'Tiger nose' Sorento really is the cat's whiskers

Published Nov 19, 2009

Share

Kia's new style identity involves a "tiger's nose" grille - and indeed it looks like one, if a bit skew. Whatever, the new Sorento SUV that it now adorns in South Africa is most certainly the cat's whiskers of its automotive genre.

The Koreans just keep getting better and better. Kia and its sister company Hyundai have for years been catching up on the quality and style of European automakers - I reckon they overtook the Americans some while back - but this the latest version of the Sorento has taken everything to a new level.

The range - seven models with a choice of two engines, five or seven seats and a six-speed manual or auto gearbox - was launched in SA with a ride 'n drive from Durban into the Natal hinterland over some of the province's crumbling but trademark potholed byways and some toughish gravel roads.

The target outgoing was the beautiful village of Byrne, a thatched outpost of Olde England not far from the now hideously shabby country dorp of Richmond, and its colonial (and proud of it) Oaks Hotel(it was great, ladies, thanks so much!) for a lunch break. By the time famous food guru and wind-power advocate Henrie Geyser (who also happens to write about cars) and I turned off the N2 towards Umbumbulu (hell, I love that name!) it was already obvious that the Sorento was something special.

By the time we turned off the R624 towards Eston then on to gravel, heading for Richmond, all doubt had disappeared. This SUV, we decided, is simply the best of the bunch in its price range in South Africa - and those prices range from R340 000 for the 2.2 diesel (no, wait until you read more about the engine just now!), front-wheel drive five-seater to R400 000 for monster truck, the seven-seat, all-wheel drive, autoboxed 3.5-litre petrol model that comes with 18" alloy rims, xenon lights reversing camera (remember to wipe the mud off it occasionally) and front, side and curtain crash bags and will only be available by March/April 2010.

I don't care how much money you can afford, unless you're planning some serious off-roading (Kia's jovial MD Ray Levin pointed out, when asked why the Sorento doesn't have low-range, "We're urban, not rural, warriors") and need huge ground clearance and a half-dozen electronic traction control and ride-height gizmo settings, the Sorento is the benchmark to aim for.

And frankly, as I hinted a couple of paragraphs ago, the diesel is the one to go for. Each engine, for a start, is smaller than its predecessor (Kia has dropped 1.6 petrol); the 3.5 petrol replaces the former 3.8 and the new 2.2 turbodiesel replaces the 2.5 but both make more power and use less fuel.

NO LOW-RANGE

The 2.2 can be hitched to the six-speed manual or auto box, the big petrol engine only to the auto and all-wheel drive. The diesel goes with two front-wheel and three all-wheel drive models, each with gloriously comfortable, executive-style, full-leather seats - five in the two-wheel drivers, seven in the 4x4s.

As I said, there's no low-range for the Sorento, and under normal driving on tar all the torque goes to the front wheels; drive into heavy rain, slippery tar, or off-road and torque is shifted, electronically and instantly, to the wheels with the most grip. Automatic AWD, if you like.

Outstanding features of the quad-valve R2.2 engine (the 'R' indicating green credentials), Kia says, include an all-aluminium construction, an electronic variable-geometry turbocharger and an advanced engine control unit. Like the new Sorento's petrol engine, the diesel has a number of weight-saving plastic components, including the intake manifold, cylinder-head cover and oil-filter housing.

The unit is capable of 147kW and 436Nm from 1800-2500rpm with a manual gearbox, 422 for the auto. And, for a short burst and only in the interests of our readers, officer, I took the diesel manual up to 160km/h, leaving it in sixth. The surge of torque from this comparatively small engine was astounding - more like a three-litre petrol - and at that speed the mill was turning at only 2750rpm.

ABOUT THE GEARBOXES...

Awesome! And not a grumble or rumble from under the bonnet. In fact no noise at all, just a tremble through the chassis and steering wheel relayed by the big tyres (235/65 on 17" rims) on the coarse tar. Better, not much more comes through on pebbled gravel - a truly remarkably quiet (dare I say cathedral-like) ride from the cool Korean.

The quad-valve, 3470cc V6 engine has continuously variable valve timing, will rev to 6300 (up from 6000) and is capable of 207kW at 6300rpm and 335Nm at 5000 rpm.

The auto/manual sequential gearbox also deserves further mention: Kia says it's the world's most compact six-speed and has 62 fewer parts than a five-speed unit. It's also 54mm shorter, 12kg lighter and helps to cut fuel consumption by 12 percent - partly by automatically moving into neutral to reduce engine load if the car is stationary for more than a few moments.

"With this transmission," Kia says, "we have joined an elite group of only three automakers, Toyota and a GM/Ford joint venture, in designing, developing and building our own six-speed auto transmissions."

JUST ONE PENALTY...

The Sorento's cabin is easily a match for German luxmobiles. The seats are thick and wide, there's way more than usual space between the front and second rows, and - should you opt for the two extra seats that fold into the boot floor, you'll find they, too, are leather, big, and suitable for adults.

The only penalty is incurred by the boot floor but its comparative lack of area is made up for by the cabin's height - suitcases, for instance, can be stacked. You want to carry a bicycle, for one or all of the second-row seats.

There's no bright centre panel on the fascia, a happy departure from the "brushed aluminium" look so fashionable among automakers these days but to me no more than a glaring error on otherwise restrained, upmarket cabin furnishings. Ditto the unwrinkled rhino-hide lookalike covering on the fascia top - hardly any reflection on the windscreen.

The steering wheel, too, is leather wrapped, with thumb-grip mouldings and bears controls for the audio system and excellent autocruise, and everything just fits so well, especially the controls on the centre console.

'WE'VE VISIBLY IMPROVED'

Ex-Audi stylist and designer

"Kia has visibly improved quality and reliability across our range in recent years and a lot of time was spent on groundbreaking design - we are transforming from a Korean carmaker to a global automaker."

The Kia Kee concept, first shown in 2007, was perhaps the watershed of styling and quality changes, followed more recently by the Soul city car- a radical departure from the "by the book" style of earlier Kia products.

Next to come will be a remake of the luxury-sized but, in South Africa at least, poor-selling Magentis and the Sportage SUV and, as a direct challenge to the BMW 5 Series, the Kia K7.

"We made the best even better," Schreyer said. "By the end of 2012 the renewal of the entire Kia range will be complete; what you will see in our cars will be passion!"

Zian van Heerden, Kia SA's sales director, added: "Kia has deliberately repositioned the Sorento more upmarket - we aim to rewrite the rules for an SUV with premium fit and finish."

Kia doesn't need to aim - it's a done deal.

THE PRICES

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel - R339 995

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel a/t - R349 995

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel 4x4 - R359 995

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel 4x4 a/t - R369 995

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel 4x4 7-seat - R389 995

Sorento 2.2 turbodiesel 4x4 a/t 7-seat - R399 995

Sorento 3.5 4x4 a/t 7-seat - R399 995

For full vehicle specifications read

Kia sees its competirors as Chev's Captiva, Ford's Everest, Honda's CR-V, Jeep's Cherokee, Land Rover's Freelander, Mitsubishi's Pajero, Toyota's RAV4 and VW's Tiguan.

Afterthought:

Kia is one of the main sponsors of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa through supplying a total of 300 buses and other vehicles to the local organisers (there'll be a few good deals going there when the months of football hype are over!). The company is looking for 64 human mascots, aged 12-16, for the series. Go to the Kia South Africa website for more details.

There are also match tickets to be won.

Related Topics: