Test drive Kia Sorento Prime

The top version of the crossover has become faster and more elegant in terms of trim. But the best thing that happened to Kia's flagship crossover is the eight-speed "automatic"

The innovation is called Smart, and the fact that the Koreans did not offer such a thing before is truly surprising. Manufacturers have suggested leaving the choice of algorithms for the operation of units at the mercy of electronics before, but the fine tuning of the engine and chassis was not visible to the driver, so he himself continually reached for the selector to turn on the economical, the comfortable, the sport modes, depending on the mood and road conditions.

The updated Sorento Prime has the same set, but it is no longer necessary to engage in manual switching: pressed the accelerator more sharply - the car gathered and went into full return mode, drove relaxed - began to save fuel, and in the standard driving mode at once stopped bothering the driver as an environmentally friendly thought and sports sharpness.

Smart is a separate algorithm that does not require access to the "washer" of modes and works quite consistently and clearly. And for those who still have little physical sensations, a special section was made on the updated instrument display with a visual demonstration of the driving style and visualization of the operation of the electronics. Looking at the movements of the graphic sliders, you immediately understand that when overtaking, the Sport will definitely turn on, and slowly dragging behind the Sorento Prime truck will be exclusively in Eco. By the way, Sport itself is not aggressive here and does not make the engine hum for a long time in low gears. And the economy mode does not seek to turn the crossover into a vegetable and reduces its activity very moderately.

With the new 6-liter V3,5 petrol engine, which replaced the previous 6-liter V3,3, you can do without playing with modes. Here are the same 249 "tax" forces, but at low revs the traction is slightly better, and the 8-speed "automatic", which was replaced by the previous 6-band, has a 30% wider range of gear ratios.

The “hundred” of the top version now turns out to be almost half a second faster and more convenient, so much so that you begin to perceive the manual shift paddles as an unnecessary atavism, such as adjusting the speed of the "climate" fan. The electronics will definitely do better, the thrust will be rich and voluminous, but not explosive, and the top-end Prime will go along the snowy Karelian roads with a fast cruise liner, which is no stranger to acceleration and maneuvers.

By the way, the petals on the steering wheel of the crossover are only in the GT-Line version - a little brighter, strictly five-seater and with some differences in terms of handling. The suspension differs only in more powerful brakes, but the steering is different. The bottom line is that the GT-Line's power steering is mounted on a rail rather than a shaft, which promises more sensitivity and responsiveness. Differences in nuances, but on slippery roads, the GT-Line is perceived as a little more solid and lightweight, while a car with a standard steering wheel seems to require more driver attention. However, after half an hour's drive, you get used to it.

We got a car with a simple steering wheel in the Premium version with a diesel engine, and this is clearly a quieter option, not only because of the location of the amplifier mechanism. The 200-horsepower engine is lucky without vivid emotions, although you cannot deny it a good high-torque performance. And the 8-speed "automatic", which works even more gently with a diesel engine, is very useful here. And here you can fundamentally not turn off the Smart mode, since the electronics settings in the case of a diesel engine really matter. As a result, it is this option that seems optimal from all sides, although it does not provoke to go to the fullest.

A crossover weighing a little more than 2 tons is in any case controlled quite adequately, and a dense suspension becomes a price to pay for it. At sharp junctions of the road, rear passengers become a little uncomfortable - at least with 19-inch wheels. But with the system for maintaining the level of the trunk, regardless of the load, the rear riders almost do not complain about shaking and poking on irregularities. The GT-Line doesn’t have one - the priority is clearly in the direction of drive. I wonder if there are aesthetes who decide to order the diesel Prime in the performance of the GT-Line?

The GT-Line version can be combined with both a diesel and a gasoline V6, but as a family one should clearly consider the diesel version in simpler versions. In addition, the expensive GT-Line cannot have seven seats, and the three-row cabin has always been one of the market advantages of the Sorento Prime. The previous Sorento in a seven-seater version is not offered, and this is partly why it loses the market a little to a more expensive successor - according to the results of 2017, Prime is symbolically ahead of its predecessor in sales.

The updated car only underlines the higher status of Prime, even though there are few visible changes. The whole set is LED optics, fog lights in the form of ice crystals, light correction of bumpers and beautiful honeycomb of rear lights. But the style and materials are much better than that of the classic Sorento: the steering wheel, now a four-spoke, trimmed with pleasant leather, display graphics are quite modern. After the update, Prime is offered with four options for two-tone finishes, and the trunk has a remote opening function, like in Hyundai cars. So it is enough to stand at the stern for a few seconds, and the electric drive will lift the lid.

A small organizer is hidden under the boot floor, and the "spare wheel" is removed under the bottom. Most of the underground is occupied by folded armchairs of the third row, which unfold in one motion. One caveat - the third row can only be entered from the right side. The gallery lacks rich decoration, but it is still possible to compactly accommodate here, especially if you move the middle row forward a little.

Parts of the second-row sofa move separately, and passengers can sacrifice longitudinal adjustment without hesitation - there is plenty of space here, and the floor is absolutely flat. There are USB ports for charging gadgets, there are heated parts of the seats, but there is no separate air conditioning system for rear passengers even in the top versions.

All-wheel drive is installed by default on all versions of the Sorento Prime, although the car still cannot be called an SUV. The ground clearance barely exceeds 180 mm, and the torque distribution is controlled by a conventional electronically controlled clutch. Even taking into account the fact that it works ahead of schedule, not allowing the wheels to slip unnecessarily, it is not worth getting into serious jungle on the Sorento Prime. And the choice of an engine in this case is also not particularly worth it - any of the units has enough thrust to overcome slopes that the geometry of the machine allows to pass.

The nuance lies in the fact that earlier cars with a gasoline V6 and a diesel engine in the same trim levels did not differ in price, so people took the top versions quite willingly, even despite the more significant fuel consumption. New excise taxes may well make the gasoline version more expensive, and the demand will logically return to the diesel version. In addition, there is always the option with the 188 hp four-cylinder petrol engine. and the former 6-speed gearbox, although this is unlikely to please a sophisticated driver, even despite the dynamics similar to the diesel version.

There are no prices for the updated car yet, and the dealer's warehouses are full of pre-styling cars, and if you want to buy one of the basic versions, there is no need to wait for new price lists. In any case, the finishing materials will be just as pleasant, the drive is complete, and the basic set of power units will not change even with the start of sales of the upgraded versions. The second Luxe trim level has a pretty decent set of equipment, is equipped with comfortable 17-inch wheels and costs just over $ 28.

The refurbished car is clearly going to get more expensive, and the biggest challenge for marketers will be how to keep it from making it onto the luxury list. Although the top-end versions of the updated car with fog lamp crystals and a two-tone interior trim, I would like to call them such.

A type	Crossover	Crossover
dimensions (length / width / height), mm	4800/1890/1690	4800/1890/1690
Wheelbase, mm	2780	2780
Curb weight, kg	1792	1849
engine's type	Diesel, R4	Gasoline, V6
Working volume, cubic meters cm	2199	3470
Power, hp with. at rpm	200 at 3800	249 at 6300
Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm	441 at 1750-2750	336 at 5000
Transmission, drive	8th st. АКП	8th st. АКП
Maksim. speed, km / h	203	210
Acceleration to 100 km / h, from	9,4	7,8
Fuel consumption (city / highway / mixed), l	6,5	10,4
Cargo space, l	142/605/1162	142/605/1162
Price from, USD	Not announced	Not announced