aside, when it came down to it, driving the new Sorento was surprising. Even through bumps and heaps of dirt roads interior noise and comfort was never an issue. Steering response is precise and road noise is very low thanks to 4mm thick glass used for the front side windows in addition to excellent sealing. It also helps that the new diesel engine is relatively quite (unless you’re really going for it).
The front and rear seats are comfortable and through the whole process my iPhone was plugged in, charging and playing tunes through the Sorento’s great stereo.
At one stage my co-driver and I were chasing a group of five SUVs, a Forester and four new Sorentos, as the dust had covered the cars so much I mistook one of the new Kia’s for an Audi, I would be most amazed if an average person can guess the Sorento is from Korea if the badge was removed. Which is saying a lot for the Korean brand.
Kia Australia says the target market for the car is 35-50 year olds who currently own a Sorento or similar mid-sized SUV. Of course the company would love to steal sales away from its Japanese rivals. It sees its primary competition with the Holden Captiva (also Korean-made), sister car Hyundai Santa Fe (which is about to undergo a facelift and gain the same engine and gearbox as the Sorento) and the ageing Mitsubishi Outlander. The Toyota Rav4, Nissan X-Trail and Subaru Forester are viewed as secondary competitors.
The new Sorento is available from $36,490* in petrol and $39,990* in diesel. There will be seven exterior colours from the show-room (white, black, 2 x silver, blue, red, beige) or four gorgeous special dealer order colours (Java Brown, Metal Bronze, Khaki, Inky Blue).
Pricing and specifications for the new 2010 Kia Sorento are below. CarAdvice will soon spend a week with the Sorento and bring you a complete road test and review.
*Pricing is a guide as recommended to us by the manufacturer.
2010 Kia Sorento specifications.
|
Fuel Consumption (L/100KM) |
CO2 |
||||
|
Comb. |
Urban |
Ex.Urban |
g/km |
||
|
2.4L Theta II |
2WD AUTO |
9.2 |
12.2 |
7.2 |
219 |
|
2.2 R CRDi |
4WD MANUAL |
6.7 |
8.7 |
5.5 |
177 |
|
4WD AUTO |
7.4 |
9.5 |
6.1 |
194 |
|
Interior Dimensions Comparison (mm)
| Next-generation Sorento | Difference | Previous Sorento | |
| Headroom | |||
| Row 1 | 996 | - 12 | 1008 |
| Row 2 | 995 | + 1 | 994 |
| Row 3 | 906 | —- | —- |
| Legroom | |||
| Row 1 | 1048 | - 34 | 1082 |
| Row 2 | 955 | + 27 | 928 |
| Row 3 | 795 | —- | —- |
| Shoulder room | |||
| Row 1 | 1506 | + 10 | 1496 |
| Row 2 | 1491 | + 7 | 1484 |
| Row 3 | 1366 | —- | —- |
| Hip room | |||
| Row 1 | 1431 | —- | —- |
| Row 2 | 1421 | —- | —- |
| Row 3 | 1128 | —- | —- |
| Trim level |
Engine |
Transmission (6-speed) |
Drivetrain |
Seating |
Price $ (RRP) |
|
Si |
2.4L petrol |
A/T |
2WD |
7-seat |
36,490 |
|
2.2L diesel |
M/T |
4WD |
7-seat |
39,990 |
|
|
A/T |
7-seat |
41,990 |
|||
|
SLi |
2.2L diesel |
A/T |
7-seat |
45,990 |
|
|
Platinum |
2.2L diesel |
A/T |
7-seat |
48,990 |
Print it: 
That engine into a i30, diesel hot hatch here we come.
Alborz, Nice review and sounds like a car worth putting on your short list if you are looking for an extremely powerful yet frugal 7 seater…..HOWEVER unusually for you the review had quite a few spelling and grammatical errors….just thought I’d mention it.
Cheers.
Thanks Carl, it is a great car and definitely worth test driving if you’re after something this size. As for the errors, apologies our editor is currently away doing the Global Green Challenge (in the new Santa Fe) and hence this was self-edited. Corrections will be made soon!
