Sorento takes winter weather in its stride
24 March 2010
Commercial director David Blackmore took the Kia Sorento KX-2 4WD 2.2 Crdi for a week-long test drive recently and found that, as a genuine 4x4, it was more than capable of handling the worst that a particularly severe and snowy British winter could throw at it, while other vehicles struggled to beat the drifts.
Korean manufacturer Kia has just announced a commitment to becoming a more influential player in the fleet market and is determined to increase its market share of business sales. It is partnering with a number of fleet suppliers, including Fleet Alliance, to try and increase its presence in the corporate sector. But how do its models stand comparison with more ‘traditional’ offerings?
Following almost a week behind the wheel, David Blackmore had nothing but praise for the marque after his test period with a Kia Sorento KX-2 4WD 2.2 Crdi coincided with some heavy winter snowfalls.
“I collected the Sorento KX-2 4WD just as the worst weather hit our part of Ayrshire. Our village, although only 16 miles from Glasgow, is remote and pretty high up with single track roads and the snow caused problems for many of our neighbours.
“For a day at least we were practically cut off and many people couldn’t get to work. But I had no problems in getting through with the Sorento – even with 4-5 feet high drifts piled up on either side of the road.
“But some of our neighbours definitely struggled, especially those with cars with continuous four wheel drive. I don’t know whether it was because the Sorento has manually selectable four wheel drive, but it got through where others couldn’t. The KX-2 4WD comes with hill-start assist and a downhill speed-limiter that helps you keep the car under control when you’re tackling challenging terrain, all of which helps in the worst conditions.
“The car is a genuine seven-seater with two rear seats that fold up from the boot floor, which is handy for the school run if you’re picking up extra small passengers. Or if you have a particularly big load, the central bench seats fold flat to the floor to allow you to carry those extra-long or wide loads.
“My wife and two girls really loved the car. They liked the fact that they could get bikes and all sorts of other general children’s paraphernalia in the car very easily. And the elevated driving position is great for seeing over country hedges rows and having better vision than usual – which I feel must be an additional safety feature.
“I used the Sorento for my regular commute to work and found it easy and comfortable to drive, with only a slight increase in road noise at motorway speeds. And the typical fuel consumption of around 42.8mpg meant that trips to the garage to fill up weren’t too frequent.
“Like most Kias, the Sorento comes with a seven year or 99,000 mile warranty, while servicing intervals are every 10,000 miles or one year whichever is sooner.
“All in all, the KX-2 was a very impressive package, although there is a carbon premium to be paid for its CO2 emissions of 174g/km, but for our kind of country lifestyle it was the perfect answer.”
Fact file
24 March 2010
Commercial director David Blackmore took the Kia Sorento KX-2 4WD 2.2 Crdi for a week-long test drive recently and found that, as a genuine 4x4, it was more than capable of handling the worst that a particularly severe and snowy British winter could throw at it, while other vehicles struggled to beat the drifts.
Korean manufacturer Kia has just announced a commitment to becoming a more influential player in the fleet market and is determined to increase its market share of business sales. It is partnering with a number of fleet suppliers, including Fleet Alliance, to try and increase its presence in the corporate sector. But how do its models stand comparison with more ‘traditional’ offerings?
Following almost a week behind the wheel, David Blackmore had nothing but praise for the marque after his test period with a Kia Sorento KX-2 4WD 2.2 Crdi coincided with some heavy winter snowfalls.
“I collected the Sorento KX-2 4WD just as the worst weather hit our part of Ayrshire. Our village, although only 16 miles from Glasgow, is remote and pretty high up with single track roads and the snow caused problems for many of our neighbours.
“For a day at least we were practically cut off and many people couldn’t get to work. But I had no problems in getting through with the Sorento – even with 4-5 feet high drifts piled up on either side of the road.
“But some of our neighbours definitely struggled, especially those with cars with continuous four wheel drive. I don’t know whether it was because the Sorento has manually selectable four wheel drive, but it got through where others couldn’t. The KX-2 4WD comes with hill-start assist and a downhill speed-limiter that helps you keep the car under control when you’re tackling challenging terrain, all of which helps in the worst conditions.
“The car is a genuine seven-seater with two rear seats that fold up from the boot floor, which is handy for the school run if you’re picking up extra small passengers. Or if you have a particularly big load, the central bench seats fold flat to the floor to allow you to carry those extra-long or wide loads.
“My wife and two girls really loved the car. They liked the fact that they could get bikes and all sorts of other general children’s paraphernalia in the car very easily. And the elevated driving position is great for seeing over country hedges rows and having better vision than usual – which I feel must be an additional safety feature.
“I used the Sorento for my regular commute to work and found it easy and comfortable to drive, with only a slight increase in road noise at motorway speeds. And the typical fuel consumption of around 42.8mpg meant that trips to the garage to fill up weren’t too frequent.
“Like most Kias, the Sorento comes with a seven year or 99,000 mile warranty, while servicing intervals are every 10,000 miles or one year whichever is sooner.
“All in all, the KX-2 was a very impressive package, although there is a carbon premium to be paid for its CO2 emissions of 174g/km, but for our kind of country lifestyle it was the perfect answer.”
Fact file
- Make: Kia
- Model: Sorento KX-2 4WD Crdi 2.2
- Power output: 194 BHP
- P11D price: £25,689
- CO2 emissions: 174g/km
- BIK band: 25%
- VED Band: H
- Insurance group: 27
- 0-60mph: 9.6 seconds
- Top speed: 118mph
- MPG: combined cycle 42.8mpg
- Standard equipment: alloys, electric and heated door mirror, electric windows, dual zone climate control, seven seats, leather upholstery, heated front seats, reversing sensors.
Phone: 0845 601 8407 | Email: info@fleetalliance.co.uk | Legal information |
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