Review
The Sorento is one of the last of a dying breed, an old-school off-roader that has been designed more around the needs of the country than the town.
For farmers and other rural-dwellers, it's hard to fault the Sorento's combination of tough construction, pulling power and good standard equipment. But the harsh ride, indifferent roadholding and poor refinement mean that it's got very little to offer to the sort of punter looking for an urban "soft-roader."
The Sorento's handsome styling has more than a hit of Lexus about it and, although the cabin's design feels a bit old fashioned, it comes with lots of standard-fit kit and impressively solid construction. It's spacious too, with both front and rear seat passengers enjoying plenty of room and an impressively commodious boot, too.
On the road the Sorento feels very crude. The suspension crashes and heaves its way over bumps and undulations, the over-light steering communicates little impression of the front tyre's modest grip reserves and the whole car leans at acute angles under even moderate cornering speeds. It's far happier in the true wilderness, where the grunty diesel engine and four-wheel drive system help to keep it going through the sort of terrain that would stop a soft-roader in its tracks.