The latest generation of the Kia Sorento came out three years ago and at the end of last week the Korean carmaker unveiled the facelift for the SUV which will be available only in a seven-seat configuration. This isn’t just an ordinary facelift since there are some big changes in comparison to the outgoing model.
The car now rides on an entirely new platform which is about 100 kg lighter, while the engine lineup has been revised, along with several improvements as far as the ride comfort and handling as well. Kia has also added LED DRLs (mandatory for cars sold in the European Union), a new look for the headlamps, redesigned front + rear bumpers, along with the possibility of adding bigger 19-inch alloys.
This facelift version of the Kia Sorento brings an all-new LCD instrument cluster along with a revised center stack that incorporates a generous 7-inch display. The higher-end version of the SUV will also get a bigger panoramic roof in comparison to the pre-facelift model.
Kia hasn’t said a lot of things up until now regarding the engine lineup for the Sorento, but most likely the company’s 2.2-liter gasoline unit has been revamped so it should return more than the 43.5 mpg UK achieved by the current engine, while CO2 emissions will probably be lower than the current 171 g/km.
The version sold in the United Kingdom will be available with four trim levels: 1, 2, 3 and 4, while standard equipment will be improved compared to the outgoing model. The revised version is scheduled to go on sale towards the end of the year after Kia announces further details about the new Sorento, along with publishing the price list for its 7-seat SUV.
Kia has managed to sell so far 620,000 Sorentos in the entire world, with most of them being delivered in the United States as this is the most popular market for the SUV. At the beginning of 2010 Kia introduced the Sorento in United Kingdom and so far they’ve sold about 5,400 units.
Source: Kia
