Kia Sorento
Ratings
3 stars
Summary
Average. A big, tough off-roader that offers plenty of utility for anyone who really needs to get their wheels dirty - but chronically outclassed in town.
Review
The Sorento is one of the last of a dying breed, an old-school off-roader that has been designed more around the needs of the country than the town.
For farmers and other rural-dwellers, it's hard to fault the Sorento's combination of tough construction, pulling power and good standard equipment. But the harsh ride, indifferent roadholding and poor refinement mean that it's got very little to offer to the sort of punter looking for an urban "soft-roader."
The Sorento's handsome styling has more than a hit of Lexus about it and, although the cabin's design feels a bit old fashioned, it comes with lots of standard-fit kit and impressively solid construction. It's spacious too, with both front and rear seat passengers enjoying plenty of room and an impressively commodious boot, too.
On the road the Sorento feels very crude. The suspension crashes and heaves its way over bumps and undulations, the over-light steering communicates little impression of the front tyre's modest grip reserves and the whole car leans at acute angles under even moderate cornering speeds. It's far happier in the true wilderness, where the grunty diesel engine and four-wheel drive system help to keep it going through the sort of terrain that would stop a soft-roader in its tracks.
Ratings Breakdown
Styling
4 star
One of Kia's best efforts, certainly before the Cee'd came along. There's a strong resemblance to the previous generation Lexus RX300, but that's no bad thing.
Handling
1 star
Forget it - the Sorento rolls, squeals and runs out of grip almost comically early. Not a patch on road-biased rivals.
Comfort
3 star
The choppy ride quickly becomes irritating, but the Sorento enjoys a decent driving position.
Quality & Reliability
3 star
The cabin is built to last thanks to tough-feeling materials. Not very classy, but it feels up to withstanding a fair bit of abuse.
Performance
3 star
A 2.5 litre turbo-diesel is the sole engine option. Performance is reasonable, but comes with a very loud soundtrack under hard acceleration.
Roominess
4 star
Roomy for four adults and reasonably spacious for five. The cavernous boot is impressively big.
Running Costs
4 star
Decent residual values and respectable fuel economy mean the Sorento is cheaper to run than almost all of its cash-guzzling rivals.
Value for money
4 star
Probably the most convincing of the (admittedly not particularly talented) entry-level off-roaders. We'd certainly take one over a Ssangyong Kyron.
