Kia Sorento 2014 review

We turn the spotlight on the Kia Sorento Si and answer all the questions, including the biggest -- would you buy one?

What is it?

Kia's 7-seat off road wagon (the Kia equivalent of the Hyundai Santa Fe). It will probably take you as far as you want to go off road, but bear in mind that it does not have low range four wheel drive - you can however lock the centre differential to give the car better traction.

How much?

It's priced from $38,490 for the base model Si petrol but the one you really want is the diesel which starts from $40,990 for the auto (also the better option). There's a mid spec SLi priced from $41,490 or $44,490 with navigation that has pretty much everything or the range topping Platinum for just over $50 grand.

What are competitors?

Now that's a good question. We reckon you could include anything with seven seats and that means people movers, but it's most direct competitor is probably the Santa Fe. The two may share architecture but are very different cars.

What's under the bonnet?

A class leading 2.2-litre turbo diesel with 145kW of power and 436Nm of torque (slightly less for the manual). The diesel is available with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with the option to change gears manually.

How does it go?

Like a rocket. Our test vehicle was the base model Si diesel with an auto. There's just no downside to this diesel. It has plenty of zip and doesn't use much fuel.

Is it economical?

With a 64-litre tank fuel consumption for the auto is rated at 7.3 litres/100km. We were getting 7.7 after just over 500km.

Is it green?

Gets 3 out of 5 stars from the Governments Green Vehicle Guide, with CO2 emissions of 192g/km (in comparison the hybrid Prius gets 5).

Is it safe?

Gets a full five stars for safety, with six airbags and a full suite of safety systems including a reversing camera.

Is it comfortable?

Yes. We're not fans of leather, so the cloth seats are not a biggy. It's not what you'd call opulent but ticks all the boxes that you'd expect from a new car.

What's it like to drive?

Piece of cake. Good vision from the high driving position. Plenty of pick up from the lights and cruises easily at freeway speeds. If Kia can get it right why is it so hard for other, often more fancied makes to hit the mark? This one can tow a 2 tonne load.

Is it value for money?

At first because of the level of equipment we thought it was the more expensive SLi things like LEDs, cruise control, dual zone climate, Bluetooth with audio streaming, front and rear parking sensors the list goes on.

Would we buy one?

You bet, if we were in the market for one. But the Sorento must be due for a major update soon and we can't wait to see where Kia decides to take the design.