Kia’s new Sorento has it all – looks, quality and ride – except for that niggling extra gramme of emissions that, for us, will be the bitterest pill to swallow
ONE GRAMME: it’s the cap on a pen; it’s a single raisin; it’s the amount of compassion we have for John Terry, Ashley Cole and Tiger Woods. Combined.
For new Sorento owners, that one gramme is €183 in additional carbon tax every year– because the big brains at the engine development arm of Kia couldn’t bring the emissions levels down by one single gramme.
It would have meant a reduction of only 0.5 per cent to the car’s emissions, but would have put the latest version of Kia’s popular SUV in a lower tax band. It would also have shaved 4 per cent off the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) charged on the purchase price. Falling as it does into Band E, owners pay an annual stipend to the Government of €630. Knock that gramme off? €447.
Surely after over a century of tinkering with the combustion engine – and as we prepare to introduce electric power to the motoring masses – some of the engineering geniuses could have cut that gramme from the Sorento’s emissions. For us, this gramme will forever be this Kia’s bitterest pill.
It’s a real shame, for the Sorento has a lot to offer. A week in the car and we can see why so many motorists fancied the SUV lifestyle throughout the noughties. The yummy mummies adored their SUVs, partly for the feeling of protection, and partly because they always seemed a step up from the regular saloon. The off-road styling also suggested that the owner just might live on a country estate, instead of an anonymous housing estate in the suburbs. It was the motoring equivalent of Romanesque pillars on the front porch of a terraced house, or a Mediterranean-style balcony off the main bedroom, looking onto the garage roof.
The buzz about SUVs and their rugged looks will perhaps come to symbolise the motoring excesses of the turn of this century. If the 1980s was about lairy wide boys in VW Golfs, the last decade was all yummie mummies in their mock off-roaders.
The Sorento is staring into much the same marketplace as it did before, but the landscape has changed. Downsizing is the order of the day, and it has little to do with ecology and everything to do with economy. So have the Sorento and its ilk had their day? Perhaps not. Sales certainly won’t reach the peaks of the past, but there is room for these vehicles as rivals to regular, family saloons. For most buyers the prices pitch them up against the likes of a mid-range Ford Mondeo or VW Passat. If you’ve owned those booted cars for several years and seek a change, these SUVs often offer a tempting alternative. They also offer a more stylish option over the boxy people carriers, particularly when – like the Sorento – they come with three rows of seats.
The problem is that they never quite handle as well as their lower-set rivals and the compensation – a more rugged off-road ability – is rarely used. Throw in the additional weight and its impact on emissions and the SUV starts to look like a less attractive proposition.
Yet the Sorento is a tempting package. For those who seek SUV styling, its value proposition, spaciousness and Kia’s new seven-year warranty are enticing.
The Sorento was something of a star for Kia back when the brand itself was rated alongside Lada. Sorento was, effectively, a brand in its own right, with the rest of the Kia range trailing behind. But that’s all changed; models like the C’eed and Soul signal a major shift for the brand with some smart, funky styling.
They said it would take 10 years for the Koreans to make their mark. How wrong they were. Sister brand Hyundai has shot up the JD Power quality rankings in the all-important US market, and now nestles in fourth place, alongside brands like Porsche and Lexus.
Kia hasn’t perhaps done as well, currently ranked 16th, but is still ahead of more premium rivals like BMW, Volvo and Audi. In 2005, the brand was much lower in the quality table, rubbing shoulders with brands like MG Rover, Citroën and Fiat. That’s an impressive turnaround in the space of five years.
So what of the Sorento? Well, it’s a more stylised version of the family SUV, at least at the front. It’s tall, slightly muscular and with a smart new front grille. It’s good looking, if not exactly a work of art.
The inside is very much the same: functional, smart, well put together, if not exactly exciting. The Sorento comes with a host of impressive standard features: heated electric front seats and dual air-con, leather trim and cruise control. These are creature comforts you wouldn’t expect as standard for €42,000. In terms of space, back seats are well able for a couple of adults, with decent legroom. It doesn’t end there: there is a third row of folding seats in the boot. Admittedly, third-row legroom is tight and it means sacrificing the luggage space to all but a few shopping bags, but they are useful for a school run emergency.
On the road, the front-wheel drive on this test version means there’s a degree of torque steer feedback and a good deal of understeer if you try to be too adventurous in tighter bends. That said, the ride is a good balance of suppleness without too much bodyroll in corners. The outgoing model was a value proposition, but it had a tendency to wallow too much in corners for our taste. The new model has a much tidier ride on the road. It’s not exactly nimble, but it’s a significant improvement.
The new 2.2-litre diesel engine – emissions aside – is a perfect fit and never lags. It’s not going to race you into pole, but there is plenty of torque to call upon and it always seems to have added power in reserve.
When pitting the Sorento against its competitors, one feature that gives the Kia a significant lead is the brand’s previously-mentioned seven-year warranty. It’s interesting to watch the reaction of rivals. When asked if they will follow suit, they often dismiss it as a marketing ploy. But so what? If it benefits customers and helps strengthen resale values, let’s see a lot more of these marketing ploys.
There are a host of rivals to the Sorento, legacies of the SUV boom of the last decade. While the Santa Fe remains a major player, if you don’t need seven seats, the Subaru for us represents the Sorento’s strongest rival, either in Forester or Outback guise.
The Kia is a good looking alternative to mid-sized people carriers and a well-built package from a brand on the rise. Styling is great, the seven-year warranty is a real edge in price-conscious Ireland and the fit and finish have come on in leaps and bounds. It’s just that annoying one gramme short of being really tempting.
Factfile - Kia Sorento 2.2 GSE 4x2
Engine:2,199cc with six-speed manual transmission putting out 194bhp @ 3,800rpm and 421Nm @ 1,800rpm
0-100km/h:9.4 secs
L/100km (mpg):urban – 8.5 (33.2); extra-urban – 5.3 (53.3); combined – 6.5 (43.5)
CO2 emissions:171g/km
Tax:band E – €630
Specifications:17-inch alloys (18" on GSE), front and rear fog lamps, roof rails, chrome outer door handles, front and rear mud flaps, power driver's seat, lumbar support on driver's seat, heated front seats, telescopic steering wheel with tilt adjustment, leather steering wheel, ABS with EBD, driver and passenger airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags
Price:€41,995
THE RIVALS
Subaru Forester 2.0TD XS
Power:145bhp
0-100km/h:10.4 secs
L/100km (mpg):6.4 (44.1)
CO2:170g/km
Tax:Band D (€447)
Price:€37,490
Land Rover Freelander 2.2
Power:158bhp
0-100km/h:11.7 secs
L/100km (mpg):7.5 (37.7)
CO2:194g/km
Tax:Band (€1,050)
Price:€39,665
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2d 2WD
Power:153
0-100km/h:11.3 secs
L/100km (mpg):7.2 (39.3)
CO2:190g/km
Tax:Band E (€630)
Price:€38,250
BMW X3 18d SE
Power:143bhp
0-100km/h:10.3 secs
L/100km (mpg):6.2 (45.5)
CO2:165g/km
Tax:Band D (€447)
Price:€44,870