Ah, the infamous moose test, a challenge that replicates what happens when you swerve to avoid an imaginary obstacle in the middle of the road and then try to get back in the initial lane.
It has so far humiliated some very big names that couldn’t stay within the cones without hitting any, and the list is very long. Cars such as the new-gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW M4 Coupe, and Jeep Renegade 4xe were some of the latest to have failed it.
At the opposite end, the Ford Puma ST proved itself by completing it at 81 kph (50 mph), 4 kph (2.5 mph) more than Km77’s norm. But where does the new-gen Kia Sorento fall in? Did it ace or fail the maneuver?
Actually, it is somewhere in between. In theory, it completed the course with a 73 kph (34 mph) entry speed, which means that it failed. In practice, however, it was deemed as a “satisfactory” result. The driver said that it does not understeer dangerously, nor does it bounce around like other high-riders, and you can feel the ESC kicking in and doing its thing.
The slalom posed no threat to the mid-size crossover either, which was tested out in the Hybrid variant. This model uses a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and an electric motor that’s fed by a small lithium-ion polymer battery. The total output is rated at 230 PS (227 hp / 169 kW), and it produces 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque, directed to the wheels through an automatic transmission.
This version is accompanied by an MSRP of $33,990 in the United States, and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, roof rails, 10.25-inch infotainment system, smartphone integration, sat-radio, smart key, dual-zone climate control, and 8 USB ports. The automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping and lane following assists, and safe exit assist are included as well.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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