The new Sorento is now also available with the larger 3.5-litre V6 engine to beef up its offering in the 7-seater segment

With a streamlined and attractive look, the new Sorento represents a modern utility vehicle that is just the right size for today’s consumer. Completely redesigned from this model year, the all-new Sorento now employs a unibody design with the ability to comfortably fit up to seven passengers, offering more space and ride comfort than the previous-generation model. Prominently displaying the signature tabbed grille and wraparound headlamps soon to be seen on all Kia models, Sorento offers a more aggressive stance and sleeker profile than the previous version.

The new Sorento meets the needs of a burgeoning car buying segment that looks to SUVs as an extension of an urban-centric lifestyle. To this end the 4685mm long by 1885mm wide platform is just right as it serves to offer a three row seven-seater arrangement, with the third row consisting of almost full size seats that fold away to provide a flat floor. What really surprises is how the styling of the new platform retains a hint or two of a connection with the past while pressing the reset button on the overall identity. The front fascia of the car is very much new KIA with the large notched pentagon grille, nice wraparound headlights and a prominent framing of the lower foglight ports.

However, you will notice from the side that the car no longer appears perched as high as it used too. That is partly because the new monocoque integrates some of the structural elements while allowing various interior features to be lowered, like the floorpan and the seats. This lowering of the floorpan has decidedly reduced the ground clearance a bit but that is more than acceptable at 184 mm. For a new-generation SUV that is more than sufficient and the benefits are immediate and tangible. The entry and egress height has similarly gone down – you no longer have to climb into the car and even in terms of aesthetics the lower floorpan is a winner.

Now when you are seated behind the steering wheel, the seating position is less command seating and more comfort seating. The ambience inside the car is very much that of an upmarket car, improved by the quality feel of the instrumentation and cabin trims. The lowered pan means that there is more legroom and foot space in the well while bringing the hood higher in the line of sight of the driver.
From the driver’s perspective the car seems a lot beefier than before.

Interior space is intelligently used. In the higher trim level of the car we tested the feature package includes a panoramic sunroof. In the case of the Sorento that means that the front row passengers get a large pane of glass on the roof that lifts up and slides back, while for the rear of the compartment that translates into a fixed pane on the roof. In terms of solar insulation the glass meets the needs of Oman and thankfully also comes with slide away blinds. Both blinds roll or slide away towards the rear so that means that the rear blind cannot be operated from the driver’s seat. However this feature is at par or better than other cars even higher up in the price bracket.

Headroom and legroom have gone up in every seating position and unlike the older Sorento, the third row in this case is completely usable and has air-conditioning vents located at just the right positions. Even the second row gets vents at face level mounted into the inside of the B-pillars.

Access into the third row is through the drop and flip forward smaller part of the 60:40 split second row. While the seat flips ahead it does not remain locked there, so you will need to flip it back into position before moving. However, the latching is such that third row occupants can get out without needing any assistance from the second row or the driver.

The larger engined variant of the Sorento gets KIA’s powerful 3.5-litre engine generating  274hp@6300rpm and a torque of 335Nm@5000rpm. The power is immediately evident on the car and it helps that the engine is partnered with a modified version of the six-speed gearbox that the car comes with even in the 2.4-litre version.

The first gear is relatively low and if you are in a hurry the car can shoot off from a roundabout like any normal six-cylinder can. Then the relatively peaky powerband is evened out by the number of cogs that are available in the geartrain. To keep fuel efficiency at a peak, the fifth and sixth cogs serve as overdrive. And if you really do find yourself pushing the Sorento over rough and uneven terrain, then the car’s dashboard offers you the ability to lock the transmission into a four-wheel drive mode rather than opt for the automatic demand-sensing control to take over.

The suspension is also quite good. Take it over speed bumps or rumbler strips and you don’t have to slow down the car. Unlike the older car, there is limited bounce from the rear as you do that and the monocoque structure seems to be a lot more rigid. The overall effect is one of being cocooned in a safety cage as you push the car through its paces.

From experience we can say that the car’s suspension will prove to be a delight in gravel and shale and while wheel travel may be limited, the body’s stiffness will allow you to do a bit of rock crossing.
The final difference that the car has over the past is that there is no low gear. However, if you really want a car that does offer all the parts that you were lamenting are now not there  you should be looking at the larger Mohave that doesn’t cost all that much more to buy.

For the mix of styling, excellent engineering, top rate interiors, great feature set and safety kit the Sorento sets a new standard in the mid-size SUV segment. And it brings in all these without moving too far upwards in terms of price. Starting at the mid-8000 level to the top of the line panoramic-sunroof kitted one at the mid-9000s the Sorento gives you a choice that wasn’t quite in place till now.

In fact, when you use its price as a benchmark, there isn’t a single flaw in the reinvigorated Sorento. We predict that it will be a huge hit with car owners who weren’t quite ready to sacrifice comfort, handling and car-like agility for the move into an SUV. The Sorento will take them through to that final frontier.