This article read a little too much like something out of Kia’s marketing department. I can’t but feel it could be reviewed a little more objectively or even critcally.
I’d like to know what cost of ownership looks like.
The article made mention of 14% faster 0-100. So what is it?
How much cargo space is their with all 7 seats up?
Are child seat anchors available on all rear seats?
This review has raised more questions than given answers. I trust the week long review will be a little more informative.
On another note, Alborz were you at Chermside Westfield on Saturday?
Bueller………………..
Bueller………………..
Good review for a good car! So correct about removing the Kia badge! shame everyone thinks badly about kia.
However, i’m not sure about mistaking the sorento for an Audi.
Fantastic car!!!!
This is amazing, shows how far KIA have come & puts one in the face for the badge snobs out there!
This car has definitely piqued my interest. Ticks all the boxes.
room for 3 kids seats – yep
safety features – yep
cargo space – yep
flexible seating (+ 7 seats) – yep
economic – yep
price – looks OK (will check model features later)
moderate off-road capability – yep
enough grunt – yep
Looks good – yep
Will need to see it in the metal and try it out now.
How much can it tow?
Man 2500kg, Auto 2000kg (OS spec).
Sounds good. Anyone know if the 3rd row can take childerns seats??? If so are the anchor points on the back of the seats, or at the base of the tailgate like most 7 seaters and therefore totally useless as the straps then block off where the stroller can go
cheers
I looked on the Kia site and saw no anchor points on the back of the seats. Doesn’t look promising.
KIA normally have the anchor points on the floor directly behind the seat. There’s a little plastic cover that you remove and the anchor point is their. I haven’t yet seen a new Sorrento so I don’t know.
What a beast =D I likeeee
This Kia has just kicked any Japanese SUV off its pedestal.
Shame the age of the SUV is coming to an end… *sigh* I like them sooo much…
very sharp looking car.
What is the reason behind the Manual Tranny having less Torque?
As said previously one of these R engines in an i30 would make it a true Diesel Sports car.
Can’t wait to see them in the Santa Fe and ix35/Tucson
Regards
Whitbomb07
Stuff the i30, stick it in a Cerato Koup with the 6-speed trannys, then there will be a diesel sports car!
Very nice car, one little thing that bothers me a bit is the torque output reduction in the manual gearbox. This is normally done when the engine is at the limit of the torque output maximum limit of the gearbox. A bit of towing, rough offroad work, even ‘rocking’ to get out of a boggy situation might make the gearbox go ‘ping’. Auto might be the smart choice – for those that can tolerate them.
Carl’s correct… I mean how much does this thing weigh if the bumper weighs two tonnes?
It does look good that’s for sure!
We are visiting Korea at the moment and have been very impressed with peaople and tech stuff. This place (Seoul) is at least twice as modern as the Tokyo I saw a few years ago. We have seen many Hyundai, Kia with a better looking badge (it does not just say “KIA” why can we not get that?) and Samsung/Renault cars as well as Sasyoung. Taxis are Hyundai and Kia mostley and have several hundreds of thousends of kilometers on the clock, yet the interior and exteriors look almost new. Many new 2010 Sorentos here and they look great.
If you are like me and don’e need the 7 seats, wait. I went to the Hyuandai dealer and saw the ix35 / Tuscon ix in the flesh. What a beatiful car inside and out, well bulit, good plastics inside and it starts at 19,700,000 KWon for X20 2X4 to 28,800,000 KWon for top of the range 4X4 called LMX20. So roughly AU$19K to AU$29K. Don’t know if these are Diesel or not. If the Diesel 4X4 ix35 comes to Australia at these prices, I am getting one. Before you ask, I could not drive the dealers ix35 but did spend 45 minutes with the ix35 and took lots of pics and played with the gadgets :)
If anyone wants to see the KIA badge or others let me know and I will post a link.
Please do…
Commodore sold as Deawoo Veritas, very funny :)) KIA badge pictures…. Also some other car shots from Seoul and ofcourse the new ix35 Tuscon.
How fast is the internet in our hotel room?
http://wadiver.com/ca
That new IX looks the goods!
