Kia Sorento: mountain high

By Matt Shepherd

The Daily Telegraph

23 December 2007

The Sorento isn't a sports car but it's gutsy.

Solid. If I had to sum up the Kia Sorento with one word during our expedition down to the Snowy Mountains, that's what I'd say.

Despite all the misgivings some may have about Korean-made cars, this vehicle was hard to fault for the entire 1300km of combined highway, city and bush bashing that we did over three days.

The only glitch was the cruise control, which decided to have a break for about an hour on our way home. It did come back on, so no real hassle, but that could prove irritating on long trips.

Otherwise, and sorry to use that word again, but a big solid pass mark for all aspects of this vehicle. Despite trying very hard, my loyal sidekick and I failed to find deficiencies or faults. Everything did the job as required and it provided a comfortable and adequate performance.

In the looks department the Sorento, currently part of carsguide's long-term garage, is hardly a standout, but it is far from offensive.

The interior was functional and well laid out. The dash and centre console is on the clunky side, with some hard plastics used. But with most of the bells and whistles standard on our EX-L model, including leather trim, cruise control, six-speaker MP3 CD player, dual climate control, eight-way adjustable driver's seat, power everything and trip computer, it was certainly a lot of metal for money at a nudge under $45,000.

More importantly, the Sorento CRDi doesn't skimp on safety and security, with ABS, traction control, stability control, dual front and side curtain airbags and immobiliser as standard.

The Sorento's standout feature is its wonderful 125kW 2.5L, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine.

This is one very refined motor.

With a big 392Nm of torque from as low as 2000rpm, the Sorento powered through all conditions, both city streets and off-road.

And with a stated fuel consumption of 9.4 litres per 100km (we averaged about 10), it isn't too harsh on the wallet for such a big vehicle.

It effortlessly provided extra grunt when required for overtaking on the highway, and negotiating a few steep and rocky inclines deep in the Snowy River National Park. On the downside, the transmission can be a little slow in gear changes, but there's always the option of manually deciding the gears for yourself.

From the moment I took off from the inner city and headed south on the M5 to collect my partner in road grime, I found it easy to get myself in a comfortable driving position, with all controls within simple, clear reach. The added bonus of finding an MP3 jack to plug into my iPod to provide the road tunes was a pleasant surprise.

The sound system was of an above average quality, but steering wheel audio controls would have been a welcome addition.

A sunroof is a surprising addition to the Kia.

Although park entrance fees to the Snowies are more than most national parks, you can see where your money goes, with the $5 million raised each year from visitor fees being spent exclusively on the park.

As many as 25 camping sites complete with toilet and picnic amenities cover the length and breadth of this natural playground. Most are on pristine creeks, rivers and lakes, making the 4WD and camping enthusiast spoilt for choice.

As far as summer activities go, the Snowies provide as much or as little as you'd like. From trekking up Mount Kosciusko, as we did, to simply resting by a babbling river somewhere and reading a book. But beware, bring your insect repellent because flies love it here.

Back to the Sorento. On the downside, it is slightly let down by vague handling and wobbly road manners. It isn't meant to be a sports car, but it was noticeable on all road types.

Even around the city, its unsteady nature is was evident at fast and slower speeds.

There's too much movement in corners and bends and the light steering lacks efficient feedback to make the car feel stronger.

However, the fact that the Sorento is a “real” 4WD is a bonus in my eyes.

Although we could have done the same trip without the low-range gearings, the added confidence they give on trips like this is a crucial ingredient to having a safe and enjoyable time.

And when you saddle the Sorento CRDi up against its competitors, it gives it a distinct advantage over most when it comes to off-road ability at this price and equipment level.

Comments on this story

Displaying 7 of 7 comments

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I bought a Kia sorento 2.5 cdri in Feb 08 I tow a 21 ft Regent caravan with it a tare weight of 2171kg.When loaded for a trip looking at 2600kgthe Sorento had no trouble pulling the van in fact it returned 12.5 Lt per 100k that was going frm Adelaide to Townsville to Darwin And then home down the Stewart highway with a few de-toors and a bit of 4x4 work would have liked a bigger fuel tank an extra 20 lt would be nice it has now done 28,000 km of trouble free touring which makes a change from my last car two reasons i purchased a Sorento price and unlimited kilometer 5 year warrentee tojo motors are not that confident

Glenn Davis of Adelaide Posted at 12 January 2009 12:14am

I purchased the petrol 2008 sorento in august this year. the vehicle has plenty of power, but is not comfortable. the drivers seat is not wide,has little or no side support and you slide all over the place while cornering, if you are a little on the chunky side-your bottom continually hangs on the edge of the small uncomfortable seat,making it an annoying, uncomfortable ride. the handbrake is ridiculously located and digs into your left leg all the time(is located in a bad place). On almost any trip the drivers seat is not comfortable for almost any amount of drive time, you can never seam to find a good driving position or angle- you always seem to be adjusting your position to try and find a comfortable position, the steering column has height adjust only,not reach, so you can never find the ideal position to drive the vehicle. If only KIA had placed some good comfortable hugging,supporting seats in this vehicle it would have made it more bearable. the interior is bland, very boring and unexciting, and actually very uninspiring. some more gadgets and gizmo's and colored lights etc to liven up the cockpit would really improve the vehicle. The American version has steering wheel adjustments for the sound system, why not the OZ version, would have made a big difference also. After my experience owning this vehicle, if was a new buyer deciding whether or not to buy, I would wait until KIA either liven up the KIA with much better seats, fix the cockpit or go for another vehicle.

