KIA SORENTO 2,2 CRDI AWD EX

HOLIDAYS mean family time and parents would know the importance of interior space when it comes to transportation needs over the festive period. Thanks to its generous seven-seater layout, this is an area in which the Sorento excels. A sliding second row affords easy access to the accommodating rear seats folding neatly out of the boot floor. The rear-most passengers even get their own cupholders. With all the pews fully utilised, there is still decent boot space left, illustrated when it swallowed three body boards on the way to the beach.

As our family stayed home in Cape Town over the holidays, we took the opportunity to visit popular locations and enjoy activities only a short drive away. The Kia is well suited to the role of tour shuttle, as the comfortable ride combined with a torquey engine and smooth eight-speed transmission wafted us along and complemented the holiday mood. I never felt the need to toggle the drive modes, as the comfort setting caters for most

driving situations.

The fuel consumption while cruising is impressive and, on a leisurely round trip to Greyton and Hermanus, the consumption dropped to as low as 7,4 L/100 km which is excellent for a vehicle of this size carrying four adults and three kids. With an 80-litre fuel-tank capacity, this equates to more than 1 000 km of range.

The Sorento’s dirt-road capability was also put to the test and it shone. The 235/60 R18 Hankook Dynapro HP2 tyres sport decent sidewalls and, in combination with the compliant suspension, offer a comfortable ride over broken surfaces at speed. A full-size spare is sited underneath the vehicle for peace of mind. The fact that the ondemand AWD system operates in the background aids stability. Although the Sorento managed to scale a few dirt inclines, I am still looking forward to its first proper off-road assessment, keeping in mind that it is not a hardcore 4x4 with low-range.