Kia packs technology into Sorento

KEEN to continue offering value for money while raising its brand image, Kia is offering more standard equipment across its MY2011 Sorento SUV range, including Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel-mounted controls and ‘headlamp escort’ headlights that temporarily stay on after occupants have exited the car to illuminate their way.

These extra goodies come at no extra cost for the 2.4-litre petrol-powered Si 2WD automatic and 2.2-litre diesel Si 4WD in manual and automatic guises, which stay put at $36,490, $39,990 and $41,990 plus on-road costs respectively.

The top two models see a modest $200 price hike, with the cost of acquiring a diesel automatic Sorento in SLi 4WD spec rising to $46,190 and the Platinum 4WD model now coming in at and $49,190.

For that extra $200, customers get a higher resolution rear-view camera and matching in-mirror display which also offers parking guidelines, plus a leather-wrapped instrument cluster housing and automatic up/down with safety function for the front passenger window.

The panoramic sunroof of the Platinum range-topper now also features an alarm to remind the driver to close it before leaving the car.

Launched just over a year ago, 1708 examples of the five-star ANCAP-rated Sorento have been sold so far in 2010, but this pales in comparison with the similarly-priced Hyundai Santa Fe on which it is based, of which 4101 have been registered in the same time frame.

2011 Kia Sorento pricing:
Si 2WD (a)	$36,490
Si CRDi 4WD	$39,990
Si CRDi 4WD (a)	$41,990
SLi CRDi 4WD (a)	$46,990
Platinum CRDi 4WD (a)	$49,190