Kia Sorento News

If you find yourself on the wrong side of the law it could soon be a Kia Sorento SUV with flashing lights that you see in your rear view mirror, the Korean car maker has revealed.

Here's a recap of the year's stars, with impressive arrivals and value added to staples.

There are few bad cars on the road these days, which made it tougher than ever to pick a field for CarsGuide's 2015 Car of the Year award.The process started in December last year. A week after we awarded the Mercedes-Benz C-Class our gong, we were on the launch of the new Subaru Outback.It was the first of more than 300 new cars we pored over before arriving at 11 finalists. In between there were head-to-head battles and three-way shootouts between the most impressive of the newcomers and the existing benchmarks.Comparison tests are vital because it's easy to come away from a new car launch impressed by Brand X's latest and greatest. But it takes back-to-back testing — on the same stretch of bitumen, same potholes, same freeway — to sort the winners from the also-rans.This year's COTY judging threw up a few surprises. The first was the CX-3. It felt good to drive on the launch and when we tested it against the best in its class, it also came out on top. Up against our other finalists, it felt underdone and overpriced. The conclusion? The mini-SUV may be the new "must-have" automotive accessory but none of the new breed — there have been six all-new arrivals this year — is as practical or fun to drive as a humble hatchback.Next was the BMW X1, which fellow judge Joshua Dowling called "the most un-BMW BMW I've driven". An SUV from a German luxury brand for a tad over $60,000 sounds like a good deal, especially when a Toyota Kluger can cost similar money.While much improved over its predecessors in some areas, the X1 was underdone in others. The seats, usually a BMW highlight, were flat and unsupportive, while the front suspension crashed rudely over bumps.To a much lesser extent the same criticism could be levelled at our runner-up, the Mercedes-Benz GLC. It is still an impressive vehicle but not as well sorted as the C-Class. In their quest for new buyers, are the luxury brands losing their luxuriousness?The surprises weren't all bad, though. The fact that the Ford Ranger made our final five is testimony to the huge advances made in one-tonne utes in recent years. The Ranger didn't feel a million miles off the rest of the field on our road loop.A decade ago, jumping out of a Volvo into a Ford ute would have been like trading the Merc for a Massey Ferguson. Not now.Which brings us to the last — and most pleasant — COTY surprise: the winner, Kia's Sorento. Ever since the Koreans pinched Audi's head designer, Kia cabins have looked a cut above their competitors. Local suspension tuning has made them ride better, while their diesel engines are on par with some of the best for refinement. Add an industry leading seven-year warranty and there's plenty to like.If you're put off by the badge on the nose, it's your loss. 

Kia's family seven-seater stands out, setting a precedent in a singular field.

This year's line-up is a dream team of pace machines, heavy-hitters and all-rounders.