Love the brail on the inside door handle, would be funny if it was also on the drivers side!!! Like the look of that Hybrid too, be cool if they face lifted all Elantras to that front end. Not sure if the KIA badge would be a winner over here though, it looks too close to some recent Chinese efforts.
Excellent and interesting photos, thank you for sharing them with us.
Also Hyundai and Kia please give us 10 year warranty like the USA. Pretty please :)
Looks like a really flash car, I’m just really dissapointed KIA have not retained the previous Sorento’s off road capability, correct me if i’m wrong but I believe this model looses its low range transfer case? That alone kills the car in my view, its for sure a very nice SUV, but its fighting in the mix of alot of other very nice SUV’s whereas if it had retained its off road credentials then it would have been quite unique to the market. Opportunity lost…
pretty interesting to see the korean companies teaming up even though they can be rivals…. hyundai sante fe vs sorento…
looks like the korean are out to rule the world with their electronics, fridges, plasmas, comestics and now cars… pretty scary….
you do realise that KIA and Hyundai are the same company right? KIA is the sporty youth brand while Hyundai is more middle age
This car is a best in its class.
after 1 month research, I already decide to buy this car.
I want silver exterior color with white leather interior.
Settle down people, it is a great pregress for Kia but it is still a Kia. Sealed tranny for life in a off road vehicle? They must be joking. It is not bad looking box but “beautiful” ,please don’t make me laugh.RAV4 V6 or Suby XT that is all i say…
Agree, I think half of the KIA PR team are blogging like crazy. The diesel engine specs are impressive but the design looks dated apart from the front end, as mentioned the sealed for life tranny is a worry as most do not last 200 000km and did I mention that it is expensive for a Korean made car, as good as it is $48k for the range topper WTF?? Traditionalist will stick to the Territory, Captiva, Murano, Kluger, CX9 at that price!
WTF Gilly? How is this any different to the Korean made/developed Captiva? The top of the range diesel Captiva with a worse specification than the Kia is not much cheaper before Holden’s ‘discounting’. I know which I would prefer out of the two and it wouldn’t be the ‘Holden’! The Captiva only sells because of the Holden badge and the majority of the buying public being that naive that they think it is Australian because it has a Holden badge on it. Brand/badge snobbery at it’s finest, but I am not surprised going by some your previous posts if it is the same person! I personally wouldn’t buy one if I was in the market for an ‘SUV’, but you have to give them credit for how much they are improving etc.
I do agree however that ‘traditionalists’ will stick with cars like the Territory, Kluger and CX9. Humans are creatures of habit, especially us Aussies! ;-)
Also, the sealed for life transmission. Scary! However a lot of Autos are starting to go that way now…
Kia Sorento is a midsize SUV.
it is a same class with toyota highlander.
Kia Sorento/Hyundai Tucson are compact SUV, it is same class with Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V. The Tucson/Sportage is slotted below the Santa Fe/Sorento in the lineup.
———————————–
Competitors of CR-V, Similar vehicles the Official Honda Web Site
http://automobiles.honda.com/t.....amp;Photo=
Even Honda cleary state that Hyundai Tucson(Kia Sportage) is Honda CR-V/Toyota RAV4/Nissan Rogue class.
Similar Vehicles of Tucson Hyundai Motor America
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehi.....imID=24406
———————————–
Hyundai cleary state that Hyundai Tucson(Kia Sportage) is Honda CR-V class.
Check Euro NCAP classification.
Hyundai Tucson = Honda CR-V = Toyta RAV4 ; Same Class
http://www.euroncap.com/small_off_road_4_4.aspx
Hyundai Santafe & Kia Sorento are cleary out of CR-V class.
http://www.euroncap.com/large_off_road_4_4.aspx
———————————–
Tucson / Sportage = based on compact car Elantra platform.
Santa Fe / Sorento = based on midsize car Sonata platform.
Toyota Highlander = based on midsize car Toyota Camry platform
Toyota RAV4 = based on compact car Toyota Corolla platform
I wonder like the last model if this comes with the Fake BMW X5 grill as well! bah hah ha K..I..A! good luck to all you nut bags that will shell out over 50k for this!!
Are you living in 1980s?
Boy, You are outdated.
They are 4th largest auto makers in the world.
their technology is already as good as toyota.
Except for Toyota/Honda, Other minor Japanese makers (Nissan/Infinit, Mitsubishi, Mazda…etc…) technology’s are ‘inferior’ than Hyundai/Kia.
In the 1970s, GM and American Big3 fans never think GM will crushed by Japanese.
Again, You are confusing its class.
Kia Sorento is a ‘midsize’ SUV.
it is a same class with toyota highlander.
Kia Sorento/Hyundai Tucson are compact SUV, it is same class with Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V. The Tucson/Sportage is slotted below the Santa Fe/Sorento in the lineup.
—————————————
Competitors of CR-V, Similar vehicles. the Official Honda Web Site
http://automobiles.honda.com/t.....amp;Photo=
Even Honda cleary state that Hyundai Tucson(Kia Sportage) is Honda CR-V/Toyota RAV4/Nissan Rogue class.
Similar Vehicles of Tucson. Hyundai Motor America
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehi.....imID=24406
Hyundai cleary state that Hyundai Tucson(Kia Sportage) is Honda CR-V class.
—————————————
Check Euro Ncap classification.
Hyundai Tucson = Honda CR-V = Toyta RAV4 ; Same Class
http://www.euroncap.com/small_off_road_4_4.aspx
Hyundai Santafe & Kia Sorento are cleary out of CR-V class.
http://www.euroncap.com/large_off_road_4_4.aspx
—————————————
Tucson / Sportage = based on compact car Elantra platform.
Santa Fe / Sorento = based on midsize car Sonata platform.
Toyota Highlander = based on midsize car Toyota Camry platform
Toyota RAV4 = based on compact car Toyota Corolla platform
—————————————
*Hyundai Tucson / Kia Sportage = Compact SUV
Toyota RAV4 & Honda CR-V class
*Hyundai Santa Fe / Kia Sorento = Midsize SUV
Toyota Highlander & Honda Pilot
*Hyundai VeraCruz / Kia Borrego = Luxury SUV
Get off those pills K!
Seriously who cares about another SUV, especially from KIA.
But you cannot deny that fake BMW grill though, pretty desperate from the world’s 4th largest car maker as you claim!!
@Hung Low
Seriously, who care about your crap comments?
that fake BMW grill??
I just stated my valid opinion about your ignorant cry about the design of the KIA which you described as a “copy” without even knowing that it was designed by the father of all previous Audis & VW that came in the decades before. What you said about it being a “copy” only makes Peter Schreyer a copy cat because he designed the KIA … You see that is why what you said is so ignorant & nonsensical..Only arrogant hating losers behave like you are doing here.
Firstly where did I say that the design is a copy? Either way even if it was designed by Megan Fox it will not change the fact that it is still ugly!!
Now the add on grill was just a stab about the owners trying to mimick a better, more prestigious brand. Now that is desperate!!
Obviously you would have no problem with that because you wear fake Nike T’s, fake Oakley glasses and hows that Rolex of yours going by the way?
typo fix.
Kia Sorento/Hyundai Tucson are compact SUV, it is same class with Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V.(X)
Kia ‘Sportage’/Hyundai Tucson are compact SUV, it is same class with Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V. (O)
to Hung Low
you looks like a brainless monkey.
i will pass.
bye.
Car Advice, how about getting rid of this mindless spamming?
k, G, w86jyppe all mindless spamming that harms your site.
Hung Low comment is spam.
my comment show external links, it is not spam.
Car Advice, how about getting rid of this mindless spamming?
Hung Low, DE all mindless spamming that harms your site.
“k”
Firstly, find out what spamming actually is before you acuse others, because almost ALL of your comments are biased SPAM.
Secondly, grow up! You got busted, live with it.
Why buy a Lexus RX? Sorrento does a same job at half price…Why buy MB or BMW? Hyundai Genesis does a same job at half price…
America and Europe already woke up.
Australia…Wake up time.
new santa fa or new sorento? need to think think
Only if they come with free paper bags for your head to save embarrassment
Sorry but that’s just a Stupid comment.
It was suited to the post
nothing you say is suited to anything Hung
Advice from a janitor?
yes now get back in the bucket abortion boy, you are staining the floor.
