Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009) Review

Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009) At A Glance

Has the hardware and ability for serious off-roading. Easy-going, pleasant drive. Useful tow car. Owners like them. Excellent value.

Doesn't handle as well as a RAV-4 or X-Trail.

On average it achieves 83% of the official MPG figure

Reviews for Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009)'s top 3 rivals

Hyundai Santa Fe

Pleasant, relaxing drive. Kitted out generously. V6 makes a good sound. A lot of 4x4 for the money.

SsangYong Rexton

Well equipped for the money. Some have seven seats. Capable off-road and a tough all-round workhorse....

Mitsubishi Shogun

Excellent tow car and rugged off-roader. Better ride quality than the previous Shogun.

Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009) handling and engines

Engines range from 2.5 CRDi to 3.3 CRDi
Readers report Real MPG to be between 22–35 mpg

Out on the road it's no sports car, not even a 4x4 pretending to be a sports car like the BMW X5 ‘Intimidator', but performance is perfectly adequate. Off the road, and this is a genuine ‘off-roader', it so outclasses the X5 I can imagine Sorento owners kindly throwing a tow-line to X5 drivers in distress. It's the kind of car that brings out the best in a person's character.

While it doesn't have diff locks, it does have a limited-slip rear diff and an electronically selectable low range, which is essential for steep hills and descents. On the test-drive it handled everything a course around an eroded slag-heap could throw at it, never once showing any sign of temperament from its suspension, its drive-train, its steering or its engine.

Back on the road, it's a good long-distance cruiser and XS models, whether automatic or manual, have decent cruise control; something I'm no fan of on Britain's crowded roads but do admit it could be handy on a long cross-continental haul. Gearing works out at about 27mph per 1,000rpm in the manual and about 29mph per 1,000 in the auto.

Get it on a twisty road or a roundabout and you find its limitations quickly. This is, after all, a big 4x4 with a live rear axle. But handling is more in the class of a Shogun than an old Discovery and you can make decent progress.

This is a big 4x4 that looks like a monocoque Lexus RX300 but actually has a ladder chassis beloved of caravan and trailer towers everywhere. The maximum towing weight is a high 2,800kg. But for caravan towing purposes, using the 85% rule, its high vehicle weight of 2,056 to 2,102kg allows you to safely tow up to 1,787kg, the weight of a substantial twin-axle bungalow on wheels. Fully aware of this, KIA has equipped all UK market Sorentos with self-levelling suspension as standard. So a towing hook is likely to become a very popular accessory.

The KIA Sorento kicks off at a very reasonable £17,995: £1,000 less than the Nissan X-Trail 2.2DI Sport 6-speed, and less than half the price of the average X5. For this you get an awful lot of standard kit (read below) and five massive alloy wheels with sensible, bump-absorbing 245/70 R16 tyres. Go searching for the hidden 5th (spare wheel) and you're in for another surprise.

A large wet tray under the load area floor for your fishing oilskins, diving BCDs, inflatable dinghy or whatever else suits the sort of lifestyle the Sorrento can get you to. It's a friendly car that's going to make an awful lot of friends.

Engine	MPG	0-62	CO₂
2.5 CRDi	33–36 mpg	12.0 s	204–228 g/km

Real MPG average for the Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009)

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

83%

Real MPG

22–35 mpg

MPGs submitted

135

Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009) interior

Boot space is 849–1960 litres

Dimensions
Length	4567–4590 mm
Width	1884–1885 mm
Height	1804–1805 mm
Wheelbase	2710 mm
Full specifications

Inside, the width impresses. There's about a foot between the front seats with a voluminous armrest cubby, cupholders and oddments trays. The dash is simple and understandable. The radio with its single slot CD player and four CD store is set high up in your line of sight. Fit, finish and quality of the plastics is very good indeed, and definitely not a poor relation to anything from Europe or, in the case of the X5 and ML, from America. It's so good that the cockpit photo alongside is of the cheaper XE interior, not that of the wood and leather XS. A thoughtful touch is that both driver and passenger seats fully recline into two single beds, which could be very handy for long trips or off-road expeditions.

Kia Sorento (2003 – 2009) models and specs

Dimensions
Length	4567–4590 mm
Width	1884–1885 mm
Height	1804–1805 mm
Wheelbase	2710 mm

Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight	1986–2148 kg
Boot Space	849–1960 L
Warranty	3 years
Servicing	10000 miles

Costs
List Price	£19,995–£27,495
Insurance Groups	-
Road Tax Bands	K–L
Official MPG	25.4–35.8 mpg

Euro NCAP Safety Ratings
Adult	4
Child	-
Pedestrian	1
Overall	-

On sale until January 2010

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
2.5 CRDi XE	£21,140	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi XE Auto	£21,140	-	-
2.5 CRDi XS	£24,205	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi XS Auto	£24,205	-	-

On sale until October 2009

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
2.5 CRDi TITAN	£26,195	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi TITAN Auto	£27,495	32.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi XT	£25,695	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi XT Auto	£26,995	32.8 mpg	-

On sale until May 2009

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
2.5 CRDi TITAN	£26,195	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi TITAN Auto	£26,195	-	-
2.5 CRDi XT	£25,695	35.8 mpg	-
2.5 CRDi XT Auto	£25,695	-	-

On sale until October 2008

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
3.3 V6 TITAN Auto	£27,135	-	-
3.3 V6 XT Auto	£26,635	-	-

On sale until August 2006

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
2.5 CRDi XE	£19,995	35.8 mpg	12.0 s
2.5 CRDi XE Auto	£19,995	-	-

On sale until April 2006

4 X 4
Version	List Price	MPG	0-62
3.3 CRDi XT Auto	£25,995	-	-

January 0001

22-02-2003: Quite big 4x4 SUV 4,570mm (15') long by 1,885mm (6' 2") wide by 1,735mm (5' 8") high. Competes against X-Trail, Freelander, CRV and RAV-4, but is actually as big as a Range Rover Sport.

Looks like a Lexus RX300, but has separate ladder frame chassis and solid rear axle. Standard 5-door 5-seat body, lift-up rear window (as on CRV), high/low range, centre diff lock, ABS, auto option.

Original engines were a 143bhp 2.5 chain-cam common rail diesel with 323Nm (238 lb ft) torque at 2,000rpm or 3.5 litre V6. Diesel 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto; 3.5V6 4-speed auto only. Strong 2,800kg maximum towing weight. 205/70 R16 tyres absorb bumps well. Very pleasant and 'friendly' to drive with light controls and decent optional 4-speed autobox. Diesel does 32.2mpg on combined cycle. All have ABS with EBD. Part-time (ES)or full time (XS) four wheel drive. Better off road than the X-trail and better for towing large trailers and caravans.

Sorrento 2.5 CRDi XE £17,995
Sorrento 2.5 CRDi XE automatic £18,895 (now £18,995)
Sorrento 2.5 CRDi XS £20,495 (now £20,995)
Sorrento 2.5 CRDi XS automatic £21,395 (now £21,995)
Sorrento 3.5 V6 XS petrol auto £21,995

3 year unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty, extendable to 5 years; 3 years pan European roadside assistance. Four star NCAP crash safety rating.

March 2004

Five-speed Sports H-Matic automatic gearbox replaced 4-speeder. Up to 9% improvement in fuel consumption on Sorento. Gearbox combines convenience of an automatic gearbox in traffic with manual control that many drivers desire on the open road. Sorento 2.5 engine also optimised with enhanced torque: 343 Nm between 1850-2500 rpm compared to 314 Nm previously. Top speed of auto increased from 104 mph to 106 mph.

August 2006

Facelifted Sorento with revised 2.5-litre turbodiesel and new 3.3-litre V6 petrol engines; suspension mods giving better balance of ride and handling. Also has smarter trim and accident-avoidance safety features.

