Test drive Kia Sorento 2006 - 2009 SUV

Miracles of subordination

Like it or not, Korean SUVs remain the most affordable. And we will not about Chinese machines the lack of elementary safety tools like an anti -lock system and pillows does not allow them to be taken seriously. It sounds trite, but your own health is too expensive to save on it.


So, Koreans. In their camp, two events have recently occurred, threatening to radically block the status quo. Firstly, the company Severstal-Auto, which controls OJSC UAZ, ZMA and ZMZ, received the status of the General Distributor of the Ssangyong Motor in Russia and began to form a network of dealerships, which, in fact, did not exist, although in recent years in Moscow it operated Ssangyong representative office. In parallel, Severstal-Avo organizes the assembly of the Rexton model on the capacities of the ZMA in Naberezhnye Chelny, and will later attach to it the latest Kyron and Actyon. Secondly, Hyundai Motor has just stopped supplying Terracan to Russia to Russia. Thus, there are two rivals left: Ssangyong Rexton Yes Kia Sorento. We are talking about large frame machines with a developed transmission.


Despite the minimum age difference, it seems that at least one generation shares these cars. Rexton makes a more adult impression: he is a thunderbar, load, overgrown with fat on the sides and let's say, in the stern.
 

Our choice:
 
The Korean car for 40-50 thousand is a bold and in its own way a risky purchase that promises certain problems in resale. Therefore, the choice of configuration should be treated especially carefully. In both cases, we recommend paying attention to diesel machines. Kia Sorento with a turbodiesel 2.5 and automatic seems to be the best option: it has a system for maintaining a road clearance, ABS, a couple of pillows, climate, an audio system with CD, heating the front seats, mirrors and wipers, immobilizers, headlight washing, fog and alloy wheels R16. Such a car costs 1 022 250 rubles. ($ 35 400). Ssangyong Rexton is of greatest interest in the RX 270 XDI version with a modern Mercedes turbodiesel with a capacity of 165 hp. We advise you to order this machine with mechanics (1 101 710 rubles, or $ 37,990), since the installation of the machine entails understaffing with various equipment, which ultimately increases the price by as much by $ 5,000. The mechanical RX 270 XDI is equipped with a forced with all -wheel drive, salon with velor finishes, ABS, two pillows, air conditioning, an audio system with CD, multi-melter, heated front seats and mirrors, foglights and 16-inch alloy wheels.
 

In terms of overall dimensions, it is close to Sorento, however, the box body and optional steps visually make it more impressive. But Sorento with its laminar contours, on the contrary, will be tightened, built and vigorous. Clean lines of the body make it more neat, compact. Feel in frets with sports!


Rexton is original and self -sufficient. He knows his price, knows that he is not a handsome man, but is not going to imitate anyone. It does not have a special taste, which can be seen from love for all tsatski brilliant pads, spoilers, relings and the like. Sorento, like any representative of youth, is looking for its own self, and, what often happens, in search of my I rolls to banal copying. As idols, naturally, those whom the environment considers cool are chosen. In this case, these are Lexus RX and Mercedes-Benz ML of previous generations, the similarity with the grads literally catches the eye.
 
An intimate twilight reigns inside the recton, which creates a dark, almost black velor in decoration. The seats here are soft and comfortable. And spacious that in the front row, in the second. On the rear seats, Sorento is closer, but the general mood here is easier, airy, thanks to light gray skin and, probably, the hatch in the roof. KIA design is more energetic, which is emphasized by the conciseness of forms and inserts for aluminum, but it lacks individuality: the general style is enough for noise. Ssangyong is also far from called a masterpiece, but it definitely has raisins of the central console with spectacular displays in the pro -American spirit. However, this generosity is compensated by the stinginess with which the dashboard is decorated. Green longing! And Rexton was remembered by the color of the finishing textures, even if the closer examination, they are all primitive plastic. Sorento will be built, but its materials are hardly richer.