Thats something a prepubescent school kid would say! Have you just revealed your mental age Car fanatic you tosser!
No I’m playing down to your level mentally, wouldn’t want to confuse you, poor boy.
A web troll like yourself could not play down to anyone mentally, I thought that was pretty obvious?
They can be first manufacturer by volume i still can’t see any car in their range that would aspire to own.
This “review” managed not to find absolutely nothing worth criticising. So this car must be perfect ;-)
I ‘ll mention some negatives – it is KIA,it looks like two door Pajero platform but with four doors- proportions are wrong,
rear end looks like Carnival with lift kit,
reliabilty is only mediocre (4 out of 10 from JD Powers).
Car Advice needs to do better than just recycle PR material.
2nd gen sorento it not selling in US!
This new generation sorento is NOT rated by JD Powers quality survey!
And Kia’s reliability sharply increase in recent year.
Did you check jd power vds survey for 3 years?
On the contrary, Nissan’s reliabilty below than industry average.
But many people still think nissan is good quality car than hyundai, kia.
Check your facts about Nissan, I bet that they are based on the American built ones. The Japanese built Nissans i.e Maxima & Murano have always been in the top end for reliability and build quality.
I bet that they are based on the American built ones???
lol. please show any single evidence that your assumption is better than quality survey.
And, American built is not nissan car?
——————–
Nissan’s dependability below than industry average.
3 years data.
http://www.jdpower.com/corpora.....ID=2007130
http://www.jdpower.com/corpora.....ID=2008115
http://www.jdpower.com/corpora.....id=2009043
http://usnews.rankingsandrevie.....xima/2009/
2009 nissan maxima reliability = 4.0 / 10.0
Check out their safety technology.
Top Safety Picks 2009, IIHS.
6 models of Hyundai/Kia cars earned Top Safety Award by IIHS.
(Hyundai Genesis, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Veracruz, Kia Soul)
better than Nissan/Infiniti (nissan 3 models + infiniti 1 model).
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx
Nissan recalls 143,000 cars over faulty tire pressure monitor
http://www.leftlanenews.com/ni.....nitor.html
Nissan recalls 26,000+ 2009-2010 Altima and Maxima models over strut issue
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/1.....ls-over-s/
Nissan refuses to replace GT-R owner’s busted transmission
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/1.....rs-busted/
Is this reliable enough compare to Japanese automaker ? The previous generation creates lots of problems from ECU unit to engine problems. Hope it wont repeats history again
Well, the second generation Sorento (2007 onwards) is bullet-proof. No issues with reliability.
I’m reading this is an all-new sorento. That means new body, new engine, new transmission.
The 2007+ may be “bullet proof” but this new model is not proven.
Having said that, this may just be the best built car ever. More realistically, it’s likely to have a few flaws, even more so because this is the first of a new model. I hope I am wrong – I really like the styling!
Good job Kia,
Great engine and auto transmission, 7 seats, ok styling, but could be a little cheaper to buy like captiva.
Worth checking out though
Jo, i would not guarantee this car would be on par with the Japanese automaker in terms of reliability, until a few years of vehicle usage. They have known for their previous fault. I own the 1st generation and it really troubles me a lot.
Kia have come a very long way since then. Kia has a bad reputation in aus cos the first batch of cars they brought into aus were shocking
now they have lifted there game & are a completely different brand
Who cares if it has a few teething problems, What doesnt?? Even Honda and Toyota have problems. In NZ Kia gets a 5 year Warranty!!
Aaron, KIA in Australia also give a 5 year, unlimited km warranty. Overseas in some countries they offer 7 years.
Shame they lost the low range gearing with this model. I understand thay have aimed it more for the road as the majority of people won’t do any off road driving but at least offer the vehicle with 4WD lock (Above 30km/h) and low range gearing for anyone who wants to venture deeper in the bush. Not everyone owner will only take it to the shops and school.
Another small point to consider is now the tailgate glass doesn’t open on its own. The previous model allowed you to open the glass or the entire tail gate. Nothing major but definately inconvenient if you only have a small shopping load to put in the back.
