Sorento pushes its own envelope
warning with keep assist, drowsy-driver detection, safe exit, and automatic high beams.
It also has a highway driving assist feature that uses the adaptive cruise control and steering to keep itself centred in the lane and at a driveradjustable distance from the car ahead. New is a junction turn function — if the driver begins to make a left in front of an on-coming vehicle the system can apply the brakes to prevent a potential collision.
The Sorento’s new look rides on a wheelbase that’s up 35 millimetres to 2,815. This means the back half of the Sorento has more room — there’s 93 mm more legroom in the middle row than before. The middle captain’s seats also slide, which can maximize legroom or add more cargo space as needed. Three row seating is standard, although the rear pew is, like many others, best left to younger riders.
On the cargo side, there are 357 litres behind the third row and 1,090 with it folded. Dropping the middle row opens up 2,139 litres, but with a nit — the captain’s chairs leave a large hole in the load floor. A simple flap attached to one of the middle row seats that can flip over to cover the gap would be an effective solution.
While the base Sorento LX+ arrives with a 191-horsepower, 2.5-litre four-cylinder that works with an eight-speed automatic transmission, the better choice is the 2.5L turbofour. This engine develops a healthy 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, and works with a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters and wet clutches — the wet part means the clutches don’t smell when backing up over a curb. This new gearbox also promotes performance by delivering faster shifts that don’t interrupt the flow of power; a low first gear and the early 1,700 rpm entry of the peak torque brings a solid launch off the line. Testing pegged the run from rest to 100 km/h at 7.6 seconds and the 80-120 km/h passing move at 4.6 seconds. Both are solid numbers that speak to the turbo’s broad torque plateau.
All-wheel-drive is standard. The system sends 95 per cent of the drive to the front wheels and five to the rear under normal driving conditions. The setup is proactive and transfers torque based on throttle position, steering angle, and vehicle speed to prevent unwanted wheelspin and improve stability, regardless of road conditions. During our test, the setup made light work of a significant brush with winter.
The system also changes its operating strategy according to the drive mode selected. The Eco and Smart modes use the normal torque split, while Comfort switches to an 80-20 front/rear split.
In Sport mode, 35 per cent of the drive goes rearward, giving the Sorento a sportier feel when pushed. Rounding things out are the Snow, Mud, and Sand terrain modes — each changes the engine, transmission, and AWD system to maximize grip.
Cabin aside, the area seeing the most significant improvement is the ride quality and overall quietness at highway speeds. The stronger platform gives the suspension a solid base, bringing ride comfort without allowing the body to roll into a fast corner — and this is when wearing the large P255-45R20 tires, where upping the wheel and tire size increases the unsprung weight, which usually has a negative impact on both ride comfort and handling.
This was not the case; the Sorento SX retained its planted feel even when pushed towards the point of understeer. The steering is also nicely weighted when Sport mode is selected, though it’s just a little too aggressive for everyday city driving.
This opens the door for a Custom mode. Selecting Comfort for the transmission and all-wheel-drive would give the Sorento an easy city driving demeanour, and picking Sport for the engine and steering would then give it sharper reflexes and better steering feel. In the end, the ability to mix and match the various settings would allow the drive characteristics to appeal to a broader range of drivers.
As it has done before, the latest Kia Sorento ticks the all-important boxes for a wide range of customers, and moves the bar upwards in terms of expectation.
The 2021 Sorento is arriving at dealers now, starting with the roomy, comfortable, and nicely equipped LX+ at a sensible $33,995. At the top end is the content-rich SX at $47,495, where your only option is what colour you want. Between the two extremes are four other models, including the more rugged $39,495 X-Line.
Cabin aside, the area seeing the most significant improvement is the ride quality and overall quietness at highway speeds.