The third generation Sorento, revealed earlier today (29 August) to the media in South Korea, is longer, lower and wider. The Hyundai Motor group brand wants to sell 270,000 units of this new SUV in 2015.
The Sorento has a new platform, as introduced by the Kia Carnival/Sedona, and this will also be shared with the next Hyundai Santa Fe. Length is up by 95mm to 4,780mm but height drops by 15mm to 1,685mm and the width expands by 5mm to 1,890mm. The wheelbase is extended by 80mm to 2,780mm. Kia claims that lower seats compared to the old model mean extra headroom and legroom for occupants in all three rows. In some markets, there will also be five-seat variants.
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Depending on market, new ‘available’ features will include: a Nissan-style around-view monitor, with four cameras helping the driver to manoeuvre when parking, and a smart power tailgate system which opens the rear door automatically when the key is ‘sensed’ in close proximity to the boot/trunk, so owners can slide their shopping bags or heavy objects straight into the vehicle.
Depending on the country, up to five engines will be available, offering power outputs ranging from 172 to 270ps. These include an I4 2.4-litre gasoline direct injection (GDI) unit, I4 2.4-litre and V6 3.3-litre multi-point injection (MPI) engines, plus revised I4 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre ‘R’ diesels. Of these, only the larger capacity diesel and 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol will be sold in Europe, with the diesel unit expected to account for most sales.
Kia is aiming to sell 50,000 units of the new model in South Korea in 2015 and 220,000 in other markets. The vehicle’s public premiere will be at the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile on 2 October.