What to watch out for

01-01-0001:

Incidences of dual mass flywheel and clutch failures increasing markedly by 2009.

Seems to be a problem with 18" wheels on some XT models leading to slip sensor trouble and the wrong messages to the transfer box.

Manual transmission problems increasingly common after around 4 years and around 80k miles, particularly when used for towing.

On LPG gas converted 3.5V6s, after around 6 years, manifold swirl actuators can break off and get tangled in the valves.

Beware of misdiagnosis of faults by Kia dealers: The symptoms were very rough running after the first start of the day which cleared after the first 100yds and a flat spot when accelerating from a standing start. The flat spot had got so bad that pulling out from a side road was becoming risky. Kia dealer had the car for 10 days and diagnosed “suspected faulty fuel injectors”. Two solutions; have the injectors cleaned at a cost of £1,010 or fit new injectors at a cost of £1,500. A diesel injection specialist diagnosed the problems as a stuck EGR valve which he cleaned and put back, and the starting problems as failed glow plugs of which he replaced all four. He took out the injectors and confirmed there was nothing wrong with them. The car then runs as well as it had when new.

A 2005 2.5CRDI XT auto, purchased 'ex demo' in January 2006, had the following series of fuel system problems over 4 months: November 2007: engine cut out. Diagnosed as faulty fuel filter and replaced. December 2007: engine cut out again. Diagnosed as three faulty injectors. January 2008: engine cut out again: Diagnosed as lining/coating of fuel tank detaching and being carried through the fuel systemsystem. Kia technical authorised replacement of fuel tank, fuel sender and new fuel filter. February 2008: engine cut out. Scan fault analysis flags up P1188.

One reader suffered repeated fuel shut downs from a 2004 XE CRDI. The fuel filter was replaced several times but the shut down continued, always on hard acceleration joining a motorway. Might be the fuel tank liner coming off, might be the fuel tank sender pump or its relay or the earth to the pump or the relay.

By January 2011 it was reported that the fuel tank delamination problem was becoming more widespread. Kia will pay for the replacement tank fitted at a Kia dealer, but not the labour costs. In June 2011 it was reported that Kia will no longer pay for replacement fuel tanks, at least not for 6 year old vehicles.

4WD system cannot tolerate more than 2mm tread difference front to back, so best to swap tyres front to back mid-life to even out wear.

20-01-2013:

Glowplugs prone to breaking on attempts to remove to replace. Then requires removal of cylinder head to get them out.

01-06-2013:

Reader thinks there is a problem with rusting rear trailing arm brackets. Thinks that around 10% on 2003-2009 Sorentos have corroded sufficiently to require urgent replacement. Kia has issued a TSB to inspect these and replace as necessary, but, of course, TSBs only find cars and owners known to KIA dealers. He feels the key question is how soon after an MoT can these brackets rot away. Within 12 months big problem? More than 12 months not so safety critical.

25-04-2014:

Self-levelling rear dampers weeping fluid on 2007 KIA Sorento. Reader quoted £1,000 to replace.

15-05-2015:

Timing chain failure reported on 2008 KIA Sorento 2.5 automatic regularly used for towing a caravan.

02-09-2015:

Engine of 2009 i800 (same 2,497cc engine as Sorento 1) suffered piston through block at 35,000 miles and less than 6 years old. Full service history. Car registered 9/2009. Engine number D4CB 8414626. pparently chain cam driven oil pump failed.

06-08-2016:

91,000 mile 2006 KIA Sorento reported to be smoking while towing. Suspect turbo bearing oil seals.

12-02-2017:

Report that MoT 'rolling road' brake testing of a 2007 KIA Sorento "damaged a bearing in the differential" leaving a £2,500 repair bill. (Probably the centre diff.) Should only be brake tested on a rolling road suitable for 4x4s.

08-06-2017:

Another report of fuel tank delamination in a first generation Sorento.