Handsome third-gen Sorento urban SUV now has everything to tackle rivals – except a big name When it hit the market in 2002, Kia's flagship SUV was a large and rather crude body-on-frame SUV, popular for its good looks, low price and mammoth towing ability. But, ever restless, Kia aimed to sell much more than robust cars and soon developed the Sorento into a more sophisticated, monocoque "urban" model.With this third generation model, in UK showrooms next spring, it has begun chasing sophistication in earnest while continuing to provide the previous models' space and utility. The Sorento now has a bigger and more stylish body, improved interior quality and equipment, and the promise of better dynamics than ever.All this sophistication comes at a cost: there will be a price hike of about five percent across the range, meaning that the entry-level KX1 will costs around £29,000 and the KX4 we drove, fully loaded with gadgets like park assist, radar cruise control and lane departure warning, will break the £40,000 barrier, once an unheard of hurdle for a Kia.Mind you, it's not all sophistication: Sorentos will be sold in the UK with just one engine - a Euro 6 version of the faithful, slow-revving, four cylinder 2.2 CRDi that develops 197bhp at just 3800rpm, plus a whopping 325lb ft of torque between 1750 and 2750rpm.
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