Kia Sorento SUV: Winter Car of the Week

If you’re looking for a four-wheel drive SUV that can tackle the worst of the British winter then the Kia Sorento SUV is well worth a look – especially now the company has chopped £2,000 off the entire range. And don’t forget, all Sorentos also get Kia’s industry-leading seven-year warranty.

All Sorentos have seven seats, although the two in the rear-most row are only really suitable for children. Fold them into the boot and you’re left with a useful 515 litres of boot space (or 116 litres if you keep them up). The second-row bench splits 60:40 and folding it down means boot space swells to 1,530 litres.

All Sorentos are fitted with a punchy 2.2-litre diesel engine that makes short work of hulking the big SUV around. It is even refined on the motorway, but can sound strained under hard acceleration. Opt for the manual gearbox and the Sorento should return close to 50mpg. Not bad for such a large car fitted with four-wheel drive.

• Watch Mat Watson’s video review of the Kia Sorento

The Sorento’s four-wheel-drive system means it will have plenty of grip for towing, while its raised ride height should keep the car clear of any obstacles – such as rocks and roots – should you venture off road. The Sorento should certainly be more than capable of handling the worst winter can throw at it. The downside of the extra ground clearance, though, is that the Sorento's body does lean quite heavily when cornering.

Even the basic Kia Sorento KX-1 gets air-conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and an iPod connection as standard. Go for the mid-range, KX-2 model and you also get self-levelling suspension, which keeps the car level when carrying heavy loads, and leather seats. The KX-3 model gets all the toys you could ever need, including sat-nav, heated and ventilated front and rear leather seats, larger alloy wheels, as well as keyless entry.

The discounted price means the basic KX-1 model costs £24,695 with a manual gearbox, rising to £34,495 for the top-spec Kia Sorento KX-4 automatic.

For all our reviews from the Kia range, visit the Carbuyer Kia reviews page.