Kia launches Sorento

Last October 22, The Philippine STAR featured a story on Kia Motors Corporation of Korea’s bold plans to become one of the world’s top five automobile manufacturers by the year 2010. Just last Monday, November 17, the Korean automaker, through its local subsidiary Columbian Autocar Corp. (CAC), took the first step in achieving this long-term plan here in the Philippines with the launch of the Kia Sorento.

The Kia Sorento, a 3.5 liter gasoline V6 24-valve double overhead cam mid-size SUV (sports utility vehicle), is actually long-overdue. The snail-paced process of the Excise Tax Law, however, delayed its local debut. All that is water under the bridge now. The massive frame of the Sorento (the very same automobile tennis great Andre Agassi has been endorsing through many locally-available cable channels) can now be seen on Philippine shores, and it’s quite a sight if you ask us.

Named after a serene town in Italy, the Sorento boasts of a stylish exterior, abundant interior space, a sturdy body-on-frame design and strong engine performance. Motoring journalists who got first dibs on the impressive new SUV agree that the Sorento has what it takes to play a significant role in the now rejuvinated local auto industry. Finely-chiseled on the outside and elegantly-appointed on the inside, the Sorento lives up to its very apt tagline, "You didn’t expect and SUV as good as this" — at least not from an automaker with a reputation for coming up with the most affordable cars on this side of Earth.

Still, most of Kia’s efforts of late have been aimed at moving in a direction that will eventually put them at par with more established Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi. The Sorento, without a doubt is the first bold (and correct) step in that direction. Aside from its already impressive stance, the Sorento has it packed underneath the hood. A 3.5 liter gasoline V6 24-valve double overhead cam guarantees 197 cps of thrust @ 5,500 rpm and a generous 30.1 kg.m @ 3,000 rpm of maximum torque. Though we have yet to actually drive a test unit, CAC officials swear by its engine’s quietness and smoothness. We’ll let you know if we agree in a future feature. What we do know is that the Sorento’s size allows it to pack more people and baggage than any mini-SUV out in the market can at the moment. In a size platform comparable to BMW’s X5 or the Jeep Cherokee, the Sorento is looking to capture a niche all its own.

Doubting Thomases need not be too skeptical of the Sorento’s safety performance levels either. Though it’s just making its debut here in the Philippines, the car has already gained, or to be more precise — earned — the respect of many auto safety agencies around the world. The Kia Sorento is rated 5-star by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (US Department of Transportation) and is highly rated by the EuroNCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme).

Best of all, the new Kia Sorento is very reasonably-priced. For just P1.38 million, you get all that jazz in a particularly pretty package. Check out the Kia dealer nearest you and be pleasantly surprised at this impressive new vehicle. This is one Korean automaker that is coming to the big leagues in a big way, better get in on the action early on, lest you be left behind.