By Dave Abrahams
Johannesburg - Kia's all-new third-generation Sorento SUV, first revealed in Seoul in August last year, has landed in South Africa, nine months after its global debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.
Inspired by a theme the designers named 'Streetwolf', it was designed mostly at Namyang R&D outside Seoul, with some input from Kia's design studios in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California.
The front treatment combines a more upright 'tiger-nose' grille with long, wrap-around headlights, a higher waistline and a 15mm lower roofline on a longer wheelbase (up 80mm to 2780mm) and overall shape (up 95mm to 4780mm).
The new Sorento is available in South Africa with either a 2.4-litre petrol four with multi-point injection, or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel four, with Kia's fourth-generation fuel-injection system for shaper response, quieter running and lower fuel-consumption.
Drive is by either six-speed manual or automatic transmission to either the front or all four wheels, depending on the model. All-wheel drive models also have a '4WD Lock' mode, which splits torque distribution evenly between front and rear axles, for better traction in mud, snow and sand.
Up-spec models also have traction cornering control, which transfers torque to the wheels with the most grip and reduces understeer in cornering by sending more torque to the outside rear wheel and braking the inside rear wheel.
DRIVE SELECT
A drive select switch on auto models lets you reset the transmission shift points to Normal, Eco (early shifting for lowest fuel consumption) and Sport (delayed shifts and reduced assistance from the electric power steering.
Manual models have a simpler Flex Steer set-up, with three modes - Normal, Sport (less assistance for a sportier feel) and Comfort (very light steering for car parks and other tight situations).
SA-spec Sorrento's come in four trim levels, starting with the five-seat, petrol-engined, manual-shift LS. Trim is black fabric, trip data is displayed on a 3.5 inch mono screen between the instruments, and infotainment - a six-speaker radio/CD/MP3 with audio set-up, and USB and auxiliary ports - on a 3.8 inch central screen.
The five-seat, auto-transmission 2.2 CRDi LX adds leather trim, a 4.3 inch colour touchscreen with rear-view camera and a poweradjustable driver's seat.
The all-wheel drive, seven-seat, auto-tranny EX upgrades the instrumentation to an electro-luminescent instrument cluster and digital speedometer that can configured from the steering wheel, power adjustment for the front passenger's seat, and a seat memory package for both front seats.
The range-topping SX, in addition, comes with blind spot detection, a panoramic sunroof and smart power tailgate that beeps three times and opens automatically if the key is close enough, without you having to stand on one leg and waggle a foot around under the rear bumper.
PRICES
2.4 LS - R379 995
2.2 CRDi LX - R499 995
2.2 CRDi EX AWD - R599 995
2.2 CRDi SX AWD - R634 995
These include a five-year or 150 000km warranty and a four-year or 90 000km service plan for the LS, while the LX, EX, and SX come with a five-year or 100 000km maintenance plan.
Jesse Adams of our print sister publication Star Motoring was at the SA launch. Check out Independent Newspapers’ Motoring supplements on Thursday for his driving impressions.