Road test: Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-2
Kia offer the new Sorento with a couple of engine choices with the option of a smaller, diesel unit at some point in the future – a 2.4 litre petrol unit and the one on test here – a new 2.2litre CRDi ‘R’ oil burner. It’s fair to say the lion’s share of Sorento’s will be sold with the diesel engine, and as a result the Korean carmaker has wisely restricted the petrol option to a single, two wheel drive, five-seat variant. First seen in the 2010 Sedona, the 2.2-litre engine replaces the former 2.5 litre unit, and offers greater torque, more power, with better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. Behind the wheel the engine is smooth and slick, with plenty of torque available from low revs, and offers a real improvement over the old car. Kia is pitching the new Sorento at a more urban, affluent market and the lack of any rough edges on the engine is a real must for this crowd. It’s not too sluggish either capable of getting to 62mph from standstill in 9.6 seconds (10 seconds if you opt for the 4WD auto option) and will hit a top speed of 118mph. The big Kia is also surprisingly parsimonious with its use of fuel, with a combined fuel economy figure of 42.8mpg. And on test the car performed very well on this score, we managed to get above 40mpg consistently without too much difficulty. The engine is also significantly greener than what has gone before with CO2 emissions of 174g/km a massive 25% reduction, this has the happy effect of moving the Sorento from VED Band K to Band H. The previous Sorento was capable of hauling up to 3,500kg on its tow bar, however this isn’t the case for the new monocoque construction of the Sorento, which has seen towing capacity fall to 2,500kg – which will be fine for the vast majority of caravan owners.
With the new Sorento’s switch from rugged, off road beast to chunky, urban, beauty Kia has made the car more enjoyable to drive while on tarmac while toning down the car’s off road capabilities. A decision which Kia has insisted is the way forward for most car maker’s building SUVs. The result is a large family car with bags of space, good levels of refinement and specification, which is easy to live with and drive. The new Sorento sits 19mm lower to the ground and benefits from a significant reduction in drag coefficient; this all helps it giving the driver a much improved driving experience to the previous iteration. While the seating position remains high, the car doesn’t suffer from any noticeable roll when cornering, and the car is also noticeably quieter on the road. The six-speed manual gearbox is easily likable, while the car retains enough of its previous offroad heritage to not be considered simply a “softroader”.
Read the full Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-2 manual road test
The road test was originally published on RoadTestReports.co.uk.
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