Celebrating 20 Years of KIA with the new Sorento and Grand Sedona

By Chad Lückhoff

KIA updates their Sorento and Sedona offerings in conjunction with their 20-year anniversary in South Africa, offering a revised lineup and improvements across the board.

 

Expert rating out of 5

3.5/5

3 pros

Surprising build quality

Generous space

High standard spec level

3 cons

8-speed gearbox likes to hunt in certain conditions

Could be considered expensive

Lacks semi-autonomous driving aids

20 Years of KIA in South Africa

2018 sees the 20th anniversary of KIA in South Africa and with this, KIA Motors South Africa celebrated with the release of two updated models in their product lineup, refreshing the Sorento and the Grand Sedona.

The KIA story is a rather interesting one, filled with both hardship and success. From humble beginnings and only a handful of dealers to a well-positioned brand with rather impressive local success. In that first year, KIA sold a total of 310 vehicles, now, that number is surpassed in a matter of days.

It's been a constant struggle for the Korean manufacturer, pushing to break the “cheap and cheerful” perception of the brand and position it as a premium alternative instead. KIA worked tirelessly at this and slowly pulled themselves from the bottom of the J.D. Power list for initial quality to the point where they have taken top honours for the last three years running.

Their products have come a long way since those questionable days in the 90s and the new Sorento and Grand Sedona are no different.

Styling

One of the biggest leaps forward for KIA was the appointment of Chief Design Engineer, Peter Schreyer, in 2006. This saw the ex-Audi designer reinvent the image of the brand and give it a few distinctive styling traits, most notably, the 'Tiger Nose' element in the front of all modern KIA offerings.

The Sorento update sees a tweak to the grille finish and it is flanked by new headlights with projectors and LED daytime running lights on upper-spec models. The bumper has been pulled and pinched a little and a similar treatment has been given to the rear end. New 18-inch wheels are fitted to all Sorento models while the interior sees the addition of a new steering wheel and gear lever. The air vents and centre console have been updated ever so slightly and the gauges have clearer, more legible typeset.

The changes are less radical in the Sedona but this too receives the front and back refresh with the most evident change being the LED elements in the higher specification models in the taillights. New graphics and a redesigned fascia further elevate the already luxurious Sedona interior.

The Drive

One of the biggest changes to both the Sorento and Sedona range is the switch to a new 8-speed automatic gearbox. This in-house offering has silky shifts and one has to really be focussing on the rev counter to notice when the changes are taking place. It's an addition that matches beautifully with the 2.2 CRDi diesel engine in most instances.

Our one criticism of this new gearbox is its propensity to hunt for gears on uphills, under load. Part throttle application will see the 'box shift down a gear, sometimes two, and only hold it for a few seconds before shifting up again and leaving the engine under pressure. The longer the hill, the more pronounced the effect. This can be countered by selecting the Sport driving mode, but in Comfort or Economy modes this problem persists.

Performance

KIA studied the market and after evaluating the sales trends, has elected to drop the 2.4-litre petrol engine from the Sorento lineup and the 3.3-litre V6 from the Sedona range, leaving only the 2.2-litre turbodiesel to service both ranges.

This is not a problem though as the 2.2 turbodiesel is an ideally suited engine for both applications, producing 147 kW and 440 Nm torque. While neither the Sorento nor Sedona would (or should) be used for the TLGP (Traffic Light Grand Prix), the 0 to 100km/h sprint times of 9.4- and 13.6-seconds, for the Sorento and Sedona respectively, indicate that this engine is no slouch and has ample poke for the school run or cross-country jaunt.

Space and Comfort

Space is where both models shine. The Sorento offers impressive levels of space and comfort throughout the cabin with a large storage area (605-litres) in the 5-seater arrangement but suffers a little when set up for 7 occupants. All Sorento models offer a 7-seater arrangement now, allowing the Sorento to bridge into Sedona territory in terms of practicality.

The Sedona is, and there is no other way of putting this, cavernous. With more legroom than a Kulula flight and enough headroom for top hat-wearing gentlemen, the Sedona is your lounge, on wheels.

The 7-seater Sedona is the most spacious offering and this solves the luggage issue of the Sorento. Even in 8-seater mode, there is ample space, thanks to a clever boot arrangement where the full-sized spare is located under the first row of seats, opening up the boot for additional depth.

Is your TV broken? Are you starting a soccer team? KIA now offers an 11-seater Sedona, on special request, for the larger family or those looking for a fleet vehicle.

Safety

KIA wouldn't have climbed the ranks without improving their safety ratings and the Sorento and Sedona both offer extensive active and passive safety systems for occupants. The Sorento has a complement of six airbags, ABS with EBD, obstruction sensing electric windows, ISOFIX child seat anchors, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Hill-Start Assist. Park Distance Control with a rearview camera is standard on all models.

It's a similar story in the Sedona with the same six airbags and electronic aides and EX+ and SXL trim levels see the addition of front park distance control.

Fuel Consumption

Where KIA quotes mid-6l/100km for the Sorento models, either two-wheel-drive or AWD, real-world figures were in the 7s. Not too far off and indicating that the mid-6 number could be attained with a cautious foot.

The Sedona suffers a little due to its size but KIA's quotes of 8l/100km also seem within reach and on our lengthy test route we were returning figures in the 9s.

Price

KIA has streamlined their Sorento and Grand Sedona ranges, dropping those that were not as popular, offering the public a choice of their most popular models and taking some of the guesswork out of the buying process. Thus, the SX model variant has been dropped from the Grand Sedona lineup.

KIA Sorento 2.2 CRDI LX	R569 995
KIA Sorento 2.2 CRDI LX AWD	R609 995
KIA Sorento 2.2 CRDI EX	R599 995
KIA Sorento 2.2 CRDI EX AWD	R639 995
KIA Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX 7-Seater	R599 995
KIA Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX 11-Seater	R615 995
KIA Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX+ 8-Seater	R629 995
KIA Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI SXL 7-Seater	R782 995

 

*Special order only, requires 4 month lead time.

The Verdict

KIA isn't going anywhere, as they've clearly indicated. While some may scoff at the premiums being charged for their products, rest assured that every cent is justified. You can compare it to some of the other Asian SUV and MPV offerings and you will instantly see the difference in quality, trim and overall design approach. While they are still shy on some of the technology that the European manufacturers offer – such as blind spot alerts and lane keep assistants – their products are robust, reliable and pleasant to spend time with.