The UK fellows at Autocar.co.uk had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the forthcoming 2010 Kia Sorento crossover. Unfortunately they only published a brief test-drive report, with not too many details included, but it seems like their very first impressions with Kia’s all-new crossover have been very positive.
The Autocar crew likes attractive body-shape of new Sorento as much as we do. Fabulously designed exterior, with front fascia featuring a massive H-shaped signature grille, will most definitely be one of the major selling points of the 2010 Sorento, but there are plenty of other features that will help moving vehicles from Kia dealer’s showrooms.
Most definately, the-state-of-the-art diesel engine will be one of them. Kia’s brand-new four-cylinder diesel engine churns out a class-leading 197 horsepower, a number that can’t be matched by any other diesel engine of the same size currently on the market.
According to Autocar, Kia’s 2.2L diesel engine is undoubtedly the best engine in the segment at the moment! It provides the vehicle with plenty of power and low-end torque plus it’s eco-friendly as it meets the Euro5 emission norms.
I hoped to read at least some words about Sorento’s all-new automatic tranny, but Autocar did not provide any details, so we will have to wait for a bit longer to hear the very first real-life impressions on the long-anticipated six-speed gearbox.
Here are some bits from Autocar’s review:
The Kia Sorento looks great. The nose is a winning combination of the Volvo XC60 and Nissan Murano, and it really sells the car.
The Sorento’s star attraction is the new 194bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel. This is undoubtedly the best in the class at the moment, with an easy-spinning character and plenty of low-end torque.
The new Sorento has a comfortable, lightly damped ride that will happily soak up the worst that British roads have to offer. Estate car drivers would take time to adjust to the large amounts of body roll, pitching and fidgeting under hard cornering, but the Sorento maintains its line well in high-speed bends. [Read more: Autocar]
October 14th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Thingst I like about the new Kia front design, such as on my Forte or this Sorento are: there is no bodywork between headlights housings and grille; straigt top line; the motif below the bumper mirrors the one above; headlights are in front of the car and not on top of the fenders; it’s not a blatant effort at putting a girlish/childish smiley-face in front of the vehicle (Mazda = Fail)
October 14th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Great!
I can’t wait to see how it performs against the competitors… I just hope, the new Sorento will get the much needed charging for the higher pullinglimit. Otherwise it will probably not get the Towcar of the Year award, the old one did.
But by the way: I also thought the new R engine is the way best diesel engine atm in it’s size. But a few weeks ago I found the Mercedes 2.2L diesel enigine (“250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY”) has 204HP and 500Nm. But hey, thats stilll second place of all brands out there!
Go Sorento!
October 14th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I think MB also has a 220 CDI engine and that one produces “only” 170 hp, while larger 250 CDI generates 204hp.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Dirk, the Mercedes 250 CDI is a twin-turbo engine, the Kia/Hyundai R engine isn’t. I think Kia/Hyundai has scheduled the R Diesel twin-turbo to go into production starting 2011.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
swept back head-lamps that have a gap between it and the grille, give a sporty look. but that aside. check out Infiniti FX, lancer, BMWs, Volvos but it particular the FX and lancer. These lights give a sense of speed and looks aggressive (seen where a shark’s eyes are?). but they also must be slim. not like what mazda did or what kia did for Venga.
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and Mazda 3 looks girlish/childish because of the smiling grille. not the lights.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
The lights don’t do the Mazda3 any favors.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
A bloody shame we aren’t getting the 2.2 diesel in NA. All that torque & over 40 mpg imperial!!
October 15th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I want to know about the transmission. We have customers drive both the V6 (5 speed) and V8 (6 speed) Borrego, and think that we (the salesmen) got the engines mixed up. The V8 Borrego is unbelievably slow. Hopefully the Kia developed engine rectifies that problem. Another thing – I’m about sick of Hyundai making Kia take everything new first. Their imperialistic colonialist ways are annoying.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
all there cars have great looks,from in to out…..”BUT” my big thing still is this RUBBER TIMING BELT….”WHY” and do not give me the answer ,it is the noise…..there are many cars with the metal belt and very few with this “RUBBER”….and i do not here them saying,its the “NOISE”….if this KIA wants to run with the BIG BOYS,then grow up….
