The Kia Sorento was once the model with which Kia made the step from no-nonsense to ‘wow!’ made. That thick, but still reasonably priced crossover was therefore a great success. In the meantime, however, our tax system is largely CO2-driven and that has pushed the Sorento out of the market little by little. Fortunately, Kia did not ultimately let that go its way and that is why the new Sorento starts as a hybrid.
That results in considerably lower emissions (theoretically at least) and then the Sorento is suddenly a lot cheaper. But let’s take a walk around the car. The design may not be subtle, but quirky and tough all the more. We cannot escape the impression that the designers were mainly thinking of the American market when drawing. The angular, vertical rear lights in particular are striking, just like the front, with a hood that covers the grille and headlights like a cap. A nice detail is the way in which the wiper of the rear window is almost completely swallowed up by the spoiler.
Limousine
Yet the real party has yet to begin and it does as soon as you get in. Here too everything is big and a lot; size does matter. From the outside, the Sorento is a colossal car, but inside you get the feeling that you have stepped into an even bigger car. Both head and legroom in the rear of limousine level and even the third row of seats, which is standard on this top version, appears to offer more space than we are used to from third row seats. The chairs are made for the bodies of people who blindly find their way to KFC, McDonald’s and other calorie wholesalers. You don’t have to expect a lot of lateral support under 150 kg, but apart from that, you’re fine. Magpies also get their money’s worth here, because on the dashboard almost everything shines and sparkles. The wide center console enhances the feeling of space and houses rotary knobs for the driving modes and transmission. Yes, Jaguar will never have dreamed of its pivot lever in 2007 when it unveiled the XF.
Speaking of imitation: the way in which the infotainment display forms one whole with the clock cluster (with a rev counter as noticeably absent), is reminiscent of that characteristic dashboard that Mercedes-Benz has scattered over the range from the S-class (and with the new S out the door again). The Sorento has almost everything on board in this version that you could wish for and that is reflected on the dashboard. It is very busy in the Sorento. A nice aid are the blind spot cameras in the rear view mirrors, the image of which is shown in the left or right clock as soon as you indicate direction. Furthermore, Kia sprinkles generously with USB connections. Even the third row of seats has been thought of. There you also get your own ventilation system, 12v connection and buttons to easily fold the backrest for you. Folding and unfolding the third row of seats is also quick and easy. The slidability of the second row of seats offers plenty of room for negotiation between the passengers in rows two and three. Finally, the boot is gigantic at 902 liters and with the furniture flat even more than 2,000 liters.
Footwell
The Kia may look American, but the chassis is clearly intended for Europe. The swampy nature of the first Sorento has been removed over the generations and with this fourth, Kia may even have gone a bit too far. In general, damping and suspension are quite comfortable and even a touch of sporty, but with firmer bumps the chassis has some difficulty and you sometimes get some bumps in front of you. Nevertheless, the Sorento steers light but sharp enough through the corners. Especially when you consider that this is really a huge slap of a car, you can not but conclude that it steers fine.
Kia has built hybrids before and the brand has now mastered that branch of sport very well. The duo engines work well together. When driving quietly, you can handle a lot of pure electric power and when the petrol engine starts to interfere, it creeps into the room almost unnoticed. The sum goes through a six-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels and that is also neat and smooth. It’s not a blazing-fast transmission, but it’s certainly good enough. He chooses his shift moments quite low in the rev range, but the engines have no problem with that. It remains nice and quiet on board and that fits nicely with the comfortable character of the Sorento.
The Sorento in our test is an ExecutiveLine, the most expensive of the range. At a price of € 55,995 it may not seem like a bargain at first glance, but a look at the standard equipment will change your mind: 360 degree camera, blind spot cameras, parking assistance, self-leveling rear axle, comprehensive electric seat adjustment with memory for the driver, seat ventilation … it’s all there on and on. Even the less luxurious versions are already packed, because pleasant things such as the glass sliding-tilting roof, leather upholstery, a Bose audio system, mood lighting, an automatically operated tailgate and seat and steering wheel heating you already encounter on those versions. The options list therefore counts exactly one line: metallic paint. You have to reserve € 995 for this.