Here you need a reservation. The fact is that Sorento came to us in his most complete and expensive configuration, while Rexton in one of the intermediate ones. We understand that, from the point of view of the image, it would be more correct to take the top version of the RX 320 for the test, which is more expensive than a 5-liter Sorento for miserable pennies. Such a Ssangyong level of equipping would put Kia on the shoulder blades, having not only a constant all -wheel drive and a sequential automatet in the arsenal, but also the target stability system and prevention of overturning, a variable efficiency, optestone devices and an additional multimeter, memory seats, folding mirrors and many more what. Alas. Dealers do not have such cars alive.


Alas, because it is very difficult to compete with Sorento in road disciplines in the RX 280 version. As well as in off -road. The engine power is higher, however, a shortage of 700 cubes and an antediluvian automaton dull the reactions of the machine and greatly complicate the control of overclocking. To achieve adequate acceleration, the numbular pedal of the accelerator has to be placed on the floor, and only after 4000 rpm of the engine, the engine responses become more or less adequate. Sorento is fundamentally different responsive, quick and understandable. Even the manual mode of the machine is not very necessary: \u200b\u200band without it switching occurs quickly and logically.


The same situation with controllability. Kia pleases with a more intelligible feedback, diligence, moderate rolls. And reliability in turns. Rexton’s fabric of the driver responds to the lazy person, and on a winding road, it requires steering. However, it should be noted that the type of drive is great on the behavior of the machines. The rear -wheel drive Rexton can be translated to all -wheel drive only on slippery coatings, while the Sorento transmission itself selects the best option for distributing torque through the axes. But on dry asphalt Kia also remains on the bare rear -wheel drive.


On snow -covered public roads, a scheme implemented on Sorento is preferable in all respects. With the exception of the fuel consumption, the appetite of Kia is really heroic. Suffice it to say that in a good mood, the turns on Sorento are quite successfully and safely pass with dashing skidding, and such experiments are contraindicated: to predict where the machine is in the end is quite difficult.


On the off -road, the situation is changing. Both cars have a reduction in a series of transmission, but Rexton with its rigid blocking of the center differential and the self -locking differential of the rear axle is obviously better armed. He has more suspensions, which will help to avoid diagonal hanging. In such conditions, the sifted accelerator, by the way, will avoid unnecessary slippers. Only the steps interfere, because they worsen geometric cross -country ability.
 
But Ssangyong is better not only in the snow, sand and dirt. It surpasses Sorento on the highway. Let overtaking on it are more difficult, but the level of comfort in movement is much higher. In the cabin quietly, Rexton perfectly holds the line, showing enviable smoothness of the course and exchange rate stability in broken areas of the road where Kia with its hard suspension is launched into dance. Rexton railway crossings flies, just like a tank on demonstrations. The only thing that can bother the driver is the vibrations of the unsubstantiated masses, clearly felt on the steering wheel. The brakes are better than Sorento more powerful and more specifically but not radical. The main thing is not to forget that you are driving a weighty SUV, to which the laws of physics are much more ruthless than to the city hatchback.


So far, Sorento is ahead, which is also confirmed by sales: only about two and a half thousand cars against nine hundred reacons were sold through a network of official dealers in Russia. But this is for now. They say that the Russian Rexton will become cheaper for five thousand dollars, and he is more compact Kyron to support him. In turn, Sorento is already preparing for planned modernization. It seems that Hyundai has not left this segment not long. So in the Korean quarter it will still be hot.


Autography
Kia Sorento
There is no predecessor
Premiere March 2002
Body wagon
Engines 2.4-3.5 l (139-195 l.
Production of South Korea
Expected replacement 2008
 
Autography
Ssangyong Rexton
The predecessor of Ssangyong Musso (1993)
Premiere September 2001
Modernization Autumn 2004
Body wagon
Engines 2.3-3.2 l (120-220 l.
Production of South Korea
Expected replacement 2005-06
 

Cars were provided by KM-Neva, the official dealer of Kia Motors and Ssangyong Motor
During the test, the car is insured by Rosno
 

Text: Leonid Klyuyev
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 99/2006]