Kia Sorento vs Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Fortuner

By Stuart Johnston

Kia’s Sorento has been a mainstay SUV product for the Korean company’s South African operation since 2002. In that time the Sorento has evolved from a decidedly budget-orientated  people-carrier to a very sophisticated family car, with the emphasis on large-family suitability

Late in 2018, Kia launched the MY 2019 Sorento with a fairly extensive facelift. The car is basically the same one that first made its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, and was launched here in June 2015.

In late October 2018 the new Sorento began emerging from showrooms with a restyled front and rear-end and some crucial revisions to the interior to bring it up to date with the competition. Key to the new look are projection headlamps and  revised LED daytime running lights on the upper-level models. The bumper has been given a more defined look with new fog lamp location, while at the rear the tailgate has been revised, along with new tail lights and a new bumper.

The entire model line-up now rides on re-styled 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped  with 60-sries profile rubber, which is good news for the ride quality of the Sorento. We wish more manufacturers would adopt this sensible approach to standardised wheel-fitment with generous tyre sidewalls,  in our country where, sadly,  potholes are even more prolific than power cuts! Pleasingly, a full-size spare wheel is standard. For a report on the Kia Sorento facelift,  click here.

Interior

Inside there are some big changes. Key is a standard-fit eight-inch colour touch screen infotainment pod, with embedded Sat Nav . The unit also controls in-car audio, with radio and USB plug-in audio capability, as well compatibility with a vast music selection via  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Also standard is dual-zone climate control, automatic headlamp control, auto-folding heated wing mirrors.

Safety

Safety is big in the Sorento, due to its family-car orientation. Six airbags and ISOFIX child seat anchors are standard, and the windows have a safety block-out that senses an obstruction in the window’s path of travel – handy with small children around! There is also a reverse camera with rear park distance control, and this is displayed on the new touch screen on the dashboard.

Space

The Kia Sorento is a full seven seater on all variants in the range. And key to the Sorento’s practicality is that the rear row of seats fold flat, freeing up over 600 litres of luggage space when the car is used as a five-seater. The second row of seats also offer split backrests that fold down for increased loading versatility.

New automatic gearbox on all models

All models are fitted with the new eight-speed automatic gearbox designed and manufactured in-house by Hyundai-Kia. It is mated to the “old faithful” 2,2-litre turbodiesel engine producing 147 kW and 440 Nm of torque. This motor is well-suited to the Sorento, giving it a relaxed attitude that is much appreciated by Sorento owners. Some testers have noted that the gearbox is ultra-smooth, but tends to “hunt” for ratios a little too enthusiastically in certain conditions.

Performance figures

A 0-100 km/h time of just on 10 seconds is realistic for this large car, as is a top speed of just over 200 km/h.

Pricing and Warranties

Pricing has been a bit of a challenge for Korean manufacturers in recent years. Where once they were seen as cheaper alternatives to more established brands from Europe and Japan, Kias and Hyundais are now priced toe-toe with some of the top opposition in the SUV market. There are four models in the range. These basically come in two trim variants – the more basic LX and the upper-level EX specification. Both these trim variants are available in either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive variants. Pricing ranges from R570 005 for the least expensive 2.2 CRDI LX FWD model to R639 995 for the 2.2 CRDI EX AWD.

The price includes an impressive five-year warranty with unlimited kms, and a five-year/100 000 km service plan.

The Rivals

The Kia Sorento is priced in amongst a whole bunch of serious contenders in the SUV market. We chose two contenders which are interesting in that they are very different approaches to SUV.

1. Toyota Fortuner: Many readers may find this a strange candidate for a rival for the Kia Sorento, as the Fortuner is such a different type of SUV in approach to the more sophisticated Kia. The Fortuner, despite its new modern looks in the latest version, is still based on the old SUV principal of a ladder chassis, as used on bakkies since time immemorial. This makes the ride in the Fortuner still a lot less precise than the cushioned ride you get in a Sorento, and the interior is more basic. Still, the Fortuner is the best-selling SUV by a long margin in South Africa, and many potential Sorento buyers will be advised to check out this Toyota mainstay model. There are a number of Fortuner models in the Sorento price range . One disadvantage is that the third row of seats fold up like old game-viewing seats along the sides of the Fortuner. For everything you need to know about the Toyota Fortuner, click here.

2. Hyundai Santa Fe: It is no secret that Hyundai and Kia are very similar in terms of mechanical specification. The Santa Fe uses the same 2,2-litre diesel engine, although it is rated at 142 kW, rather than the 147 kW of the Kia. It also uses the eight-speed automatic gearbox in all three models on offer. These are the 2.2D Premium, 2.2D Executive, and 2.2D 4WD Elite.

Performance is very similar to that of the Sorento. But the big difference is that this is a an all-new model that is essentially four years newer than the Sorento, as it was only launched here late last year. The styling of the new Santa Fe is cutting edge, inside and out and the ride quality is excellent. Pricing reflects this, however, and the Hyundai Santa Fem prices range between R599 900 and R749 900. For this type of money you get an excellent standard specification (Hyundai don’t “do” options to an great degree) and an industry-leading manufacturer warranty. For a review on the Santa Fe, click here.

Our Verdict

So which is best? If it is a relative bargain you are looking for, with good ride sophistication and  real-world seven-seat accommodation, the Kia Sorento is your best bet. If it is an SUV with much more  off-road capability that you want (including low range), then you should opt for one of the Fortuner 4X4 models, even though they are all less sophisticated than both the Kia and the Hyundai on tarmac.

Our choice, though, despite the higher pricing, is the latest version of the Hyundai Santa Fe. It has styling way more modern than that of the Sorento, an ultra-modern interior with superb fit and finish, and a premium feel about it that can’t be matched by the Sorento or Fortuner. In the end, this clinches it for us.