By: IOL Motoring Staff
Seoul, South Korea - Kia has given its Sorento a complete redesign with the aim of endowing its mid-sized SUV with a more mature and upmarket look and feel.
To ensure its global appeal, Kia's South Korean design centre gathered a great deal of input from Kia's German and American design studios. What they've ended up with is essentially an elegant evolution of the previous model with a few hints of last year's Kia Cross GT concept thrown in for good measure.
Although no actual photos of the cabin have been released as yet, Kia's official interior sketch - released last week - does hint that Sorento customers have a more upscale cabin to look forward to.
What we can tell you is that the new seven-seater will offer more space in all three seating rows. Kia achieved this by stretching the wheelbase by 80mm to 2780mm, while overall length grows by 95mm to 4780mm.
More details and specifications should come our way closer to the new Sorento's world debut at the Paris Motor Show on 2 October so for now we'll have to hang onto the words of Kia's marketing VP Soon-Nam Lee, who expects the Sorento to surprise customers with its “thoroughly updated styling, a host of new convenience and safety technologies, as well as enhanced space, driving comfort and handling response.”
The South African release date has yet to be cast in stone, but the local spokesman says Kia SA is aiming to launch it during the first quarter of next year.