Kia Sorento: Big Deal

Your NRI cousins know exactly what the Kia Sorento is. And no, they probably didn’t buy it because it was fun or extraordinary in any way. They bought one for being a no-brainer. There’s almost nothing sensational about a Kia Sorento and that’s a very good thing.

Cars that don’t try to grab headlines with some fancy bit of tech or ostentatious performance claims are generally keepers. Think Corolla Altis, Camry, Accord and CR-V — that’s the kind of car the Sorento is. Internationally proven, dependable to an appliance-like degree, sensible, large and most adaptable to every role you can assign it. Just don’t try bragging about it at, say, an alumni meet.

In India, we expect the Sorento to primarily challenge the likes of the Mahindra 7XO and the Toyota Innova HyCross, but it also has competition from the age-old but eternally reliable Crysta. If you get imaginative, you might even be distracted by the compellingly well-equipped (and cheaper) Kia Seltos or, for that matter, the Skoda Kodiaq! The Sorento is larger than all of these cars, by the way.

Photographs don’t tell you how large the Sorento is. At 4815 mm in length, it’s longer than the HyCross (4755 mm), 7XO (4695 mm) and the Kodiaq (4699 mm) and is slightly wider than all of these, too. The familiar Kia nose is decidedly ‘SUV’, while from the rear it appears more like a crossover with its curved C-pillar. The sides are flat and featureless, and could have done with a bit more muscle to go with either end. The roof rails do add an outdoorsy flavour to the proceedings, fortunately. Whether you consider it an SUV or a crossover, the Sorento is a really likeable design.

You can have a Sorento with either a 1.6-litre petrol-hybrid motor or a 2.2-litre diesel; for this story, we’ll focus on the former. It boasts healthy specs, with 177.5 bhp and 27 kg-m (the electric motor adds 64.1 bhp/27 kg-m) and a 6-speed torque converter automatic being the only gearbox on offer. Our test car also came equipped with all-wheel drive, which you can only have on the top-spec HTX/HTX (A) variants.

Depending on who you are, you may find the Sorento hybrid’s performance ample or conservative, but it isn’t exciting — fair enough, too. What it unmistakeably is, is crisp. It feels refined, responsive and quite relaxing in most scenarios, which goes with the Sorento’s ‘grown-up’ personality. The automatic gearbox complements the hybrid’s performance, and what you get as a result is an extremely well-behaved driving experience that works comfortably in the city and out on the highway. The diesel, just to set context before we elaborate on it in another story, is more powerful and feels noticeably punchier although it lacks the hybrid’s quietness.

Unstressed, poised and with sufficient power reserves, the Sorento hybrid powertrain feels like an ideal highway companion even though its performance isn’t inspiring. Not everyone wants their family crossover/SUV to do sports-car things, right? If you agree, you’ll find a lot to like about the Sorento in hybrid form. Okay, you can drive it aggressively once in a while — it certainly has enough to make expressway-speed overtakes seem easy — but that’s not the inherent frame of mind the Sorento puts you in.

The cabin contributes hugely to this state of mind, too. Oh, it’s an effortlessly plush interior, not necessarily chintzy or overdone (fortunately). You get an inherent sense of space and light, and nothing appears or feels substandard. The ergonomics for the driver are spot-on, the twin curved display doesn’t feel excessively large and is neatly integrated and, courtesy the light-toned interior upholstery, the Sorento appears inviting and, in fact, larger than it already is!

The steering wheel feels premium to hold and the controls mounted on it feel tactile and intuitive to operate. The stalks behind it are likeably hefty, too. There’s a touch panel below the central AC vents on the dashboard that, rather cleverly, you can switch to operate and fine-tune either the climate control or the infotainment functions. It’s a small (almost missable) but thoughtfully done element by Kia. The dash flows into a neatly executed centre console which features controls for the seat ventilation (rear passengers get their own door-mounted switches), a wireless charging pad, two cupholders, the drive selector (a thing of beauty, even if obviously inspired) and, lastly, the drive mode selector. There’s a spacious armrest, too, which features an equally generous stowage bin underneath.

The door pad is almost entirely leatherette-padded and features chunky grab handles (a bit Mercedes-Benz in look and feel) although, oddly, your knee (as the driver) constantly grazes against a hard plastic surface, which may get uncomfortable over a long driving day. I liked the massage function which, though not very intense, does a tailbone pulse long-distance drivers will really appreciate. In other news, outward visibility is really good!

The middle row, offered with captain seats in the top-spec variants, is somewhat unconvincing despite what its appearance suggests. Yes, it’s quite well-loaded; there are manual sunshades, individual cupholders, Type-C charging ports and seat ventilation but the floor is a bit too high-set — even on the diesel! If you’re 5’7” or shorter, you may not find this to be a concern area, but taller folks will be starved for decent underthigh support. Space is, of course, ample — more than you’ll really ever need — but the high floor eats into what could have been a terrific, perhaps best-in-class backseat experience.

You do get ‘boss’ mode controls on the co-driver’s seat, easy to access from the middle row, and only at full stretch can you find some underthigh support. The third row can accommodate small-sized adults; you get vents, high-quality blower controls, charging ports, cupholders and storage cavities on either side, but it still is a space best left to kids, at least for longer periods. Even better, you can fold the seats flat to create an enormous amount of boot space and what you have, as a result, is a mini-Carnival. On a different note, the spare wheel, while mounted on the underside, still is a space-saver!