8:36 am, June 18, 2012
KIA’S hugely successful Sorento SUV will receive a host of significant improvements when the new upgraded model goes on sale later this year.
Significant changes include a re-engineered bodyshell, enhanced powertrains for best-in-class fuel economy with lower emissions, improved ride, handling and refinement, additional convenience and safety features, plus a fresh, new look for the exterior.
Thomas Oh, Kia’s executive vice president, said: ‘Since its introduction in 2009, the second-generation Kia Sorento has achieved more than 620,000 sales around the world.
‘Today, it is manufactured in Korea and the USA, attracting over 130,000 U.S. customers last year to rank as the best-selling Kia model in the States for the second year in a row.
‘We have given very careful attention to owners’ feedback, and the upgraded Sorento is not just a cosmetic exercise but a major step forward for our popular SUV.’
Kia’s designers have created new headlamps with LED positioning lights; a new tailgate with LED rear combination lamps; new bumpers (front and rear) with vertical-axis fog lights; and an expanded choice of wheels to include larger diameter (19-inch) alloys – depending on market.
Luxurious character
Inside the five- or seven-seater cabin, there are more soft-touch surfaces plus a new LCD instrument cluster, new centre stack with seven-inch display screen, and a new console.
Offered in black or beige cloth or leather, the interior can be bathed in natural light through a larger panoramic sunroof (depending on version) with no centre cross beam and a powered blind.
New Sorento is due to arrive in the UK in the autumn and full details of UK specification and trim will be available in due course.