The Mazda CX-3 is in but the Honda HR-V and Renault Captur are out.The Audi TT is in but the Holden Cascada is out.That's my assessment of the field so far as we search for the best new car of 2015.Good is still good, but it's not good enough when the biggest prize in Australian motoring is on the line.Even a car as initially impressive as the Land Rover Discovery Sport is marked down heavily on value when you consider it as a CarsGuide Car of the Year contender.It's the same for the Ford Mondeo, which looks good, is packed to the hilt with technology but has lost its mojo on the open road.Similarly the Ford Focus ST, which is a great drive, is too narrow in its appeal.The CarsGuide team has already driven more than two dozen good cars in the opening half of the year and it's time to see what's looking good for a spot for the top-10 run-off in December.There are some surprising failures and the line-up could change dramatically with a rush of impressive newcomers booked for the second half but this is how the COTY 2015 contenders are shaping up.The new German coupe is everything the TT always could — and should — have been.It's had a muscle-car makeover that covers a broad spectrum from the sharper body shape to the driving dynamics and cabin space.All right, it should have a standard rear-vew camera, but that omission is offset by gains in other areas that count for a performance car.And the interior, with its integrated display screen in front of the steering wheel, is top-notch.This one is a slow burn because it's not like previous BMWs.For a start, it has front-wheel drive. And it puts family first.It's more like the i3 electric car than a 3 Series which is a good thing for people who put comfort and space and quality ahead of the Ultimate Driving Machine.It might be a clunky in the front suspension but it's classier than we expected and the flexible cabin, which will later include a third row of seats, is up there with the best.Cars as good as the Sorento should allow Kia to make the final breakthrough in Australia.Look beyond the country's longest warranty and you find a family seven-seater that's good-looking, practical and nice to drive.It could do with more steering feel but that's a very minor thing for people who need a seven-seater.Inside, the cheap and cheerful Kias of a decade ago are a distant memory, replaced by quality finishes, soft surfaces and great attention to detail.The best of the new-age mini SUVs wins a spot by trumping rivals including the HR-V and Captur, something it achieves with quality, refinement and a class-leading starting price.It's never going to star for a family with such a small boot but it's developed from the Mazda2 that starred in last year's COTY run-off.It looks good, drives well and works for twentysomethings who crave an SUV, delivering the elevated seating position without being too bulky.The new family sedan is a welcome return to form for a company that went backwards during the global financial crisis.Honda and Mitsubishi are still recovering but Subaru is back to what it does best with a quiet, comfortable, refined and well-priced car for Australian families. It also maintains Subaru's impressive reputation for cutting-edge safety.As always, it comes with all-wheel drive and provides the platform for the equally impressive Outback.The back end of 2015 will bring a number of impressive newcomers, from the baby Skoda Fabia through to the muscular Ford Mustang, bigger Hyundai Tucson and youthful Jeep Renegade.For now, the best of the bunch looks like this:This car could be as impressive, in its own SUV style, as the Volkswagen Golf Mk7. It's first with the mechanical package that will go under several VW Group arrivals, including the next Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga. So we're expecting class leading comfort, quality and a great family drive.If the born-again Mustang is half as good as the hype it will be a serious COTY contender. Early drives in the US point to best-yet dynamics for the first 'Stang with factory right-hand drive. There is even a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine. More than 2000 Australians are paid-up and waiting for their car to arrive, sometime in November.This one needs to be more than good to challenge the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. But Jaguar learned bitter lessons from its X-Type, which was no more than a re-bodied Ford Mondeo, and is pushing hard with an XE that gets everything from an aluminium backbone to new-age engines. In Australia, the key will be in the pricing and equipment.The world's favourite sports car is odds-on for a COTY spot. It's been completely reworked for 2015 despite a body that could only be an MX-5. It's promising a much-needed improvement in cabin space and overall refinement, as well as Skyactiv engine technology that already works in Mazda's mainstream models. Add the lightweight body and sharp pricing. There is already a queue for early deliveries.The all-new Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara for 2015 are good but not great, which leaves the Ranger to challenge the all-new Toyota HiLux for the benchmark in utes. This midlife update is more than just a mild makeover. It has new panels, tweaked driving dynamics and on the flagship model it has technology that would make a German SUV blush.More than just a truck, the HiLux has been Australia's favourite ute for more than a generation, not just because it scores with miners but because it can be most things to most people. The new HiLux promises everything from a new turbo diesel to car-like quality and refinement.It's been a very long time since the first XC90, which has given Volvo — after its change from a Ford subsidiary to Chinese ownership — plenty of time to develop a benchmark upscale SUV. Extensive work on everything from cabin comfort and quality to best-in-class safety technology — wrapped in a good-looking new bodywork — should make the XC90 something special and a '15 standout.Alfa Romeo 4C - The Italian version of a Lotus Elise is a looker and a goer, but too costly.Ford Mondeo - Not as good as the previous car, although cabin space is excellent.Holden Cascada - Most impressive of the new Euro Holdens, good but not great.Hyundai Sonata - Not up to the standard of Hyundai's other newcomers, although value is good.Renault Captur - Funky bodywork makes big promises but the undersized engine cannot deliver.Toyota Camry - A top car by any measure but not enough change for a COTY run.

