MoneywebDrive: New Models SA
Kia’s New Sorento on a
Quest for Refinement
The new Kia Sorento that went on
sale in South Africa at the beginning of July is an example of the
Korean company consistently upping its game where it can compete with sophisticated European
offerings in the subtle, often hidden
areas of automotive engineering.
It is notable that the all-new
bodyshell is a lot stiffer than before, thanks to a big increase in
the use of high-tensile steel to
achieve greater bodyshell rigidity. The benefits of this are twofold:
the passenger cell enjoys a much
greater resistance to intrusion in
the event of an accident, while
the stiffer shell means that ride
control can be improved with the
use of more compliant anti-roll
bar, spring and damper set-ups
to contain body roll and provide
a composed, comfortable ride.
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This was notable on the first
drive in the new Sorento at the
launch in the Nelspruit area,
where road surfaces vary greatly according to whether those
roads form part of a route for
heavy logging trucks.
Inside the feeling is of reasonable luxury, depending on spec
levels chosen, and Kia is making
increasing use of pleasing softtouch materials.
Apart from the stiffer new body,
Kia has also paid great attention to reducing NVH (noise
vibration harshness) into the
cabin, through the use of new
bushings on suspension subframes, and they have also redesigned the rear suspension,
locating the damper units in a
more upright position.
The accompanying photograph
illustrates that from an external visual perspective, Kia doesn’t have
to take a backseat to any manufacturer these days. The new
body, which is longer, lower and
wider than before, apparently
was designed under a team-focussing theme known as “Street
Wolf”. Hmm, that’s a bit ambitious,
but the new car definitely does
look more purposeful than before.
Also to reduce NVH, new engine
mounts have been employed
and extra sound deadening material is used in key areas, notably
behind the dashboard.
Most importantly, the boot is big at
660 litres for the five-seater model, while the seven-seater model
enjoys 605 litres of trunk capacity
when the third row of seats is folded