Most car brands nowadays have SUVs of different sizes, including Kia.

When you want a large SUV with seven seats, the Kia Sorento is an option. And it’s not the craziest.

The Sorento comes with Kia’s new 8-speed automatic transmission. The Sorento also comes with new safety and comfort features.

The redesigned Sorento is available in six trim levels – LX, EX, Business Premium, Business Premium GT-Line, Business Luxury and Business Luxury GT-Line.

New equipment available includes high beam automatic, reversible LED headlights, wireless mobile phone charging and a Harman Kardon Premium audio system.

The Sorento is available in either a 5- or 7-seat version. The Sorento has a boot capacity of 660 litres in the 5-seat version.

When all three rows of seats are occupied, the boot space is just over 140 litres.

We test drove the 7-seater version in Business Luxury GT-Line trim level. In other words, there was something for every taste.

Although the price of the Sorento base model starts at almost €46,000, this test car was well over €20,000 more. The test-driven model with all the equipment costs more than €70 000 in metallic paint.

The Sorento is always four-wheel drive.

Only one engine type

The Kia Sorento is a special model in that there is only one engine available. It is a 2.2-litre diesel engine with 200 horsepower. It is available with either a manual or automatic gearbox.

According to Kia, the car consumes 6.5 litres per 100 km/h in combined driving. This figure was not quite reached during the test drive. With CO2 emissions of 170g/km, this car tipped the scales slightly at the beginning of September when the WLTP emissions measurement method was introduced.

According to the manufacturer, the car has a top speed of 205 km/h and acceleration from zero to 60 km/h in 9.4 seconds.

From the driver’s seat, you can tell it’s a big car. The car is stable and very responsive to the driver’s wishes.

The front seats are sturdy and provide good lateral support.

All switches and levers are well within the driver’s control, and the large screen in the centre console works well. The seat and steering wheel are easy to adjust.

There are perhaps a few too many switches on the wheel, but they become familiar after a little practice.

The main problem is visibility from the driver’s seat. The car is big and you can’t control all the angles easily. Fortunately, the test car had a 360-degree camera view, which shows the surroundings amazingly well, both from above and from the direction of travel. So there is also a camera in front of the car that transmits the image.

GT-Line also offers a range of options including steering wheel gearshift paddles and leather upholstery.

Four driving modes

The Sorento automatic transmission has four driving modes: eco, comfort, sport and smart. The last of these is, as the name suggests, intelligent, adjusting the steering response and power train response according to the driver’s driving style.

The engine power and acceleration are quite adequate. With a full load of 7 people, you could probably do with a bit more power, but it’s good enough.

So the test-driven model has three rows of seats. The space can be adjusted slightly to the size of the passengers, as the middle row of seats moves backwards and forwards slightly.

The two seats in the third row are best suited to children, but an adult can sit in the back for a shorter distance.

When five seats are enough, the third-row seats are the floor of the boot. This compromises the height of the boot slightly, but there is a surprising amount of length.

When all seven seats are occupied, you can’t really talk about boot space any more. It’s more like the boot of a small car.

The second row has good legroom because the floor is flat from door to door. There are separate air conditioning nozzles for the rear seat passengers and as many as two 12-volt electrical sockets.

The second-row seats can also be moved slightly forward, leaving a little more legroom in the third row.

The test car was equipped with running boards, which you would prefer not to have in your own car. They feel unnecessary and also make it easy to get your trouser legs dirty.

Who fits

The Kia Sorento is a good choice for someone who needs a 7-seater SUV. The car makes a good impression and is backed up by a 7-year warranty.

The car can tow a 2000 kg trailer with brakes.

The test-driven model is of course expensive, but if you settle for a slightly less equipped model, you can of course get a bit cheaper.

The cheapest models come with a manual gearbox, while the cheapest automatic costs almost €50,000 with the basic equipment.