After driving the 2021 Kia Sorento for a week now, I have a question for you: How will premium German brands differentiate themselves over the next decade?

Save thousands on any new car (Australia only): https://autoexpert.com.au/contact

AutoExpert discounted roadside assistance package:
https://247roadservices.com.au/autoexpert/

Did you like this report? You can help support the channel, securely via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd_s-xclick&hosted_button_idDSL9A3MWEMNBW&sourceurl

If you're a real car buyer… someone who has money and needs seven seats, the new Sorento is good. Not perfect, but really good. Certainly much better than the idea you might have in mind when someone talks about “flagship Kia”. If you last looked at Kia around 2010 (or even before), it's time for you to recalibrate.

In this report, I'll lay out exactly what I like about the new Sorento – and there's a lot to like about this vehicle. But there are also imperfections, and some things are not working well – right at the end of this report I will address these shortcomings.

This review is independent. Everything I say here is my honest personal opinion about the vehicle and the company selling it.

This is the fourth generation Sorento – and an all-new platform, an updated diesel engine, an all-new transmission for the diesel engine, a new interior and exterior, a new infotainment operating system, etc.

The diesel is a 2.2-liter turbo – an evolution of the predecessor. It now features an aluminum block, which reduces the scale by almost 20 kilos and offers hybrid-like fuel economy – 6.1 liters per 100 km in the official combined cycle test and 5 .3 on the highway.

You should definitely consider the diesel, but if you're a 'petrol only' guy or guy, there's also a petrol V6 in the range.

If you're an average driver looking for a versatile SUV with five seats and a large cargo area, or seven seats and modest cargo capacity, then the Sorento V6 is a definite starter.

The diesel is significantly better – it's smoother and more composed partly thanks to the all-wheel-drive powertrain, and also because the diesel simply makes more mid- and low-end power. It's also much more fuel efficient, but more expensive.

The Sorento diesel AWD is capable of dirt roads, easy fire trails, and driving of that nature – but if you throw properly difficult terrain at it, you'll probably break something. It's just not designed for that.

All-wheel drive is a real plus for family camping. For example, if it rains overnight and the dirt road you took becomes muddy, you have a much better chance of getting to work Monday morning, with all-wheel drive. If this is your case, buy the diesel.

There are four specification levels. Starting at the bottom is the 'S', then the 'Sport', the 'Sport' and (at the top of the range) the GT-Line. And there's an 18,000 gap between the front-wheel-drive V6 'S' poverty pack at around 47,000km drive, and the range-topping diesel AWD GT-Line at around 65,000km. So how do you make sense of this?

I'd say it's like this: The low end is there to appeal to beancounters – especially the kind of beancounters who buy vehicles by the dozen for corporate fleets. They are cutting out almost everything they can to bring prices down.

If you're buying for yourself, on a tight budget, take the extra step because the Sport is much better than the S – and it's only 3,000 more.

The Sport is the smart choice in terms of value: it's a 4,500 level up. You get a proximity key with push-button start, a power liftgate for juggling errands, leather, a remote start, heated seats and USB keys in the rear.

GT-Line is the factory burger – also diesel only – and it'll cost you around 6,500 more than Sport. It has everything: a premium instrument cluster, a blind vision monitor, you can park it remotely, you get a 360 camera and premium audio. This is all well and good, but can you live without it in sport? Yeah. Absolutely.

Please take the opportunity to connect and share this video with your friends and family if you find it useful.