Mileage: 1,963 miles
Real-world mpg: 35.6mpg
Seen the weather forecast for this winter? It’s apocalyptic. “Worst in 50 years,” screamed the headlines in mid-October… so I’ve been getting some preparation in. As well as looking out the family’s winter woollies, I’ve taken delivery of a Kia Sorento, which will hopefully provide some all-wheel-drive reassurance should conditions get tricky.
But for the time being, I’ve been familiarising myself with the Sorento. Having run – and loved – sister brand Hyundai’s Santa Fe seven-seater a couple of years ago, I am keen to see if the latest Sorento moves the game on significantly.
First impressions are positive. I picked the Sorento out as my show star when it was unveiled at Paris in 2014, and I still think the styling looks great. It’s handsome enough without embracing the fussy excess of other recently launched SUVs, and looks smart and understated in Pearl White paint – although I do fear keeping it clean will be a challenge when winter starts to bite.
It’s clearly a big car, but carries its size well, while our KX-3’s 18-inch wheels look classier than the entry-level KX-1’s 17s.
Inside, our model – which is one level down from flagship KX-4 – provides an array of equipment in a plush, spacious environment. Among the highlights are a panoramic sunroof – which really helps to create an airy feel despite the sombre black colour scheme – a smart tailgate, which lifts and closes at the touch of a button on the key fob, and an eight-inch touchscreen sat-nav, which has European mapping.
I was particularly impressed with the nav on a recent trip from London to a part of rural Cheshire I’m not familiar with. It was simple to use, with really clear mapping, and especially helpful on motorways, where it showed which lane to be in and which junction to take well in advance of any necessary manoeuvres.
The car performed competently on the road, too. The 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel isn’t the quietest engine we’ve encountered – at low speeds in particular there’s a constant soundtrack that stops short of being irritating, but you’d rather not hear.
Yet it provides plenty of torque and the Sorento easily feels capable of its claimed 0-60mph time of 9.6 seconds. Once off the motorway, there’s predictable roll in corners – a reminder that this is a big SUV with eyes on the US market rather than here.
And there’s no denying the Sorento’s size. It’s longer and wider than its predecessor, but that has real benefits inside. The middle row has plenty of space for the child seats of my daughters Erin (3) and Isla (6), while bootspace of 605 litres with the rearmost seats down will be more than adequate for most families. We haven’t used the Sorento in full seven-seat mode yet, but I’ll let you know how it fares here in a future report.
One early issue we’ve encountered is a possible security flaw that means the spare wheel, mounted under the car, is at risk of theft. Our car went back for a fix, and owners will be offered this additional security measure at a cost that’s still to be determined. However, it’s failed to take the shine off a car that’s made a positive start to life on our fleet.
- On fleet since: September 2015
- Price new: £37,600
- Engine: 2.2-litre 4cyl, 197bhp
- CO2/tax: 174g/km/£205
- Options: Metallic paint (£575)
- Insurance group/quote: Group: 26 Quote: £731
- Mileage/mpg: 1,963/35.6mpg
- Any problems?: None so far