sam Posted at 28 December 2008 10:13am

I purchased the petrol 2008 sorento in august this year. the vehicle has plenty of power, but is not comfortable. the drivers seat is not wide,has little or no side support and you slide all over the place while cornering, if you are a little on the chunky side-your bottom continually hangs on the edge of the small uncomfortable seat,making it an annoying, uncomfortable ride. the handbrake is ridiculously located and digs into your left leg all the time(is located in a bad place). On almost any trip the drivers seat is not comfortable for almost any amount of drive time, you can never seam to find a good driving position or angle- you always seem to be adjusting your position to try and find a comfortable position, the steering column has height adjust only,not reach, so you can never find the ideal position to drive the vehicle. If only KIA had placed some good comfortable hugging,supporting seats in this vehicle it would have made it more bearable. the interior is bland, very boring and unexciting, and actually very uninspiring. some more gadgets and gizmo's and colored lights etc to liven up the cockpit would really improve the vehicle. The American version has steering wheel adjustments for the sound system, why not the OZ version, would have made a big difference also. After my experience owning this vehicle, if was a new buyer deciding whether or not to buy, I would wait until KIA either liven up the KIA with much better seats, fix the cockpit or go for another vehicle.

sam Posted at 28 December 2008 10:12am

We have just picked up our new Sorento 2.5 CRDi, and so far very good, (1000 Kms) after having Nissans for over 20 years, the last one was a Navara D40 with 25,000 Kms on the clock, the chassis bent at 40 Ks per hour towing a 1.5 tonne Jayco pop top, the insurance company wrote it off at $54,000. Nissan didn't want to know about it, Hope to Sorento lasts a bit longer.

Roy Butcher of Coffs Harbour NSW Posted at 16 November 2008 7:37pm

I test drove the kia sorento petrol version today 027/07/2008.......I found the vehicle stable and nimble at most speeds. the interior was spacious and very comfortable. the seats were very comforrtable.the dual climate controls for the front passenger and driver was great. the speed of the vehicle and it's power were impressive,and i think it looked great also. this was after test driving the new ford escape.compared to the escape,the sorento was more powerfull(with very close fuel consumption figures-despite the kia being a six-and the escape a four), more comfortable(especially the seats) as the ford puts your feet at a strange angle as they come off the seat(poor seat adjustment options in the escape) causing some stress-pain-and fatigue in the lower leg........ the kia was just so much more comfy and relaxing............i placed an order after the test drive-that should give yu some idea of the vehicles performance and value........p.s you also get the around the world in a full global circuit kit free.....and no i dont't work for kia!

sammy g Posted at 27 July 2008 10:26pm

The single biggest reason I am to purchase a 4WD is not to go rock climbing but the maintain a reasonable speed on country roads within Australia. Governments seem to be spending less and the raods are deteroirating to the point that front ends in you family sedans are not standing up to it and the longitivity of the vehicle is comprised. Almost every Sorento review reports poor suspension travel and the jiggerly on road behavior on all road surfaces. It leaves me wondering if Kia Australia tested the vehicle properly on Australian roads. I realise that aftermarket suspension kits are available but the people who sell them can not convince me they woud improve its road manners. Looks like I'll be saving some more for a Toyota!

Tony Cuthbert Posted at 24 January 2008 3:26pm

I have tried very hard not to be dismissive of the offerings from Korea. There is no doubt in my mind that the Turbo Diesel offerings from Kia, Hyundai and Ssangyong provide the most compelling arguments yet. The test drive described involved some 1300KM and 3 days to form an initial impression of the vehicle. I have spent 20 years reading reviews from the motoring press and have enjoyed much of the colour and prose during that time. The limitation is the reviewer is normally in a vehicle that is brand new that they haven’t paid for. Their lot is not that of the possibly disgruntled eventual owner of experiencing the horrific depreciation at trade in time. In my opinion we spend so much of our time comparing these Korean cars to the Japanese we are ignoring the Elephant in the room. If the Japanese 4WD's are so obviously the benchmark why would you buy a Korean one? The difference in purchase price must surely be offset by drop in value over time as the vehicles with the superior reputation hold their value. I was at the Boat Ramp in Dampier(Pilbara WA ) this morning. Of the 20 odd 4WD's parked with trailers one was Korean. The honest truth is that if you have $45K to spend it is a rare and unique individual who would ignore a 5 year old low mileage Jap 4WD to purchase the new Korean aspirant.

James Horsburgh of Karratha WA Posted at 28 December 2007 6:01pm

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