Photo: CarPix
Spring is days away and not even the Northernmost parts of Sweden are that scary any more, which means Kia is about to successfully conclude the winter testing sessions of its new Sorento SUV in a few months.
Our car paparazzi tell us that condition aren't ideal for winter testing. Usually this time of year temperatures go as low as –10 to –20 degrees Celsius, but right now it´s just around 0 C and even above freezing during the day. This is why the roads are clear and snow is melting.
Test prototypes have been spotted on a number of occasions and they look quit good, especially considering how boring the Sorento model we know is from a design point of view. The prototypes are quite huge and hint at a much larger SUV model going on sale, most likely within the 2016 model year. They are so big, in fact, that some people have been telling us this is not the Sorento, but the replacement for the bigger Borego / Mohave.
What we actually think is happening is that the Sorento is making its move into the D-segment SUV market, a bit like sister model Hyundai Santa Fe, which offers a seven seater variant. Supporting our theory that this is not in fact a full-size SUV is the Audi Q5, which is probably being benchmarked for comfort to improve the Kia model as much as possible.
Engine options will likely continue to include a 2.4-liter GDI and 3.3-liter V6 GDI for US buyers. European customers will be offered updated diesels, a base 2.0-liter CRDI with 150 PS or a much nicer 2.2-liter CRDI with 200 PS and about 430 Nm of torque.
Test prototypes have been spotted on a number of occasions and they look quit good, especially considering how boring the Sorento model we know is from a design point of view. The prototypes are quite huge and hint at a much larger SUV model going on sale, most likely within the 2016 model year. They are so big, in fact, that some people have been telling us this is not the Sorento, but the replacement for the bigger Borego / Mohave.
What we actually think is happening is that the Sorento is making its move into the D-segment SUV market, a bit like sister model Hyundai Santa Fe, which offers a seven seater variant. Supporting our theory that this is not in fact a full-size SUV is the Audi Q5, which is probably being benchmarked for comfort to improve the Kia model as much as possible.
Engine options will likely continue to include a 2.4-liter GDI and 3.3-liter V6 GDI for US buyers. European customers will be offered updated diesels, a base 2.0-liter CRDI with 150 PS or a much nicer 2.2-liter CRDI with 200 PS and about 430 Nm of torque.
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