The new third-generation Kia Sorento SUV will arrive in local showrooms on June 7, with the seven-seat SUV now priced from $40,990 for the entry-level Si model, up $2000 from the outgoing model's starting price. The mid-spec SLi is priced from $45,990, while the top-spec Platinum is priced from $55,990 - both $4500 increases from their outgoing equivalents.The new Sorento brings fresh looks inside and out, plus extra technology to help it battle key rivals like the Toyota Kluger, Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Pathfinder.The Sorento's all-new body has been lengthened by 95mm to 4780mm, widened by 5mm to 1890mm and overall height has lowered by 45mm to be 1690mm. The wheelbase has also increased by 80mm to 2780mm.The extra length and width pays dividends when it comes to luggage space. The new Sorento fits 320 litres (142 VDA) of cargo in the back will all the seats up, 1077L (605 VDA) with the third row seats down, and 2066L (1662 VDA) with the middle seats folded.This represents gains of 62 litres, 30 litres and 14 litres respectively over the outgoing model.For the passengers, there is an extra 12V power adaptor in the front bringing the total to three. There's also USB charging in both the front and second row, and an extra cup holder in the third row.Earlier this week ANCAP awarded the 2015 Sorento the maximum five star crash safety rating.Helping it achieve this are six airbags - two at the front, two at the side and two full length curtain bags protecting all three rows.There is also a a suite of technologies working to stop an accident occurring in the first place - anti-lock braking with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, electronic stability control with traction control, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist and emergency stop signalling.AEB and forward collision warning however, is notably missing from the feature list.For baby capsules, there are two ISOFIX mounting points and three top tethers in the second row.The new Sorento is available in the same Si, SLi and Platinum trim of the outgoing model. Also carrying over is the split in engine options with Si and SLi variants available with either the petrol or turbodiesel engines, while the Platinum remains exclusively an oiler.Across the lineup the Sorento features a 7-inch touchscreen multimedia system, satnav with traffic info, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors, auto headlights and 17-inch alloys plus a full size alloy spare.The mid-spec SLi adds keyless ignition, hands free tailgate, perforated leather trimmed seats, 10-speaker sound system and ups the wheel size to 18 inches.The Platinum then adds lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, heated/ventilated front seats, heated second row seats (not the middle one, however), sunshade for second row, auto-levelling HID headlights, LED daytime running lights and 19-inch alloys.The new Sorento's petrol engine has been downsized from the old model's 3.5-litre V6 to a 3.3-litre unit, dropping outputs by 5kW/17Nm to 199kW/318Nm, and paired exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.Tuning to suit new emissions regulations has caused the smaller engine to bring a small increase in fuel consumption, with the petrol model achieving 9.9L/100km on the combined cycle compared to the 9.8L/100km of the outgoing Sorento.The 147kW/441Nm 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel gains 2kW/5Nm, and is also paired with six-speed auto, but driving all four wheels. The manual transmission available on the outgoing model has been discontinued.Like its petrol counterpart, the diesel engine also comes with an increase in fuel consumption, up 0.5L/100km over the outgoing model to achieve a combined 7.8L/100km.Torque distribution can be "locked" to split evenly between the front and rear wheels for off-road or low traction situations, however like its key rivals, the Sorento does not have a low-range transfer case.

Australian crash safety authority, ANCAP, has awarded the maximum five-star crash safety rating to the third-generation Kia Sorento SUV, which launches in Australia this week.The large-SUV's performance in the physical crash tests (conducted by EuroNCAP) as well as its inclusion of required safety technology combined to deliver the Sorento the full five stars for safety.Achieving a five-star rating from ANCAP means the new Sorento matches its key rivals - including the Ford Territory, Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Pathfinder - in having the maximum safety level. The Sorento's result is also a boost for the Korean car maker after the third-generation Carnival people mover, with which the Sorento shares some of its underpinnings, only managed a four-star rating earlier this year.

Sausages are sizzling, the hessian fences are up and those weird inflatable statues are flapping in the breeze: it's clearance sale time at new-car yards across Australia.

Comparing the contenders has always been a great way to bag a new-car bargain. So you might be looking at a Holden Commodore but, after watching the Bathurst win last weekend by Paul Morris and Chaz Mostert, decide instead a Ford Falcon is more your style.Or you could be convinced you need a new Toyota HiLux, until you check the prices for rivals such as the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton. But there is a new twist in the tale.It's all about brands stopping rivals gain ground. And stealing their customers. It's called ambush marketing and it's becoming more common.Earlier this year, on the same day BMW was ripping the covers off its hot rod M3 sedan and M4 coupe, Mercedes-Benz boosted power and cut the price for its belter C63 AMG.As Ford continues the build-up to its FG X, which goes on sale in early December, Holden has just done a 2015 update on its excellent VF Commodore."Ambush marketing is all about stealing someone else's glory," says John Startari, who heads Peugeot and Citroen in Australia. They're challenger brands and he's always looking for a way to lure people from the mainstream. "Remember the Holden blimp? The day it accidentally got blown towards the MCG in a Toyota-sponsored ALF game? Ambush marketing."Even Toyota's AFL sponsorship is a way to one-up companies, like Mazda and Renault and Fiat that support individual teams." There are no boundaries in ambush marketing, with Kia doing a job on half-brother Hyundai in a people-mover stoush this week.As Hyundai previews its updated 2015 seven-seater Santa Fe, Kia has done a value-added package for its rival Sorento. Kia says the "Family Pack" is a $3400 value boost, which is sure to tickle shoppers who put value at the top of their priorities.