Chips and soft-serve ice-cream. It’s an interesting combination that plays off the same salty and sweet marriage as salted caramel. And for kids visiting McDonald’s, it seems to be a winner that once discovered is never forgotten.
For the doubters, we’d say don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. And really, that saying applies as much to food as it does to cars.
For example, this week’s test vehicle, the Kia Sorento could easily be written off as just another seven-seat SUV, and there’s even more reason to be sceptical because the vehicle we were handed was front-wheel-drive.
But like we said before, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Because to do so would be to miss out on a very nice machine indeed.
Sure, it’s not going to be the SUV for you if you’re going to head off-road, but let’s be honest, not many (if any) all-wheel-drive Sorento owners will.
Ours was the V6 model, which only comes in petrol and front-wheel-drive – the diesel four-cylinder models are AWD. And while we’re fans of Kia’s 2.2-litre diesel, the oily fuel is a bit on the nose at the moment, so it was with some relief we were handed a punchy petrol.
It’s a 3.5-litre six that makes 206kW and 336Nm, coupled with an eight-speed auto. With that much power running through only the front wheels, it’s quite easy to chirp them if you’re a bit too aggressive in taking off from the lights, so bear in mind a little self-control may be required to not make a fool of yourself.
The Sorento is very quick on the roll, even when loaded with six or seven people, and overtaking is simple thanks to the smooth but decisive eight-speed auto. But the best part about it is the smoothness. When idling, it’s silent and completely vibration-free, to the point where you’ll wonder whether it’s running or not.
Because it’s a large V6 and there are no turbos, it’s not exactly economical. Kia lists the city-bound figure at 14.2-litres/100km, which is V8 territory. But in actual use, we found that our city-driving usage was around 13.5L/100km. A bit better, but not great. And when you consider that the diesel offers the same cycle at 9.2L/100km, you can see why a lot of folks opt for the oil-burner.
On the plus side, the V6 only requires 91RON, unlike so many other vehicles these days, which must have premium to run properly. And with a 71-litre tank, it’s not a huge burden when you need to fill it from empty.
As the Si model (as tested) gets the smallest wheels in the range – 17-inches – you may think that it would be a little boaty when heading around corners, but that’s not the case at all. The handling certainly isn’t segment leading, but it will corner without falling over, which is exactly what Sorento buyers want.
However, the 17-inch wheels give this Sorento a ride that compares with air-suspended cars. It’s honestly that good. The way it smothers bumps is supreme.
Open the doors are you’re greeted with a spacious interior, which features cloth seats that have excellent padding and good shaping, but aren’t overly flat. The rear bench can be slid fore and aft, which is helpful if seats six and seven are being used (slide them forward for more rear-row legroom), but we couldn’t get them to fold up, making getting in and out of the last row quite tedious.
Suprisingly, adults can sit in the back row as well, as long as they are happy to not try to sit against the headrest – the roof lining curves down a little too much to make tall people comfortable. Kids, though, will be fine.
The Sorento isn’t the most exciting vehicle to drive around, and to be truthful if you’re carrying seven people all the time the Carnival will be the better bet. But for a five seater with optional six/seven passengers and a beautiful ride, it’s an excellent option.
And for the same price as some mid-size SUVs (we’re looking at you, Mazda CX-5), the Sorento’s room-for-cash argument is very strong. But if it was us, we’d go for the diesel for the $2500 extra. It gives you all the ride comfort and space, but will be cheaper to run, and has a bit more pull when loaded up, thanks to the extra torque.
And the surety of all-wheel-drive is also a plus. Either way, the Sorento’s trumpcard is its warranty. Seven years, unlimited kilometres, and seven-years roadside assist – it’s hard to beat that.
Like we said, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
