New Reveal : 2010 Kia Sorento

These days, sibling companies, Kia and Hyundai, are catching up with their Japanese and European competition. Look at the high-performance Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and the Lexus-rival Hyundai Eqqus. Well, Kia is now tackling 7-seat crossover vehicle, with this all-new Sorento, which debuted at the Seoul Motor Show.

In the looks department, Kia has went for a simple conservative look for the Sorento. So there aren't any fens or bulges sticking out of the body, which is a good thing. Because this doesn't have to look dynamic or "just out there". It has to have a confident look, which it has. Those stretched-out headlights, Kia's trademark grille, and the rocket-like vents on the front bumper make it look very European, much like an Audi. In fact, the Kia’s Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, who was behind the design of the new Sorento, was a former head design for Audi.
Kia has also went great lengths into making this new Sorento into a much better cross-over. So longer and lower, the new Sorento measures 4.7 meters or 185-in. in length and can accommodate seven passengers in three rows of seats. Kia claims that interior headroom is increased by 64 mm (to 906 mm) and legroom by 102 mm (to 795 mm) while luggage space has been increased by 15%. So the Sorento really can hold up to seven people, and still carry their things. There's also a major improvement in the interior.
Kias of old, always known for their terrible interior design, and even worse interior material used as well. This time with the new Sorento, it's different. The overall design it's actually a nice place to be; the gauge cluster features really interesting instruments, and the 3.5 inch navigation screen fits into the dashboard beautifully. As for materials used to make the dashboard, Kia claims that they've used high-quality material that is normally used on German cars. Well, we have to wait and see what owners will say about that.
The Sorento comes with whole lots of options. Depending on the model and the market, the new Sorento will be equipped with keyless entry, engine start button, reversing safety camera, built-in sat-nav and panoramic glass sunroof and a six, eight or 10-speaker audio system, with MP3 and iPod connectivity, and last but not least, leather seats. There's also variants in drive train options.
Based on the Hyundai Veracruz, the new Sorento's base platform is RWD, but there's also a 4-wheel drive system as an option. So we predict that the Sorento could a fun car to drive, specially with a strong engine. Four engine options are equipped in the Sorento. Presenting them in bullet points, they are:

*2.2L 4-cylinder diesel engine, developing 194 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque.

*2.4L 4-cylinder petrol engine, developing 173 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque.

*2.7L V6 engine running on LPG – liquefied petroleum gas – developing 163 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque.

*3.5L V6 petrol engine, developing 277 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. With the all-wheel drive, this Sorento can tow trailers weighing up to 2,500 kg or 5,511 lbs.

Engine variants are mated to 5-speed and 6-speed automatic/manual transmissions.

Kia expects its new Sorento to "significantly increase Kia's share of the utility vehicle market," setting an ambitious global sales target for itself of 140,000 units from 2010. So if that's true, then the Sorento will make a fuss around the Japanese and the Europeans in the same segment. Actually, this Sorento is a surprise. Because were we used to laugh at cars like this, the Sorento turns out to be a very serious mechine.

Source : [Kia]