GREATER OUTDOORS

The practical Sorento seven-seater is more at home in national parks than car parks

It’s a huge boot with only five seats up; the two kids’ bikes fitted in with acres to spare. It’s such a big tailgate that I’d want that handsfree function.

A road trip in one of these is definitely offroad rather than back road. The Sorento’s well balanced but still a heavy unit. If you buy the AWD version you should really get it dirty once in a while.

I’m genuinely impressed by its off-road skills. Our national park route was a mix of mud, small rocks and sandy tracks, all made slippery thanks to recent rain. It climbed some good hills, too, without any wheelspin.

The limiting factor for tougher stuff would be its ground clearance and road tyres. I wouldn’t brave much more than we attempted but its smart AWD lock mode at up to 40km/h showed it should get out of some slippery situations. We returned 7.9L/100km on test.

Ever tried strapping a child into a car seat with your door open, bum poking out and traffic flying past? It’s scary and I hate it. I like how I could step into the Sorento, close the door and safely do the kids’ belts up.

It’s a proper, full-fat seven-seater too. Those two rear seats are full-size and I had excellent head and legroom with the second row of seats slid forward on their runners. Aircon vents for all seat rows is a boon, too.

Once I worked them out the seats folded easily and weren’t as heavy as I expected. You can’t get into those back seats elegantly though.

I’m deeply impressed with the Sorento. It’s a versatile, comfortable and practical thing, and with a seven-year warranty it makes a lot of sense to a big family seeking a safe bet.

I agree, a safe choice if a little dull in Sport grade …. there’s nothing sporty about it at all. I reckon if you get the SLi grade with more of life’s little luxuries this would serve as a family hauler for a good seven years.