I checked the Diesel Platinum model today…and I have to say I was really suprised by the quality of fit anf finish, nice touches, and clever use of space.
The reverse camera is incorporated into the rear view mirror and turns on when reverse is selected. They are well feature packed but I still think that they are a little optemistic on the prices by about 3-5K too much.
Overall though it’s taken the model span up a notch with features that you cant even get on the competition.
Great article fella’s and also really great photography, loved the pictures of the Sorento. Of course the country-side you’ve taken them in helps. Can’t wait for your extended review, you seem reasonable impress with the vehicle so far.
Cheers and well done.
We just had the new Sorento arrive to our dealership today. I havent driven it yet but looks great in the flesh!! Looks a bit like the Santa Fe, but more modern.
Interestingly enough the KIA website has gone from showing the pricing (overpricing, that is…) to now “contact your dealer”. Smart move. Hopefully they are re-thinking the RRP prices previously advised. About 5 grand less would be about right – I reckon!
I spent about 10min to look at it yesterday (in white color)at the local dealer and I found it doesn\’t look quite as nice as the ones in the photos here. It looks more conservative than I thought. But the interior is niceee. Hopefully the new engine (diesel) and new auto gear box combination will work well as they should be. I agree with others that it\’s 2-5k too expensive, I would wait and buy a demo or a used one and then buy extra warranty cover, I reckon we would easily lose at least 10k as soon as we drive off the dealer if we buy new.
Toyota Rav designers should take a good hard look at this top job
This vehicle is interesting, shows the Korean’s sinking big $ in developing the oil burner and 6 speed auto combination to take it to the next level and also to the Euro makers. Also shows the shift to SUVs and wannabee 4WDs is complete, the sales of SUVs (are we another state of the USA!) are still growing despite fuel prices & gouging, the high seating position and no old 4WD ladder frame for the SUVs will fill those school zones and shopping car parks, thats where the $ are. They should offer the option to drop the 3rd row seats in Sante Fe & Sorento and sell em for a lower price, like the Captiva is doing!. I see Captiva’s everywhere. Will it sell, all I can say is its a great competition, time will tell. Great article.
Regards & good work CA and posters.
I sort of got turned off 1/2 way through “comments” as it sort of degenerated into “free for all” – rather than evolved into a useful feedbacks and queries. So please recap:
Q1: Is this new generation Sorento CRDi 2.2 Turbo Diesel a 4WD (with low gear ratio of rough terrians) or AWD (per all the SUVs on the market)?
Q2: The Diesel engine is still a 4 cyl (cf of 5 or 6 cyl with other models)?
Q3: Does it sound like a “diesel” engine or the new engine design has dampened the diesel noise?
NB: We have been looking at the Disco 4 BUT realising how harsh your AU outbacks are, there is NO way in hell we are going to take it for a bush bashing and Roo mustering! :-p Perhaps IF I am living and working in WA with a mining company.
Spent a few hours in the SLi demo. Have to agree with Family Guy in that it ticks all the boxes – but have to also agree with Jojo that 53k for the Platinum (with no satnav or option to fit integrated satnav/blue tooth after market unit due to curved design of the facia)is optimistic pricing for a Kia compared to the competition. I am not a badge snob but am worried what the resale on a 5 year old Kia will be compared to the competition who are approx. the same price after better fleet and factory discounts.
The front looks too similar to last gen Accord Euro.
Otherwise good looking car!
Anyone get any movement from dealers on the price?
Is there anyone who doesnt work for Kia posting? I cant believe how this crap hasnt been removed, come on Car Advice, how about a little care with the rubbish you allow to be posted.
So, to those who dont work for Kia, which seems to be nearly all of you, for $50k, or a few extra $’s there is a whole lot of other cars – whether SUV (Silly Urban Vehicle) or not, I cant see this Kia hitting anywhere near the mark of these others.
Wouldnt waste the money at this price. As for one of the postings by another, I have to agree, after reading this piece on the Kia, is does seem to read as though this is a cut ‘n’ paste from the Kia PR fluf machine.
Obviously, You and Hung Low are anti-Kia PR Machine.
I sure am! I prefer my clowns to stay in the circus.