October 16th, 2009 at 3:23 am
nice wagon, much better than the 2008 we have, tho i prefer the p.o.a next to it….
October 16th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Greg its like the Sportage with Front Wheel Drive or All wheel Drive with a transverse mounted engine.
October 16th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Greg do you mean the Hyundai-Kia developed 6 speed trans? The Borrego uses a ZF brand trans. if I remember right.
October 16th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Yeah, that;s the one I’m talking about, the Kia 6 speed. I want to know what it is like under acceleration, because the 6 speed Borrego has bad acceleration. And yes I know that the Borrego has a ZF trans.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
is robertro2 refering to a timing belt as opposed to a timing chain? timing chains are terrible, they stretch and make noise, ill take my timing belt over a timing chain any day
October 16th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Customers don’t like the added expense of timing belts. Every 40k miles you have to replace the damn thing. We’ve actually lost Rio sales, because the price to have the belt replaced is really high. We have a chain on our Optima, and we have never heard it, and we will never have to replace it. I know someone with a Rio whose timing belt broke after only 25k miles. I mean, after 25k miles you can’t drive your car anymore? That’s dumb!
October 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I thought that timing belts went 60,000 miles.
October 16th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
They can, but I think Kia recommends 40k miles. And, I have heard of many timing belts breaking around 50k. But in some instances, like as stated above, they can break even after 25k miles. Somehow he got Kia to cover the expense of a new engine…….
October 18th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Autocar.uk is usually mean to us. They unlike the US Magazines hate our cars, but love reliable German Rubbish.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Thats unreliable.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Greg, I actually drove a Ford once that’s timing belt broke 1 block from our Everett, WA, home! I must admit that I was lackadaisical in my Ford’s maintenance (we were spending our money working on restoring a home of ours in Everett that was built in 1914) but, come on! It was my ’86 Mercury Lynx SW(Escort clone, yes). That car cost me more in repairs than the car cost me overall to buy. Almost, anyway. From the 80′s on, I spent more repair money on that little white station wagon than anything else I’ve bought since. It’s steering wheel/wiring harness caught fire one night, I blew out the fire until it was obvious it wasn’t going to stay out. Pulled over, called 911 and the EFD blasted that puppy out in about 15 seconds. I kid you not, they hit it hard for several seconds and it was out good. My car insurance covered all of the repair(dashboard, and wiring harness, steering wheel…of course!)except for the part that started the fire. I know, what the? The wiring harness. Ford later recalled Escorts/Lynx’s for a little electrical starting switch but at the time of our fire they weren’t recalling yet. So PEMCO insurance decided that they’d charge us for the entire wiring harness. Our part of the fix-up costs came to about $400. I traded that ’86 Merc Lynx in on a brand new 1994 Ford Escort SW(decent rig, only one repair needed in about 80,000 miles of driving, it blew out an exhaust manifold…Ford’s new car Warranty covered that repair fully) in Brilliant Blue. Traded that ’94 Escort SW in on a ’97 Ford Escort sedan in Grapey Purple color. It was that ’97 Escort that I traded in in May of 1999 for a brand new Kia Sephia. 5-speed tranny, no A/C, no radio/stereo at all. Didn’t need A/C in Washington state. That ’99 Sephia treated us right for some 82,000 miles. Traded it in for a brand new 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4 in Pepper Red and 5-speeds. No stereo, we bought one later and had it installed, as well as A/C for our move east to Missouri in 2003. Also had a hitch put on and friends, as is what I have learned about Kia from the Sephia and Sportage 4X4, that ’01 Sportage 4X4 towed my wife and I and our two Pomeranians and one Norwegian Forest cat and all of the possessions we didn’t sell or give away across the country to mid-Missouri from the Skagit Valley of WA state(65 miles north of Seattle). Not a single problem, those of you who were wondering about a Sportage’s towing capabilities. The utility trailer was built well, from a kit, and helped make things work out right, but the ’01 Sportage 4X4 went up and over several mountain ranges without a prob…granted I amped the speed down and downshifted to 2nd now and then..but we were really impressed with the little SUV’s towing ability. A heavy load back there-I think it was around 1,000 pounds of weight.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Blog is such a nice one..i really enjoyed it reading the whole paragraph.