Kia has announced details of the revised Sorento SUV at the Paris Motor Show. While details from Paris are for European markets, Car Showroom will drive the latest Sorento at the Australian media launch on 8 October so check for our drive impressions then.
In fact the Kia Sorento is a ‘Car Showroom Favourite’ mid-size SUV and the fresh look of the newcomer revealed for European markets builds on the attractive design with re-styled for the front and rear. Noticeable at the front is the new grille, headlights and unusual upright fog-lights. At the rear, Kia Sorento gains a new-look tailgate and new LED lights.
There’s also seven new exterior paint colours, a new panoramic glass roof and new-design alloy wheels in 17-inch, 18-inch and 19-inch sizes.
Underneath, the updated Kia Sorento is highlighted by an enhanced 2.4-litre direct injection petrol engine.
The ‘Theta II’ GDI petrol engine appears for the first time in Europe and comes with nine per-cent more power (141kW) and more than six per-cent extra torque (242Nm). Looking at diesels, Kia’s ‘R’ family 2.2-litre turbo-diesel gains exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) for a 14 per-cent cut in exhaust emissions while delivering 145kW/436Nm (automatic) or 145kW/421Nm (manual). The smaller 110kW/382Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel probably won’t come to Australia.
Carried-over from the current model is the driveline – six-speed manual or automatic transmissions and 2WD or on-demand 4WD.
Inside, Kia’s European customers can kit their Sorento in black or beige cloth trim or optional black, beige, brown or black-and-white leather. Kia’s seven-seater also gains extra soft-touch surfaces, some satin-chrome trim highlights, a new LCD instrument cluster, a new centre stack with seven-inch LCD display screen and a new gear-selector.
On the options list are heated/ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems and Kia’s Smart Parking Assist System.
Ride/handling is set to improve with Kia beefing-up the Sorento’s suspension sub-frame and mounting bushes and making the steering more direct.
Kia Australia will announce the local details in a couple of weeks.
