Kia Sorento
At first glance, the Kia Sorento looks like a Smart urban car with a bit more height than ususal. It would be hard to believe that this is a vehicle that conquered a real 4x4 challenge.
In 2005, the Swedish driver and adventurer Christer Gerlach drove a Kia Sorento around the world in a full global circuit (the limited edition Sorento Global Circuit commemorates this feat). Obviously, Gerlach couldn't drive his Kia Sorento across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but he went overland from Stockholm straight east across the trackless wastes of Siberia and Mongolia to the Kia Sorento's home in South Korea before crossing over the Pacific to continue this epic journey, this time along the legendary Route 66 in the USA before another ocean crossing and a quick jaunt through Germany and Denmark. And four months after leaving, Gerlach and his Kia Sorento arrived back in Stockholm.
The Kia Sorento that performed this amazing journey was not some specially equipped and tweaked vehicle; it was the perfectly standard 3.5 litre V6 automatic version with normal road tyres (the commemorative version, the Kia Sorento Global Circuit is a 3.8 litre). All that went wrong with the Kia Sorento in the entire tour was two rather ordinary (some would say predictable) punctures. That's 27,000 km of reliable performance even in the most punishing of conditions. Gerlach was right to perform his feat solo with no support team - unless you count the Kia Sorento design team back in South Korea as his support team.
Gerlach said that the Kia Sorento was "remarkably comfortable" and he finished the journey "fatigue free".
You might not want to drive around the world, but owning a car with this level of 4x4 capacity and this level of reliability sounds very attractive to me. And lumbar support seats that you can literally spend 120 days in and still refer to as comfortable are certainly to be appreciated by anyone, even in a quick trip to pick up kids and groceries. Other interior features that make the Kia Sorento a comfortable drive include the three 12-volt power outlets, oodles of storage space including an under-floor compartment in the cargo space, air conditioning that has proved itself in extreme conditions and a crisp eight-speaker radio/CD system. The digital readout that incorporates a compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer is handy if you're having a weekend adventure - and even if you aren't up to duplicating Gerlach's feat, it could prove handy for more mundane uses (a school project on weather?).
With shift-on-the-fly high and low ratio four wheel drive that's selectable when off roading, limited slip differential and free-running front differential, 203 mm of ground clearance, and nimble approach and departure angles (27.9 degrees and 26.4 degrees respectively), the Kia Sorento is a serious off-roader - just in case you hadn't realised this by now. On the tarmac, the Kia Sorento performs well, the standard 3.3 litre all-alloy V6 motor pumping out 180kW, and with Continuously Variable Valve Timing the motor has excellent fuel economy and reduced fuel emissions compared with previous petrol units. The maximum torque of 309 Nm is reached at 4500 rpm, however the torque curve is wide and flat for relaxed and responsive motoring. A smooth 5-speed auto is standard, coupled with a high/low transfer case for the rough stuff.
If you like the thought of owning a diesel Sorento, then the 2.5 litre CRDi will match your requests perfectly. Leading edge technology makes the brand new Kia diesel engine a force to be reckoned with. The maximum power is 125 kW that is complimented superbly with a responsive and collossal torque figure that is maximised from a low 2000 rpm at 392 Nm! This is achieved while meeting the the latest Euro clean emissions requirements. The standard 5-speed manual which is tipronic in style works superbly with the engine to provide the driver with excellent performance. An automatic can do it all for you in the CRDi EX and EX limited versions. One thing is for sure, you will always find that both engines are very capable of hauling a decent load on any family-packed adventure.
Gerlach's feat is bound to make a great movie one day (you read that here first). But even if your horizons are more limited, you'll be able to have an adventure of your own in the Kia Sorento.
Current model series include:
- Kia Sorento LX
- Kia Sorento EX
- Kia Sorento EX-L
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