Kia Sorento’s update aims to regain the seven-seater top spot

Our 2015 Car of the Year, the Kia Sorento seven-seater SUV has just had its first major update. It’s more than just a facelift but has Kia done enough to regain the Sorento’s best-in-class crown?

Our 2015 Car of the Year winner, the Kia Sorento seven-seater SUV has just had its first major update. It’s more than just a facelift, with a bigger V6 in the base model Si, which we’re testing here, plus an eight-speed automatic transmission and more driver assist safety tech. Just 12 months after its COTY win, the Sorento met its match in Mazda’s CX-9, launched in 2016. Both are excellent family wagons — but has Kia done enough to regain the Sorento’s best-in-class crown?

VALUE

The Sorento Si has increased in price by $2000, to $42,990, still a pretty reasonable ask for a big family freighter.

By base model standards it’s generously equipped — as it has to be, given that Mazda decided to play Santa Claus with its direct rival, the CX-9 Sport, priced from $43,890.

Sorento: Covered by Kia’s industry-leading seven-year warranty.

Kia’s latest infotainment features a responsive eight-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; voice control works only via these apps, so if you don’t have them on your phone, you have to do everything manually, including making calls, selecting music and entering destinations into the navigation.

Digital radio is standard but the phone functions don’t extend to message or email alerts.

Dual-zone aircon includes vents for the middle row plus the back stalls, which also have a fan speed control. Also standard are an alarm, tyre pressure monitoring, full-size spare, parking sensors, camera with static and moving guidelines, three 12V outlets, two USB charge ports (with one of each in the middle row), heaps of storage (including three covered compartments in the centre console) and automatic headlights.

Kia’s industry-leading seven-year warranty makes Mazda’s three years’ coverage look woefully underdone. Capped price servicing and roadside assistance also extend to seven years.

COMFORT

The driver’s pew is fine on shorter trips but the underpadded cushion can get bitey on the cheeks after a few hours. Only basic manual adjustments are provided.

The middle row has a firm, flat cushion and adjustable backrest, split 60-40 (plus a 40-20-40 split for the seat backs) and with each side individually adjustable for legroom, of which there is plenty.

Cabin highlight: The Sorento’s updated infotainment runs an eight-inch touchscreen.

Access to the back stalls, which fold up from the floor, is quite tight and available only via the kerbside door. As with most rear seats, young kids are fine but the absence of a footwell forces adults into an inelegant, uncomfortable squat.

In five-seater mode, boot space is considerably tighter than the Mazda. The middle seats fold flat to extend capacity and with all seats occupied you can still carry a few soft bags or the shopping.

If you head into a Kia showroom for a look at the Sorento, check the Carnival people-mover as well. It has a direct injection 3.3-litre V6 with the same outputs as the Sorento’s port-injection 3.5, a six-speed auto, a more spacious, versatile interior with eight seats, plus the convenience of sliding side entry doors. Prices start at $41,490.

SAFETY

Kia has sought to improve the Sorento’s safety credentials against the CX-9’s class-leading specification. Standard on the Si are automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane departure warning and lane keeping, fatigue alert and six airbags.

However, the CX-9 Sport remains the benchmark, adding blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and automatic emergency braking in reverse, though without adaptive cruise. Its curtain airbags also extend to the back seats; in the Sorento, these cover only the first two rows.

The Carnival’s curtain airbags also extend to row three but it misses out on the Sorento’s active safety features listed above.

DRIVING

Kia’s 3.5-litre V6 drives the front wheels in the Si and, with 206kW of power plus eight ratios to deploy it, the Sorento is never wanting for urge, especially when you give the accelerator a squeeze.

That said, it lacks the frugal, tractable performance of the 2.2-litre turbo diesel alternative, which costs $45,490, and Mazda’s excellent 2.5-litre turbo four.

Eight-speed auto: Transmission can be busy but the Sorento is never wanting for urge.

It’s also thirstier around town than the previous model’s 3.3-litre V6/six-speed combination, largely due to shorter, closer gearing in the eight-speed auto’s lower ratios. These make it a busier transmission in traffic, where you can expect 12L-14L/100km; on the highway, you’ll get 7-8L, on regular unleaded.

Kia’s locally tuned ride-handling compromise is spot-on for the Sorento’s purpose. Comfort is a priority and even on rough country roads the ride is luxuriously comfortable and quiet.

In everyday driving, handling is also secure and predictable — for a family bus — but when it’s fully laden, the relatively soft suspension can struggle a little to control body movement.

HEART SAYS

I love my kids. I’ve got quite a few of them. I used to really like driving sports cars. Now it’s come to this …

HEAD SAYS

I love my kids. I’ve got quite a few of them. If I’d known how much they cost I might have been more careful …

ALTERNATIVE

MAZDA CX-9 SPORT, FROM $43,890. Slightly ahead as a family wagon, with sharper design, a better engine/transmission combo and more safety. Frequent, pricey servicing and short warranty count against it.

SKODA KODIAQ 132TSi, FROM $42,990. Our 2017 COTY. Not quite as big as the Mazda or the Kia but, if you just want two occasional extra seats, it’s the Goldilocks of family wagons.

VERDICT

3.5 stars out of 5

If you’re on a tight budget and you need safe, comfortable, reliable, transport for the tribe, our 2015 COTY is still a winner.

KIA SORENTO Si

Seats for seven: Third row access and space are tight; middle row folds flat.

PRICE $42,990 plus on roads (good value)

WARRANTY/SERVICING $2681 for 7 years (cheap); 7-year warranty (best)

ENGINE 3.5-litre V6, 206kW/336Nm (above average)

SAFETY 5 stars, 6 airbags, adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking, lane keeping (average)

THIRST 10.0L/100km (thirstyish)

SPARE Full-size alloy (good)

CARGO 605L (below average)

BIG DEAL, BIGGER VALUE

Businessman Mark Carpenter initially was drawn to the Sorento by its size — but the little things sealed the deal.

Mark and Emily Carpenter: “Same features as a $70K-$80K European car.”

At two metres tall, he needed a vehicle with decent head and legroom, as well as plenty of luggage space for his work with online toy business Kidstuff. He and wife Emily were just as impressed by the 360-degree camera, the driver assistance tech and the full-size spare.

He traded in a Holden Commodore wagon and initially shopped the Kia against the Honda CR-V — the Sorento got the nod because of the bigger boot and its seven-year warranty.

“There aren’t many cars with more boot space than a Commodore and, being an SUV, it was easier to get in and out of,” Carpenter says.

He bought a top of the range GT-Line model and says the value for money was better than European alternatives. “It has the same features as a European car you’d pay $70,000-80,000 for,” he says.