“It feels almost as if you are driving one of the new twin-clutch
jobs — almost unnoticeable gear shifts with no noisy flare or slippage noise,”
Hall wrote then. (The full report is available on www.scarletpumpkin.com.
Changes
In the past four years,
Kia has kept the design of the Sorento the same, with what it calls “subtle
tweaks that lead to major changes”.
“A millimetre on a brake disc can translate to metres on the road.
A few degrees in suspension set-up can mean the difference between hot coffee on
your lap or safely in its cup. Steering modified to be more responsive when
you’re parking means that your alloy wheels are safe from pavements.
“This sort of innovative thinking and design is the difference
between liking your car or loving the new Sorento,” its website states about the
new Sorento.
Kia no longer sells a petrol model, with only a 2,2-litre turbo
diesel available in either 4x2 or all-wheel drive. Both models come with all the
trimmings, including seven seats, 18-inch wheels, xenon headlamps, a rear-view
camera, a smart key with a stop/start button and self-levelling suspension. Our
test model came with the optional sun roof as well.
Engine
As for the 2,2 diesel,
it is like a vanilla-coffee smoothie, with a dash of bourbon. The common rail
injection and 16 valves enable the overstroked engine to generate 436 Newton
metres between 1 800 and 2 500 revs, and it can deliver this power at a peak
work rate of 146 kW at 3 800 revs. (In the 4x2 model, power is strangely mapped at 15
Newtons lower.)
We often get asked what the difference is between 4x4 and all-wheel
drive.
Compared to old
4x4s, the short answer in these days of electronic differentials and
transfer casing locks with torque on demand is not much. Compared to new 4x4s, the answer is a hell of a lot, with in the likes of the new
Iveco Daily 4x4, for example having five buttons just to lock axles in various
configurations.
All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles cannot lock axles and typically have
low road clearances, but their modern diesel engines have so much low-down
torque that as long as their sumps can scrape over the obstacles, new AWD
vehicles can pretty much idle along routes that used to have signs reading “4x4
only”.
 |
| The 4x4 buttons in the new Unimog. |
In comparison to all the buttons that need pressing in a proper 4x4
such as a Unimog, AWD systems do the thinking for the driver, forcing the front
and rear axles to turn slower or faster in relation to each other, depending on
how much wheel spin the electronics detect.
When the going is smooth, AWD systems typically send all the power
to the front wheel.
The Sorento does likewise, which all helps to get good fuel
consumption for a 2,5 ton car.
Ability
To test the AWD
abilities of the Korean, I took the Sorento into the Valley of a Thousand Hills,
to see first-hand how sand is being pillaged from the Duzi River’s banks.
On a muddy patch, the
AWD computer diverted power to the rear axle as soon as the front wheel started
slipping.
But with a low road clearance of 18,4 cm, and independent
suspension that allowed limited wheel travel between the long nose and boot, I
did not risk going off the Jeep tracks into softer sand, having once spent a
sweaty afternoon digging out a similar vehicle after it got stuck.
Comfort
On dirt roads the ride
is firm, with climate control and good ergonomics, ensuring that some passengers
got so comfortable they started snoring.
The reassurance
provided by six air bags may have had something to do with that.
The only complaints were from the rear passengers, who struggled to
see out of the relatively small windows, and from the small ones on the fold-up
seats in the far rear, who complained that the sun was getting too hot through
the back window.
Pricing
The Sorento costs
R480 000.
It’s main competitor comes from the same factory in Korea, the
Hyundai Sante Fe, which offers three models ranging in price from R449 000 to
R520 000.
Other seven seaters on sale in SA include the likes of the Toyota
Fortuner and the Mahindra Xylo, neither of which can match the Koreans for
power, creature comforts or price.
The Kia Sorento automatic has seven seats, a butter-smooth
drivetrain and all the creature comforts a family can want — as does its main
competitor, Hyundai’s Sante Fe (right).
