What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com April 2020 15

Peugeot 5008

Ourtoppicklacks

theSorento’shybrid

options,butit’s

roomy,practical

andgoodtodrive.

SkodaKodiaq

Classyand

spacious,butless

practicalthanthe

currentSorentoand

itsrideisn’tgreat.

RIVALS

Swishinteriorfeaturesa fullydigitalinstrumentpanel

NewSorentois

biggerthanbefore,

promisingimproved

interiorspace

Kia Sorento

Newseven-seatlargeSUVofferstheoptionofhybridpower

forthersttimeOnsaleAutumnPricefrom£33,000(est)

WHETHERYOU’REPICKINGupa newcaror

lookingtowatchanOscar-winningmovie,

nowis a goodtimetogoKorean.Oneof

thecountry’slatestexportsis thenewKia

Sorento,andif thee-NiroelectricSUVand

Picantocitycarbeforeit areanyindication,

it’llbea strongcontenderforleadershipin

thelargeSUVmarket.

Aswellashavingstrikinglyrefreshed

looks,theSorentois basedonall-new

underpinnings,soit shouldbebettertodrive

thanbefore.Thenewmodelis just3.5cm

longerthanitspredecessor,butinterior

spacepromisestobesignicantlyincreased,

notablyin thesecondrowofseats,where

kneeroomgrowsbyupto9cm.

Aswiththeoutgoingmodel,UKcarswill

comewithsevenseatsasstandardand

middle-rowseatsthatslideandrecline.With

therearmostseatsfoldedawayand

themiddlerowpushedallthewayforwards,

910 litresofspaceis availablein theboot–

vastlymorethanwhatyou’llndin rivals.

Atlaunch,theSorentowillbeavailable

witheithera 199bhp2.2-litredieselora

227bhppetrol-electrichybridoption,which

matesa 1.6-litrepetrolenginetoa 59bhp

electricmotoranda tiny,1.5kWhbattery.

A plug-inhybridoptionwillfollowshortly

afterwards,witha combined261bhpon

offerfromthepetrolengineandelectric

motor.A 16.6kWhbatteryshouldgivean

electric-onlyrangeof35-40miles.Theplug-in

hybridis four-wheeldriveonly,whileother

versionsoffera choiceoffrontorfour-wheel

drive,althoughit isn’tyetclearwhetherboth

options will be available in the UK.

Inside, the Sorento now features a 10.25in

infotainment touchscreen, linked to a digital

instrument panel. Among the upgraded

driveraidsonofferin theSorentoarean

advancedadaptivecruisecontrolsystem,

a remoteparkingfunctionusingthekey

fob,parkingsensorsthatcanautomatically

brakethecarbeforeit hitssomething,and

blindspotmonitorsthatusecamerasto

projectimagesofwhat’salongsidethecar

ontothedashboard.Kiais alsottingan

innovativefrontcentralairbagthatcancut

downoninjuriesin a side-oncollision.

Pricesareexpectedtorisebyaround10%

comparedwiththoseoftheexistingSorento,

suggestinga startingpriceof£33,000.

JimHolder

[email protected]

Petrolengineis quietandelectricmodeevenmoreso

Plug-inmodelscomeonlyin toptrims,sokitis plentiful

Rechargingfromemptyto fullcanbedonein 2.5hours

Priceytobuy,butcomfortable,

classy and seriously cheap to

run for company car users

SAYS

no impetus to carry on driving quickly. You’re

much better off slowing down and enjoying the

XC40’s mostly comfortable ride.

Impressively, the boot is the same size as

any other XC40’s, with space under the floor

for your cables. That means it’ll swallow far

more luggage than the Grandland X Hybrid4,

although you can’t get the handy boot divider

that we like so much in regular XC40s.

Passenger space is also unchanged, so the XC

is among the best for rear leg room.

Interior quality and comfort remain XC

strong points. You get plenty of kit, too, but

that’s mainly because you can’t get a Recharge

in anything less than sporty R-Design trim.

So, while cheaper conventionally powered

XC40s still make more sense for private buyers,

the Recharge T5 should be at the top of your

shortlist if you’re looking for a low-emissions

family SUV, especially for company car drivers.

FIRST LOOK