2015 Kia Sorento | new car sales price

Kia confirms trim levels and simplified drivetrain lineup for all-new Sorento SUV, amid price rises across the range.

The new third-generation Kia Sorento SUV will arrive in local showrooms on June 7, with the seven-seat SUV now priced from $40,990 for the entry-level Si model, up $2000 from the outgoing model's starting price. The mid-spec SLi is priced from $45,990, while the top-spec Platinum is priced from $55,990 - both $4500 increases from their outgoing equivalents.

DESIGN

The new Sorento brings fresh looks inside and out, plus extra technology to help it battle key rivals like the Toyota Kluger, Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Pathfinder.

The Sorento's all-new body has been lengthened by 95mm to 4780mm, widened by 5mm to 1890mm and overall height has lowered by 45mm to be 1690mm. The wheelbase has also increased by 80mm to 2780mm.

The extra length and width pays dividends when it comes to luggage space. The new Sorento fits 320 litres (142 VDA) of cargo in the back will all the seats up, 1077L (605 VDA) with the third row seats down, and 2066L (1662 VDA) with the middle seats folded.

This represents gains of 62 litres, 30 litres and 14 litres respectively over the outgoing model.

For the passengers, there is an extra 12V power adaptor in the front bringing the total to three. There's also USB charging in both the front and second row, and an extra cup holder in the third row.

SAFETY

Earlier this week ANCAP awarded the 2015 Sorento the maximum five star crash safety rating.

Helping it achieve this are six airbags - two at the front, two at the side and two full length curtain bags protecting all three rows.

There is also a a suite of technologies working to stop an accident occurring in the first place - anti-lock braking with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, electronic stability control with traction control, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist and emergency stop signalling.

AEB and forward collision warning however, is notably missing from the feature list.

For baby capsules, there are two ISOFIX mounting points and three top tethers in the second row.

MODEL GRADES

The new Sorento is available in the same Si, SLi and Platinum trim of the outgoing model. Also carrying over is the split in engine options with Si and SLi variants available with either the petrol or turbodiesel engines, while the Platinum remains exclusively an oiler.

Across the lineup the Sorento features a 7-inch touchscreen multimedia system, satnav with traffic info, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors, auto headlights and 17-inch alloys plus a full size alloy spare.

The mid-spec SLi adds keyless ignition, hands free tailgate, perforated leather trimmed seats, 10-speaker sound system and ups the wheel size to 18 inches.

The Platinum then adds lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, heated/ventilated front seats, heated second row seats (not the middle one, however), sunshade for second row, auto-levelling HID headlights, LED daytime running lights and 19-inch alloys.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

The new Sorento's petrol engine has been downsized from the old model's 3.5-litre V6 to a 3.3-litre unit, dropping outputs by 5kW/17Nm to 199kW/318Nm, and paired exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.

Tuning to suit new emissions regulations has caused the smaller engine to bring a small increase in fuel consumption, with the petrol model achieving 9.9L/100km on the combined cycle compared to the 9.8L/100km of the outgoing Sorento.

The 147kW/441Nm 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel gains 2kW/5Nm, and is also paired with six-speed auto, but driving all four wheels. The manual transmission available on the outgoing model has been discontinued.

Like its petrol counterpart, the diesel engine also comes with an increase in fuel consumption, up 0.5L/100km over the outgoing model to achieve a combined 7.8L/100km.

Torque distribution can be "locked" to split evenly between the front and rear wheels for off-road or low traction situations, however like its key rivals, the Sorento does not have a low-range transfer case.