Driving Impressions
With either V6 under the hood, the 2009 Kia Sorento has plenty of power for both city traffic and swift highway cruising. The suspension provides a pleasant ride and adequate handling on smooth pavement, but when the road gets rough, the ride gets bouncy, with a good deal of the bumps transmitted directly into the cabin. The Sorento's brakes might also be a cause for concern; in previous testing, we noticed significant brake fade after just two panic stops from 60 mph. Drivers who plan on any traversing of mountainous roads should keep this in mind.
The Sorento's steering feel, however, is satisfying and there's a minimum of body roll when cornering. Thanks to the Sorento's low-range transfer case and truck-based origins, off-road excursions can be tackled with relative ease, but the Sorento's capabilities still fall short of those possessed by more competent vehicles like the Xterra and FJ Cruiser.
See also:
Interior overview
1. Door lock/unlock button......................................4-
2. Outside rearview mirror folding button* .............4-
3. Outside rearview mirror control switch...............4-
4. Central ...
Cruise control system
The cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a constant
speed without pressing the accelerator
pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 40 km/h (2 ...
Driving
The Kia is available with 2.0-litre or 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines, but we
prefer the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. There's a fair amount of diesel clatter at
idle, but once on the move it delivers power ...