Test drive Kia Sorento 2006 - 2009 SUV

Kia Sorento. Inflatable hippo

Kia Sorento. Price: Not defined. On sale: since the fall of 2009
Impressive dimensions, ice in the eyes and suddenly amazing airiness! With its off-road sizes, the new Kia Sorento weighs like some D-class sedan: a little more than one and a half tons. The rejection of the frame turned out to be the loss of two centners of mass for the crossover! Such a serious diet fundamentally changed the former chip life of the model

Test pilot
Dmitry Tytyuchenko, 33 years old, automobile journalist, driving experience of 14 years, personal car - Jeep Wrangler
As experience shows, conspiracies often arose, but rarely succeeded. History regularly confirms the words of Niccolo Machiavelli, a well -known Italian diplomat and not the last statesman. Most often, as a result of secret conspiracy, only the monsters to happiness were born, there were exceptions. For example, crossovers whose birth also contributed to a kind of conspiracy. An extremely successful conspiracy of manufacturers against real SUVs, whose population today is invariably reduced against the background of steadily growing pre -crisis sales of SUV cars. And the second generation Kia Sorento is the latest evidence. Despite the fact that he is cuv
Yes, time did not spare him. How does not spare many of his fellow tribesmen: you will not find out on the street. But you definitely won’t pass by: with age, Sorento pulled up, cheered up and acquired a hitherto unheated gloss, charm and dynamism. After the fawning, rather ordinary facade of the ancestor, the appearance of the novelty seems to be the height of the playful modernity: the Shreyerovsky youth-aggressive style is clearly traced in every element of the design. But it was impossible to expect another after the entry into force of the new marketing policy of Kia: like the rest of the fresh creations of the brand, this Crossover Utility Vehicle is simply obliged to cause emotions, attract a younger, progressive audience and brightly demonstrate its belonging to the Kia model range. And all of the above has the entire model in full!
However, appearance is not the main thing. Now you will have to handle Sorento differently. The car has settled down: now it will not stick into the mud in the mud. The developers changed the concept of the model, decisively crossing out its off -road past. Frame? Forget the car now a carrier body. Demultiper? Ah, leave it! Well, to whom in the age of neatly trimmed lawns and asphalt roads I wonder how the low gear is turned on? So, a small group of hopelessly suffering from chronic off -road enthusiasts, a constant all -wheel drive? Dudks! By default, the car uses only the front wheels, only sometimes through a multi -disc couple connecting the rear. And when the electronics will allow. But if necessary, you can enable forced blocking, operating at speeds up to 40 km/h and distributes torque in a ratio of 50:50 between the front and the rear axles. Or even use the assistance systems when starting at the rise and control of the brakes on the descent. In general, Sorento accents were shifted in favor of the city.
Uncertain on off -road, Sorento II is well oriented in a metropolis. The radius of the turn is small. The dimensions are on the contrary, rather big. But the overview is excellent. At the height and smoothness of the course: the front suspension on the double transverse levers of the previous model gave way to the lighter and compact racks of McPherson suspension, and the uncertain rear bridge was replaced by a completely new independent multi -link suspension. Swaying merrily on bumps, the car leaves the bumps of all types outside the body. And improves emotional attitude with good handling.
Adequate steering requires 3.02 turns from the stop to the stop. Without excessive sharpness, the steering wheel is characterized by good information and intelligible feedback. Updated 2.4 -liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 174 liters. With. Together with a 6 -speed automatic KP, they provide a worthy acceleration to the car, according to the manufacturer occupying 11.6 C to hundreds. They also provide mediocre acceleration. The machine switches the transmission on time, without delay, easily moving down. But the power of the motor is not enough to, for example, shoot with 60 km/h with a complete press of the accelerator.
The crossover was created on a single platform with a single -conder for the Hyundai IX55. Compared to the predecessor, the new Sorento became 95 mm longer and 15 mm lower, and the wheelbase of the car decreased by 10 mm (up to 2700 mm). Free space increased in the cabin: one cannot complain to the front, nor from behind the place of place. The third row of seats appeared, increasing the capacity to seven people. However, some abundance of space does not apply. Moreover, the two of the galleries reduce the pretty decent lugger volume by their presence by four times (from 1047 to 258 liters).
The interior pleases the eye not only with high -quality materials, but also with equipment. The start of the engine with a button, cruise and two-zone climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, a rear view camera with a 3.5-inch screen in a salon mirror, an electronic stability control system is far from a complete list of pleasant and useful functions. Alas, most of them will be available only in rich versions.

Comprehensively protected
The new Sorento carries a lot of modern systems and equipment responsible for active and passive safety. In particular, these are ABS, EBD brake distribution systems, Assistance for braking BAS, electronic control of ESC stability, help with HAC lifting, dynamic monitoring of braking on the DBC descent. Thanks to significant improvements in the body, the crossover has many advantages over its predecessor and in the field of passive safety, which give increased resistance to impacts. Thanks to the use of more strong steel, the new Sorento has become much less vulnerable in a collision. When developing a car, special attention was paid to the central stance of the body with a steel protective arc built into it. Additional lateral protection of passengers is ensured by side panels that allow minimizing the likelihood of injuries to the bones of the pelvis in the accident. The basic package of Sorento includes frontal airbags, optionally the car is equipped with lateral eirbegs and safety curtains. Both front seats can be equipped with active head restraints, thanks to which, when impact, the likelihood of injuries of the neck decreases.

We do not love
The volume of the trunk varies from the modest 258l in a 7 -seater version to the enviable 2052 liters. Capacious
Despite the complete cross-linear, the model still has off-road deposits. Not bad
The functionality on the central console does not force to rack its head over the assignment of keys. clear

Driving
The car pleased with adequate behavior on the road, but the dynamics seemed only sufficient.
Salon
Even from the very rear seats, complaints about cramped or discomfort will not follow. Naturally, from passengers of medium height and lower.
Comfort
To moderately, the soft suspension does not tire with unnecessary suppleness to irregularities and ruts. The abundance of useful functions in the cabin pleases with diversity.
Safety
There are many systems, but not all of them will fall into the base in the Russian market.
Price
Not determined.

Advantages and disadvantages
+ Spacious interior, interesting appearance, thought out interior, good obedience to the steering wheel.
- Only sufficient dynamics.

Specifications
Mark and model - Kia Sorento 2.4 AT
Dimensions - 4685x1885x1710 mm
Engine - gasoline, 2349 cm3, 174 hp/6000 min -1
Transmission - automatic, 6 -speed KP
Dynamics - Max 186 km/h; 11.6 s to 100 km/h
Competitors - Mitsubishi Outlander XL, Hyundai Santa Fe

Our opinion
Such a radical fracture in the purpose of the model could theoretically scare away those off -road enthusiasts who had previously treated the Sorento SUV for its affordable price and cross -country ability. But such, in principle, is becoming less and less today on the horse more utilitarian SUV. And modern appearance and qualities clearly open up new customer horizons before the model.
Author: Dmitry Tytyuchenko
 
 

Source: Magazine 5 wheel [August 2009]