SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Almost everything: 2019 Kia Sorento EX 2.2 CRDi awd

Keeping life comfortable.

Pics by Motorpress
Posted: 30 March 2019

The numbers
Price: R649 995
Engine: 2179 cc, 16 valve, four-cylinder diesel with variable geometry turbocharger
Power: 147 kW at 3800 rpm
Torque: 440 Nm between 1750 and 2750 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.4 seconds
Maximum speed: 203 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.0 l/100 km
Tank: 80 litres
Cargo: 142-605-1662 litres
Ground clearance: 185 mm
Turning circle: 11.36 metres
Standard tyre size: 235/60R18
Maximum, braked, towing mass: 2000 kg
Warranty: 5 years / unlimited km, with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years / 100 000 km

Background: Kia’s Sorento SUV was facelifted in 2018 with new grille, fog lamps and headlamps (LED on certain models), revised sheet metal; new colours and new wheels.

The present SA range consists of four models. All use the 2.2-litre Kia R-family diesel, seat seven when needed and have an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Designed in-house, it boasts 143 newly patented technologies for slicker shifting, a more decisive driving experience thanks to fewer control valves that allow a more direct link between engine and wheels, and lower emissions. It’s an excellent ‘box that changes smoothly and kicks down promptly on demand, without any flare or fuss. Manual override is controlled via the gear lever; there are no paddles.

You have four choices; LX or EX trim levels and 4x2 or awd. Although the car’s ground clearance is a pretty fair 185 mm, think about awd more as a safety measure for retaining traction in mud, on wet roads or in snow and for improved cornering ability. The car does all the thinking for you by allocating power to each axle as needed. A selectable infographic lets you watch, in real time, how power is transferred between front and rear axles. In extreme conditions, like ice and snow, you can lock the centre differential to maintain driving power distribution at 50:50, front to rear. It’s also useful for light goat track driving if the mood takes you.

LX grade gives you practically everything anyone could want; alloy wheels, ABS with EBD and ESC, hill start, parking assist sensors and reversing camera, power windows with one-touch and anti-pinch all around, smart entry with pushbutton starting, six airbags, ISOFix mountings with top tethers, dual zone air conditioning, cruise control and leather upholstery.

Don't  forget auto-on lights with welcome and escort functions, heated automatically folding mirrors with indicator repeaters, eight-inch display with navigation and CarPlay (Android Auto via your phone), 40:20:40 split second row seatback, 3.5” TFT information screen, four-way drive mode selector (more on this later) and front fog lamps.

EX, priced R30 000 higher, adds easy defogging of front and rear screens; illuminated door scuff plates; electric adjustment, with lumbar support, of the driver’s seat; automatically dipping interior mirror; luggage net; LED running lamps and rear combination lamps; roof rails and wireless Smartphone charger.

It earned a more stringent than normal, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) Top Safety Pick Plus certification for 2019.

Four-way drive mode selector: ECO, Normal and Sport automatically customise engine, gearshifting and steering responses to each driver’s operating style. Briefly, you could “train” your car to drive the same way in all three modes, but that isn’t the intended idea. Fourth is Smart mode. It understands and anticipates the driver’s intentions and switches between the other three as needed. Candidly, we found the gearbox reacted quickly in all modes so there’s little danger, even in ECO, of being “caught out” should an emergency situation arise.

Ride and road holding: It’s smooth, comfortable and solid, soaks up bumps and ripples well, and feels planted.

Steering and manoeuvrability: The car is 4.88 metres long with a turning circle, between kerbs, of 11.36 metres. It can be a little unwieldy in tight places and one needs to pick parking spaces with some care.

Third row seats: These pull up out of the floor and are meant predominantly for small fry. Entry is from the left side only and requires that passengers be small and flexible. Kneeroom can be quite generous but headroom is not friendly towards six-footers. The area has its own stash boxes, cup holders, head restraints and belts.

Second row seats: Almost limousine like, these are more generous. Leg room adjusts from almost nothing to luxurious provided the third row is not in use and headspace is plentiful. Seatbacks split 60:40 with an option to split the wider section to provide a load-through. Each major portion adjusts individually, including recline angles for the backrests. Repeater vents at the rear of the centre console, reasonable storage (the door bins are narrow), second USB and 12-volt/180-Watt sockets, a second courtesy light and blinds for the side windows make life comfortable.

Luggage area: The loading deck is about 74 cm high and fitted with four lashing rings, a light, two bag hooks and remote release levers for the second-row seatbacks. A reversible load mat features rubber stipples on one side and carpeting on the other. With both intermediate rows of seats collapsed, they expose a load area almost 1.9 metres long. A fully sized alloy spare wheel is slung beneath the body.

Quality build, an excellent safety rating, space, versatility and confident handling make Kia Sorento a well-considered choice. It has almost everything a family SUV could need.
 
Test unit from Kia Motors SA press fleet



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This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

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