Kia Sorento shapes up

KIA will release a radically different Sorento later this year.

Codenamed XM, the mid-sized SUV from the Korean industrial giant is due to debut at the Geneva motor show in March, although some reports indicate that it may break cover at September’s Frankfurt motor show.

Either way, Australian sales are expected to start by the last quarter of 2009.

Brandishing a monocoque body and seven seats, the Sorento II ditches the current-generation model’s 4x4 focussed ladder-frame chassis construction as Kia repositions it as a serious family car rival against the Toyota Kluger and Ford Territory.

According to one Kia source, the new Sorento’s change in direction is a direct result of it being heavily based on the Hyundai Veracruz full-sized SUV platform (a variation of the architecture of the Hyundai CM Santa Fe) built and sold in the US.

However, the body-on-frame Kia Borrego, a distant relative of the Hyundai Terracan sold in Australia until recently, remains as the brand’s full-sized SUV.

As with the new TD Cerato small car, the Sorento II will espouse ex-Volkswagen Group stylist and now Kia design boss Peter Schreyer’s new family look.

Spy shots published in some overseas publications show the same ‘Tiger toothed’ grille treatment, as well as some resemblance to the 2007 Kia KND-4 Concept that featured at that year’s Seoul motor show.

The interior is also car-like, with strong European influences evident in the Sorento II’s instrumentation binnacle and centre stack. A Kia source said that improving cabin space, comfort and refinement were top priorities.

Kia is expected to use the group’s 3.3-litre and 3.8-litre Lambda V6 petrol powerplants, a variation of the 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, and a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel unit.

European models are also in line to receive a version of Kia’s all-new R-Series common-rail CRDi turbo-diesel, in either 2.0-litre or 2.2-litre iterations.

Although Kia will not officially reveal which engines are going to be used in Australian-bound models, a turbo-diesel definitely will be introduced at some point.

A six-speed automatic transmission will probably be fitted as standard equipment, with the upcoming CRDi possibly also offering a manual gearbox option.

Whether the next Sorento adopts the Santa Fe’s part-time four-wheel drive system remains to be seen, but the front wheels are expected to be doing most of the driving.

As a result, it seems unlikely that the new vehicle will not be able to match the current model’s off-road ability or towing capacity, but big gains will be made in fuel economy and lower emissions.

The new SUV is expected to be built in South Korea as well as at Kia's new West Point Georgia plant in the US.

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