Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-2 (Part 2)

Performance

The last Sorento we tested, in 2010, hit 60mph from rest in exactly 9.0sec. The Santa Fe we figured last year matched that precisely. Both had automatic gearboxes and identical power and torque outputs.

The new Sorento, tested in mid-range form and with a manual gearbox, hit 60mph in 8.6sec and the quarter mile market in 16.7sec. That’s very respectable for the class. Last year’s Honda CR-V is more than a second slower to 60mph and a 2.0-litre diesel BMW X3 is a scant couple of tenths quicker.

The new Sorento, tested in mid-range form and with a manual gearbox, hit 60mph in 8.6sec and the quarter mile market in 16.7sec

Whether it constitutes much progress for the Sorento is less clear-cut, though. Fitted with a reasonably slick manual gearbox and the new Kia’s six-speeder certainly qualifies as such either of the preceding Koreans might have taken three or four-tenths off their benchmark 60mph sprint.

The auto ‘box of our last test Sorento clearly masked this three years ago, but there’s no mistaking the slightly old-school, agricultural impression to your first tip through the gears. First and second feel especially short, and more like they belong on a medium-size commercial vehicle than a passenger car and while the Kia’s four-cylinder diesel engine is quiet and smooth enough at low and middling revs, it seems markedly more noisy at high rpm than it did last year in the Sorento’s Hyundai sister. All of which leaves you with the unmistakable feeling that the 4x4 you’re driving isn’t quite as modern as it might be.

On the road, performance levels don’t feel outstanding but are more than adequate. Throttle response is clean, too. But, as Kia will tell you, its aim with this weirdest of model renewals was to improve fuel efficiency more than outright performance. And it has had some success. The 2010 Sorento averaged 28mpg during its time on test; this latest model almost broke through 33mpg, which is better than its Hyundai stablemate managed and more than acceptable from any true seven-seat SUV.

Ride and handling

If there’s a silver lining to Kia’s ‘steady as she goes; facelift, it’s that the new model’s pragmatic dynamic character will be as familiar to owners of the outgoing car as the shape of the chunky D-pillar is. The new car retains the ride and handling of a large SUV in the tried and tested mold. Absorptive over uneven surfaces and compliant around town, it is more fit for the primary motive function of a big family passenger car than plenty of rivals. In other words, it’s comfortable.

The Sorento is tuned for comfort and is undemanding to drive

As our handling lap times opposite demonstrate, the Sorento also has plenty of grip and body control at the extreme end of the scale. But it’s not a particularly obliging or involving machine to drive on the door handles. Body roll comes on quickly and to fairly pronounced levels, as you juggle with the large steering wheel and usher the car into a fast bend. Roadholding is fine for everyday use, and understeer marks he boundary of adhesion, as you hope it would. Should the grip levels decrease, though, you’ll also find the fundamental directional balance of the car unchanged which is important in something so big that’s likely to be relied upon in winter.

Even more important is the Sorento’s gentle ride. In a class where too many cars are estranged from rolling refinement by the drive towards direct ‘car-like’ handling, or largely unnecessary off-road ability, or an inexplicable need to impart a false sense of ‘ready for anything’ Roughty-tuftyness – we welcome one that can soothe away the daily grind while remaining manageable to handle. It doesn’t make for a particularly memorable driving experience; but it should make the Sorento an easier car to live with than many in its class.

Buying and owning

Large, affordable, seven-seat SUVs are still something of a curiosity in the UK and, as our top five over the page shows, our KX-2 test car’s $45k price doesn’t necessarily mean that its direct competitors match it for size. The Sorento’s closest rival is the mechanically identical Santa Fe, which, in contrast with the Kia, comes in five and seven-seat configurations.

Like its sibling, the Sorento is typically well equipped: LED running lights, dual-zone air-con, cruise control, Bluetooth and rear parking sensors are all standard with the entry-level KX-1. The top-spec KX-3 gets luxuries like power-adjustable front seats, leather upholstery and xenon headlights, but its $53k list price pushes it too close to the vastly superior Land Rover Discovery, and too far from smaller household favourite, the Nissan Qashqai +2.

That aside, as an all-wheel-drive option with sufficient space for a large family and residuals far healthier than off-the-fiscal-cliff alternatives such as the similarly sized Chevrolet Captiva – the Kia Sorento remains a credible option.

Autocar Verdict

There are so many cars today that deliver exactly what is expected of them that, frequently, we’re left looking for something more that touch of extra ability or flair, for example, that asks a buyer to succumb to its merits. The Sorento isn’t like that. It is as competent and straightforward as they come, but if you go looking for, say, surprise and delight or keen dynamics to accompany that, you’ll be looking for a long while.

The Kia Sorento remains a credible option

Yet here, somehow, it doesn’t really matter. The Sorento’s appeal and it suits this kind of car is that it is straightforward, easy and undemanding to rub along with. There is precious little here that grabs your attention but, likewise, there is nothing likely to annoy. We can imagine it slipping seamlessly into one’s life and, no, while it’s not particularly interesting, unusually this time we don’t mind that one iota.