All of the moving and shaking going on at Kia is leaving no vehicle untouched, and following the introduction of the all-new Soul and Forte the company will be unveiling a 2010 upgrade and redesign for the Sorento crossover at the Seoul Auto Show next month. The first official Sorento photos have just surfaced at Kia-world.net.
At a glance, it looks like Hyundai has merely warmed over the current vehicle with its new, more distinctive styling. There's more to the 2010 Sorento than Kia's new chrome grille and quad headlamps, however. The wheelbase is slightly shorter, and overall length and width have grown. Overall height has decreased slightly as well. The silhouette remains similar, with a wrapped hood and more aggressive front bumper treatment visible in the photos.
For Asian and European markets, the 2010 Sorento will get its first diesel powerplant. The 2.2 liter, 200-horsepower "R-diesel" offers 14.1 km/l fuel economy, making it number one in the Korean market. Gasoline engines will include a 2.4 liter four-cylinder and 3.8 liter V6, and a six-speed automatic transmission is also in the cards. Kia will release more powertrain and equipment information when the 2010 Sorento is officially unveiled next month in Seoul.
2010 Kia Sorento: First Official Images Surface with Interior Sketch
2010 Kia Sorento
Updated model to feature new diesel
By Christopher Jackson
March 9, 2009 8:00 PM
Filed Under: Asian, Kia, Leaks
Tags: Kia Sorento, 2010 Kia Sorento
Comments
giancarlo93
March 9, 2009 8:22 PM
korean cx9? or cx7?
Bristol411S3
March 9, 2009 9:01 PM
Have Kia bought SAAB without telling anyone?
Does look like a Forester too, yes. Good move forward in styling for them though, even if derivative.
RS5
March 9, 2009 10:02 PM
It seems that all of the above comments are prejudiced against Korean cars which have a reputation for resembling other better known cars. To say this looks like a CX-9, a Saab or a Forester is quite a stretch. This car follows Kia's latest trend in brand image, and to already say that it's copied anything out in the market is stupid. The rest of the car hasn't been shown, and the conservative styling on this Sorento is what one would expect from a non-premium midsize SUV, especially from the Kia brand. I'd say think before making mindless comments about this car's apparant resemblance to everything that's ever been produced.
GK27V6
March 9, 2009 10:27 PM
I agree, making fun of Korean cars is so old now. They used to be bad over a decade ago.. things have really changed within those years, accept it people
politz
March 9, 2009 10:33 PM
Great work, Kia.
Once again: if it wore an Acura badge, people would be calling it handsome. But since it is a Kia... there will always be someone to say it was copied from something else.
BabyMilo
March 9, 2009 10:49 PM
i saw the current Sorento next to all the other Kias at MIMS the other day and it looks and felt old and shoddily put together. Kia need this update and i hope that it is on par with the other Kias.
wills2007
March 9, 2009 10:51 PM
@RS5 It's not stupid to say you don't want to drive a generic car, you've even admitted yourself that this looks like every other kind of non-premium midsize SUV. As for design language, this car bears very little resemblance to any of Kia's latest vehicles; Proc'eed? Rio? Sportage? Nothing like it. And no, I wouldn't drive a Korean car or a Forester for that matter.
@politz There's nothing handsome about bucktoothed Acuras either, thank god we don't have those in the UK...yet.
NB I drive an Audi.
RS5
March 10, 2009 4:12 AM
I never said that this car looks like every other kind of non-premium midsize SUV. Don't stretch my words. I said "the conservative styling on this Sorento is what one would expect from a non-premium midsize SUV, especially from the Kia brand", meaning, it looks like what a midsize SUV ought to look like, with the addition of certain Kia trademarks. If Kia styled this car too radically, it may potentially lose buyers who favor conservative designs, hence the 'generic' styling. And your comment was not about not wanting to drive generic cars. You simply stated that this car was a copy of the Forester. Whether you like it or not, generic cars will always be around for those who do not find appeal in flashy cars. Also, have you seen the new Optima, one of the most recent cars from Kia? It is evident that this car derives its styling from the Optima, whilst some of the other cars that you mentioned have been around for quite a while.
pchsh02
March 10, 2009 8:43 PM
Maybe you haven't seen most of Kia's Korean domestic models recently. That's why you haven't noticed any resemblence from them. The cars you mentioned were come out quite long ago.
Razz
March 10, 2009 12:34 AM
It's no Subaru Forester ? First i was thinking it is a Subaru with Kia badge ... what's happening to this Korean producers ?? The "new" Tucson is a Copy-Paste design for Kuga with new E Klasse foglamps and the "new" Sorento is in fact the Forester. There is no law to prohibit this copy-paste for the design, or they bought the platform from Subaru ?
pchsh02
March 10, 2009 8:32 PM
I don't understand the guys who say "I think it's sth", "Copy-Paste". That's only your thoughts and impressions, not the fact, but those guys are just arguing that their words are truly true. Just collect some pics and compare them directly. Every car designs are intended to make customers have similar impressions. But actual design cues of each cars are completely different. How that Sorento can be a Subaru or a Mazda? That's gone too far. And the design boss of Kia, Peter Schreyer, was former design executive in Audi and VW. He designed most of Audi models from last generation, New beetle, EOS concept, Golf Mk V, and even Lambo Murcielago. And he's designed nearly all of new Kia models. The guys who say "copy-paste" or sth like that, you are insulting him and german design. And one thing came across in my head: lots of guys were saying that Hyundai design have copied numerous car design, but the design chief of Hyundai was recently headhunted by Mercedes-Benz.
Edited by user on March 11, 2009 at 1:39 AM
ComradeVodka
March 20, 2009 3:14 PM
People saying its a Forester copy, the current Forester is a copy of the Santa Fe...
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