The Sorento 4th generation model will be local assembled and launched very soon.
This will be Kia Motor’s most high-tech vehicle top date for ASEAN buyers, thanks to its progressive connectivity, driver assistance and infotainment technologies. Its user-friendly twin digital displays deliver advanced graphics, new telematics features and smartphone connectivity.
As a mainstay of Kia’s global line-up, more than three million Sorento luxury SUV’s have been sold worldwide since it was launched in 2002. In that time, Europe has accounted for around 300,000 of these and Malaysians have bought their fair share over the last two decades.
Yes, the arrival of new competitors to this growing segment made for tougher sales success for the 3rd generation Sorento, unlike with the first and second generation models, but now with this latest Sorento, the 4th generation, Kia Malaysia and its brand new Malaysian distributor, Dinamikjaya Motors will be launching a locally assembled Sorento with a familiar 2.2L diesel engine.
We have already tested this smooth revving powerful diesel engine when we had the all new Kia Carnival for test. Delivering a diesel sipping 202PS and an impressive 440Nm of torque, this Smartstream diesel engine is paired to an 8-speed wet double-clutch transmission.
Passenger comfort, features and safety will be high as this latest cabin incorporates Kia’s latest 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering audio-visual navigation, and a new 12.3-inch high-resolution digital instrument cluster.
Combined, the two twin digital displays deliver information to the driver with absolute clarity. An 8.0-inch display audio system is also available as standard, while all infotainment systems enable full, seamless smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™.
This new Sorento infotainment system also allows Bluetooth smartphone pairing for two phones concurrently, enabling separate phones to be used for, for instance, phone calls and music, while front passengers can also plug in their mobile devices via two USB chargers.
For second-row passengers, two USB charging sockets are integrated into the backs of the two front seats, with a third found at the rear of the front-row centre console.
Both third-row passengers also have their own charging points, meaning all seven passengers can keep their mobile device charged which is the perfect measure to maintain harmony in a full car during longer journeys.
The Sorento is also available with a head-up display, which projects driving information onto the base of the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight. The system displays alerts from the car’s numerous driver assistance technologies, details of vehicle speed, and turn-by-turn navigation instructions.
A powerful 12-speaker BOSE® surround-sound audio system is also available, delivering a more immersive sound to all three rows. A new ‘Sound of Nature’ ambient sound function for certain markets enables occupants to select from a range of relaxing natural soundscapes.
The cabin’s Mood Lighting system lets users tailor the cabin even further, with the interior illuminated in one of seven pre-set ‘core’ colours selected specifically by Kia interior designs, or from a full gamut of 64 colours.
The local assembled Sorento build has already started and there will an unveiling and price sharing in the coming weeks.
