Here comes the new Sorento. But it’s not aiming at just the Santa Fe…

IT has been often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, although with regard to some rather close imitations from China, many an international brand would have less than flattering words for its mimics. On the other hand, it’s the way things roll in the world.

In music for example, Michael Jackson took cues from R&B artists before him while the Beatles and the Rolling Stones copied blues licks and turned them into rock n’ roll. It’s no different when it comes to making cars – if you’re passionate about it, you start by following laid down trends.

Once good enough, you start putting your own spin on things. Our case in point, Kia, certainly seems to have hit its stride and is well into the second stage of things today. The latest-generation Sorento, a medium-sized sport utility vehicle (SUV) follows the revolutionary Cerato Forte, Kia’s first sports car the Koup, and its funky urban runabout, the Soul.

Kia’s recipe is to offer a lot of car for the money, wrapped in a contemporary and family-spanning design. And it looks to continue this with the new Sorento as well. It looks much better than the old one, partly because the old one didn’t look like anything in particular.

This new vehicle’s got angular headlights, a purposeful maw, swage lines, pronounced shoulders and bonnet accents. And while the most obvious competition will come from affiliated company Hyundai’s Santa Fe, one look will tell you where Kia got its main inspiration from.

It drives much like that other car too, as we found out in the hills outside Seoul. A soothing, supple ride with plenty of suspension travel equates to the approximate riding experience of a Lexus RX 350. Yes, it’s quite shocking.

But look at that styling and tell us if it’s a coincidence and, in our experience, very little in the car industry is. Just like its Japanese inspirer, the Sorento is a portly beast, weighing in at 1,615kg. This, coupled with the softlysprung suspension meant it wasn’t the best tool for carving up Korean corners as it rolled and lurched a bit too much.

The distant steering didn’t help things either. However most people who eye the car won’t be bothered by that as it’s an SUV with room for seven people. For those who must imitate Indiana Jones, it does come with optional, part-time fourwheel drive which can be activated with a differential lock button in the cabin.

This switches the drive mode to 50/50 between the front and rear wheels up to 40km/h – usually the car operates in full front-wheel drive mode. Motive power is provided by a 174bhp 2.4-litre engine, as found in the Kia Koup and Cerato Forte in overseas markets like the U.S.

A peak torque of 252Nm made at a lowish 3,750rpm means the Sorento pops off the line pleasingly and is always eager to overtake. Also launched was a 277bhp 3.5 litre gasoline and a 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine variant, though it’s unclear at the moment which engines will be available here.

The six-speed automatic transmission (created wholly by the company itself, boasts Kia) is particularly impressive with quick shifts and good overall response. It even has a manual shift function and you’d do well to remember even higher-end Japanese competitors only have four or five-speed units. As mentioned, the Sorento can be specced in five or seven seater modes.

With two rows of seats, head, leg and shoulder room is plentiful and boot space is a huge 1,047 litres. Adding the third row provides seats for adults for shorter jaunts and cuts cargo stowage to 258 litres. Keeping quality up while maintaining a lid on costs is something of an art and Kia seems to have it down pat.

How else can it offer such an impressively put together cabin for what will probably be (we guess) a very reasonable price? Our test unit was fitted with quality, two-tone interior with the leather upholstery and dash finished in cream and black, which matched nicely.

The Sorento will cost more than the Cerato, that is certain, but it does have a level of sophistication you’d only expect from a car much higher up market. Svelte carbon trim and start button anyone? It’s too early to tell exactly what equipment the Sorento will have when it does arrive (it arrives in Singapore in April 2010, Malaysia will likely follow a few months after) but here’s a short sample of Kia’s highest trim level, ‘EX’ : 18-inch rollers, xenon headlamps with washers, LED tail lamps, ventilated and powered driver’s seat, dual zone climate control, mood lighting, cruise control, keyless entry, second and third row ventilation, rear-view camera and selflevelling gas suspension.

The new Sorento is Kia’s take on a opulent high-rider, has obvious Japanese inspiration, but the value it’ll represent will be all its own. There remains only one barrier between it and sure-fire success: price. If Kia get’s that right, then you won’t have to think of the Sorento as a mere RX knock-off but rather a car that offers at least three-quarters of the experience at less than half the price.