Story: DAVID WILKINS
FANCY yourself a big, capable SUV? Then take a look at Kia’s mid-life update for its seven-seat Sorento SUV – the one above the popular Sportage.
The Kia 2.2 diesel engine, now standard across a simplified range, is much more efficient than before, scoring 47.9 mpg and 155 g/km in official tests in manual form, improvements of 5.7 mpg and 22 g/km over the old model.
That should make the new model more interesting to company car users – and means a first-year saving of £155 in VED as well.
The engine changes include a new exhaust gas recirculation system, which even allows the 2.2 diesel to improve on the performance of the now-dropped 2.0-litre option in official fuel consumption and emissions tests. Kia’s own six-speed automatic gearbox is available as an option on the revised car; the auto delivers 42.2 mpg and 175g/km – about the same as the old manual.
The revamped Kia Sorento KX-1 will cost 20% taxpayers £1,314 in annual company car tax
The Kia Sorento revamp, which the company calls “a front-to-rear and top-to-bottom re-engineering of the car”, also includes quality, safety and equipment upgrades, and all models get four-wheel drive for the first time. That’s a reverse in policy – when it was introduced three years ago, the current Sorento was one of the first big SUVs to be offered with a two-wheel drive option.
The Sorento’s looks and dimensions are broadly unchanged but there are extensive under-the-skin improvements. The body shell is stiffer, thanks to increased use of high-strength steels, and the new car sits slightly lower on its suspension. Kia has also carved out a little bit more legroom for rear-seat passengers and for occupants of the third row in the seven-seat version.
There are four trim levels in the revised Kia Sorento line up:
- KX-1
- KX-2
- KX-2 Sat-Nav; and
- KX-3.
All Kia Sorento models get projection headlamps with cornering lights, cruise control, and reversing sensors. The KX-2 adds a leather steering wheel, rain sensing wipers and a 4.3-inch in-dash LCD screen but the navigation system on the KX-2 Sat-Nav gets a larger seven-inch screen. The range-topping KX-3 has a panoramic sunroof, Xenon headlamps, powered and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel.
All new Sorentos benefit from Kia’s seven-year/100,000 mile warranty to assist SME business car management concerns, and list prices range from £26,495 to £35,905. Thanks to official deals, the run-out model is currently being advertised on Kia’s web-site at prices from £21,605 – so there’s a potential bargain waiting to be snapped up.
The entry-level Kia Sorento KX-1 model, which has a P11D price of £26,270, will cost twenty per cent taxpayers £1,314 in company car tax on an annual basis in 2012/13. Forty per cent taxpayers will pay £2,627.
