The Diesel Difference
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday January 26, 2008
KIA SORENTO EX CRDi
Ever had one of those moments when you see someone for the first time in a long time and realise they're not the same person you once knew? It happens with cars, too, says BRENT DAVISON.I have had a degree of admiration for Kia's Sorento from the time it first saw the light of day here.It was the car's honesty I liked. It didn't make promises it could not keep, it knew its limitations and it did pretty much what was expected of it. It also looked good, felt nice, had acceptable build quality and a price that was not insulting.It arrived at the right time too, hitting our shores just when we stopped laughing at Korean cars and started thinking of them as viable alternatives. Still not quite mainstream, maybe, but well on the way.That was a long time ago in car years though and the automotive world has moved on. Although maybe not as quickly at Kia as it has elsewhere. Sure, there had been a couple of minor revisions to Sorento during the model cycle but generally it was steady as she goes.Recently I had the chance to test the latest take on Sorento and for good reason: Kia had finally decided it was time to put a diesel engine in Australian-spec cars as an alternative to the V6 petrol engine.Getting back together with Sorento was a bit of a blast from the past but with a difference: the old mate has not only had a heart transplant but a tummy tuck and facelift as well.Our test car was Kia's top-of-the-line Sorento EX-L which, with turbo-diesel and five-speed automatic, still manages to come in under 40 grand, about the midpoint of its market segment and with plenty of standard kit to impress the more jaded among us.The black woodgrain dashboard trim is tasteful and the six-speaker audio with the auxiliary input jack for the MP3 player is appreciated.The same goes for the big drawer which, we understand, is used by Korean owners as a cigarette storage unit but serves as a handy hidey-hole for keeping iPods and the like safe from prying eyes.Other good bits include a standard sunroof, trip computer (but mounted high above the rear-view mirror it is awkward to see and use) and dual-zone, climate-control airconditioning.Add leather trim on the commendably comfortable seats and you have a nice - if a little conservative - package that seems just a bit too grey but is comfortable and quite habitable for long periods.It's comfortable, roomy and with the back seat folded (an easy task) there is enough room for a couple of mountain bikes and the gear that goes with them.But forget all that, it was the engine I was really interested in and I was not disappointed with it.A 2.5-litre, double overhead camshaft, four-cylinder unit, it develops a fairly ordinary 125kW at 3800rpm and a very impressive 392Nm of torque at 2000rpm courtesy of a Bosch-designed common-rail direct-injection fuel delivery system and Garrett variable geometry turbocharger.What that means is the engine is strong as an ox and able to put 90 per cent of its torque to the ground from 1300rpm, holding onto that number well past the 2000rpm torque peak and maintaining it all the way through to 4000rpm, 200rpm clear of the power peak.In real terms? The diesel might be down on power compared to the V6 petrol engine (180kW at 6000rpm) but slaughters it on torque (309Nm at 4500rpm), making the diesel-engined variant a very easy vehicle to drive. It's both an effortless highway loafer and an off-track grunter able to amble over mountains in low-range with the engine ticking over barely above idle.Power goes to the rear wheels (or all four if desired) through a five-speed automatic with ratios chosen to complement the torque characteristics of the diesel. The shifter, by the way, has a Tiptronic-style sequential manual function which is particularly handy offroad.If there is a downside it is that Kia's diesel is not the world's quietest engine, but that smug feeling of getting wonderful fuel economy out of an SUV tickling the scales at a tad over two tonnes is well worth the clatter.The ultimate payoff is at the bowser though. Kia claims a fuel consumption average around 8.5 litres/100km. We chalked-up a far more realistic 10.2l/100km and reckon that was impressive enough.When it comes to chassis design the Sorento is in a dwindling field of offroaders, built with a body structure perched atop a separate ladderframe chassis and with a proper two-speed transfer case and freewheeling front hubs to make it a pukka offroader.The ride is on the firm side so it helps that the seats are comfy.Having said that, Sorento is certainly no worse than any other true offroader and better than many.What really did annoy though was the steering which, on our test car, was vague and lacking in any real feeling.Overall, the Sorento design is starting to show its age a little. Others have moved on and there is a certain quaintness about seeing a radio antenna rising from the bodywork rather than being embedded in the glasswork.But it is good value for money, especially with the diesel donk. An overall honest package that delivers what it promises, no more and no less.NUTS & BOLTSPRICE $39,490. DIMENSIONS Length - 4567mm; width - 1863mm; height - 1810mm; wheelbase - 2710mm; tracks (f/r) - 1580mm/1580mm; turning circle - 11.0m; ground clearance - 208mm; approach angle - 27.9; departure angle - 26.4; weight - 2027kg. MECHANICAL 2.5-litre, inline, four-cylinder with common-rail direct-injection, intercooled turbocharger, double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. 125kW @ 3800rpm, 392Nm @ 2000rpm. Five-speed automatic, two-speed transfer case. CHASSIS Front, longitudinal engine, rear-wheel-drive with part-time four-wheel-drive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, separate ladderframe chassis, power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes, electronic stability control, traction control. SUSPENSION Independent double wishbones, coil springs and telescopic dampers front, solid rear axle with multi-links, coil springs and telescopic dampers. 245/70R17 tyres. FUEL TYPE/CAPACITY Diesel/80litres FUEL ECONOMY 8.5L/100km (ADR81/01 combined average) MAIN RIVALS Hyundai Terracan, Dodge Nitro, Holden Cativa, Jeep Cherokee.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury
