2018 Kia Sorento first drive review

2018 Kia Sorento first drive video review

Kia faced an unusual problem with its latest Sorento, which launched back in 2015. The big seven-seat SUV had achieved critical acclaim, winning Best Family SUV at the 2015 Drive Car of the Year awards, but had yet to win over Australian families.

The Sorento sits in the middle of the large SUV sales charts, behind the likes of the Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9, Subaru Outback and even the Hyundai Santa Fe; a vehicle with which it shares plenty of mechanical DNA.

So the South Korean brand has walked a fine line for the just released 2018 model Sorento, adding more appeal to potential buyers without ruining its fundamental appeal.

To that end, the company has introduced a raft of small changes across the range that it hopes add up to some significant improvements.

The biggest change is under the bonnet, where the old model’s 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine has been replaced by a new 3.5-litre unit. That has resulted in better performance with 206kW of power and 336Nm, up from 199kW and 318Nm from the old engine.

The 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel is carried over without change, but both engines are now mated to a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The new gearbox has been developed in-house by Hyundai-Kia and helps reduces fuel economy in the diesel, dropping from 7.8-litres per 100km down to 7.2L/100km.

However, the larger capacity of the petrol engine has actually increased fuel consumption, albeit only marginally, using 10L/100km whereas the 3.3-litre used 9.9L/100km.

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Kia Australia also took the opportunity to re-evaluate its local ride and handling suspension tune for the Sorento. Responding to criticism that the out-going model had too much body lean when cornering, Kia’s local team has re-tuned the suspension settings to get great body control without compromising its comfortable ride.

The result of these mechanical changes on the road is a subtle but tangible improvement to the way the Sorento drives. Drive wasn’t able to sample the new petrol engine but the turbo diesel remains a small but willing unit. With 441Nm of torque it pulls the big machine along with relative ease while the new transmission shifts smoothly and helps extract the best of the diesel's low-rev performance.

The ride remains compliant, soaking up bumps with a minimum of fuss, and there is noticeably more control from the body, with less lean when cornering. Of course, it’s still a big, tall SUV so there’s still some body roll but it has been reduced.

The body itself is longer and taller, with Kia extending the length by 20mm and the height by 5mm, which the company claims has improved internal space. But it’s hard to tell the difference because it was a spacious cabin before and it still feels family friendly in all three rows.

The new body also features a refreshed style, with a new grille treatment and new taillights and new-look alloy wheels completing the makeover on the outside.

Inside, there is a new four-spoke steering wheel and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen. It replaces the 7-inch screen from the old model but also introduces Kia’s in-house navigation system (replacing a third party supplied system) as well as featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Kia has given the model range a tweak, dropping the Si Limited and Platinum badges. Instead the line-up will now consist of the Si, Sport (previously Si Limited), SLi and GT-Line (previously Platinum).

Another major change is the addition of Autonomous Emergency Braking as standard across the range. The GT-Line also gains lane keeping assist, driver attention alert and a 360-degree parking camera as standard as part of the upgrades.

These changes come at a cost though, with a price increase across the range. The petrol range begins at $42,990 for the Si while the diesel Si is priced from $45,490.