First look 2009 Kia Sorento
GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail. He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out. In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups. He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally. He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.
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Unveiled this week at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show in Korea, the new Sorento is bigger and gets seating for up to seven.
The sleeker, Lexus-inspired body shape is now monocoque — previously it was a body-on-frame design with a separate ladder chassis — and will be available as either a 2WD or 4WD.
The same philosophy has worked well for the Ford Territory, Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe.
Prices and final specification are yet to be announced for Australia, though it's probable we will be offered a carry-over 207kW/335Nm 3.5-litre V6 petrol or a new 147kW/435Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. This diesel replaces the 125kW/392Nm 2.5-litre unit.
Off-roaders and travellers will be pleased to note the new Sorento retains a 2500kg tow rating.
Transmissions would be a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual.
Global markets can pick from four engines including a 123kW/244Nm 2.7-litre V6 running on LPG — a powerplant that could find favour with Australian motorists.
Designed with the final hand of new Kia stylist Peter Schreyer, the Sorento is about 110mm longer than its predecessor.
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Kia claims that leads to an increase in interior headroom by 64mm (to 906mm) and legroom by 102mm (to 795mm).
Luggage space is up by 15 per cent — there is 258 litres behind the third seat row and 1047 litres behind the second row — because the tailgate has been moved back by 70mm.
Optional or standard features likely to come on the Australian model include keyless entry and engine start, a panoramic glass roof, rear camera, sat-nav and an iPod/USB compatible audio with up to 10 speakers.
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GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver…
About Neil