Naza Sorento facelift launched in Malaysia

Naza Sorento
Click to enlarge

The Naza Sorento (rebadged Kia Sorento) has been facelifted in Malaysia, and while we do not gain the new powerful VGT turbodiesel thats available in Europe, the 2.5 litre intercooled turbodiesel engine still remains one of the more powerful ones in the segment, producing 140 PS at 3,800rpm and 294Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. This is mated to a 5-speed (1 overdrive) automatic gearbox, with Active Torque Transfer between the front and rear wheels, high/low ratios, and a limited slip differential.

The facelifted Naza Sorento features a 3-bar chrome radiator grille and a new front bumper with circular fog lamps. The Sorento also gets new front headlamps with a blackened out design – these are of the projector type. It has 16 inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, and a new rear bumper.

Because of the new bumpers, the new Naza Sorento is 4,590mm long, 20mm longer than the pre-facelift Sorento. Ground clearance is 203mm, wheelbase is 2,710mm, track is 1,580mm for both front and rear, width is 1,865mm, and height is 1,730mm (1,810mm with roof rack). Exterior colours consist of a choice of 4 colours – Ebony Black, Sand Beige, Clear White and Clear Silver. All are two-tone matched with Pewter Gray.

The interior upholstery is grey with brown high gloss wood trim. Its too bad Naza Kia did not choose black for the interior as they did with the Kia Sportage – that would have given the interior a more upmarket feel, as it did with the Sportage. The interior instrument cluster is now brighter thanks to the use of LED lighting instead of the pre-facelift Sorento’s bulb lighting.

Interior legroom for the second row is now 890mm – 30mm more than the pre-facelift Sorento. Another new feature is dual zone climate control. There is a trip computer on the overhead console that shows a compass, distance to empty, average speed, elapsed drive time, and external temperature.

Kia Motors has retuned the Sorento’s suspension for better ride and handling. The front is an in-wheel type double wishbone suspension while the rear is a solid axle 5-link suspension with coil springs.

The front suspension now has larger bushes for improved ride, while the caster angle has been changed from 3.3″ to 3.89″ for improved straight line stability. The rear suspension has a longer lower arm length (now 655.1mm compared to pre-facelift 591.3mm) and adjusted angle to reduce the bouncy feeling associated with solid axle suspensions. Upper arm angle has also been adjusted for improved ride, and the upright shock absorber has been moved outside of the frame for improved ride.

Safety features include dual airbags and ABS. The new facelifted Sorento has a 5 star NHTSA NCAP rating, compared to the prefacelift Sorento’s 4 star rating. For the IIHS overall frontal test, the rating is now Good, compared to the prefacelift’s Acceptable grade. Euro NCAP test results revealed a 4 star score for both front and side impact.

The new facelifted Naza Sorento comes with a 5 year or 125,000km warranty, and a 2 year or 50,000km free service package, inclusive of lubricants and labour. Prices start at RM138,888 on the road.

More photos after the jump.

Naza Sorento

Naza Sorento

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 16, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    No different in term of overall styling for this facelift!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:14 am

    No big deal for this two tone facelift, Kembara also can do it.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • LittleFire85 (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:18 am

    Got 7-seater or not:? Even the new santa fe is doing better then sorento at foreign country.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • maibatsu_thunder (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:32 am

    BigFish did you even read the article before commenting?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • MisterBenjo (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:46 am

    wah more uglier.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • nuajon (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:56 am

    front same such nazaria je…bored.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • nanashisan (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:29 am

    what is the price?? did they facelift the price too??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • PTAllTheBest (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:32 am

    I LIKE IT…!!!!!
    i mean the gal……..so sweeet……….!
    especially the 1 on the left

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • PTAllTheBest (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:33 am

    I LIKE IT…!!!!!
    i mean the gal……..sooo sweeeeet……….!
    especially the 1 on the left

    *edited* i very like her….!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BW (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:45 am

    No le.. this car not ugly wat…. But then i still think the original design nicer la

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • MisterBenjo (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 2:00 am

    PTAllTheBest said,

    January 17, 2008 @ 1:33 am

    I LIKE IT…!!!!!
    i mean the gal……..sooo sweeeeet……….!
    especially the 1 on the left

    *edited* i very like her….!

    ————————————————————

    yeah man…i like her 2

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • mystvearn (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 2:02 am

    Expect better sales than the old uninspired version…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • wong (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 3:08 am

    The girls are too sweet for Sorento…like beauty and the beast

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • maibatsu_thunder (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 7:38 am

    The price is RM138,888 OTR, same as previous price and they added 5 year / 125,000km warranty AND 2 year / 50,000km free service including labour and lubricants. Interesting eh.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • kakilubuk (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 7:57 am

    Yea! Nice car but I would not prefer to buy it. I lost almost 50% value of my Nazaria within 2 years only. No more NAZA to me. I really regret it and will regret it for my whole life.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • maibatsu_thunder (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:17 am

    Japanese cars also lose 20% first year, 15-20% second year right? Check Motortrader and do a comparison maybe?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Poxxue2 (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:19 am

    Biase jehhh!!..same ol..same ol…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • megadisc (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:30 am

    got difference meh ?

    still the same mah…

    prefer the tucson hyundai leh

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Charger (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 9:09 am

    What? Only 1 photo of Cynthia???????

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • MyviKiller (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 9:10 am

    wong said,
    January 17, 2008 @ 3:08 am

    The girls are too sweet for Sorento…like beauty and the beast
    —————————————————————-

    Hahahahahahahahahaha, very funny…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 11:04 am

    kawaii!!!!

    erm, im talking bout the two girls not the car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • joeysis (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 11:49 am

    the girls is pretty, should take more pics of them :P anyway wat’s the diff of the facelift …hehhe

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    Better look at the pretty girls rather than look at the ugly car ……

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • e-nabilll (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    i tink this clearly shows how boring this car is…wer everybody jus talking abt the two gals n proudly showing off their horney intentions !!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • WreaKing (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Any more close up pics????
    Meant the girls… and definitely meant the one on the left.
    Skip the car tho, k?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pengawas (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    MisterBenjo said,
    January 17, 2008 @ 2:00 am

    PTAllTheBest said,

    January 17, 2008 @ 1:33 am

    I LIKE IT…!!!!!
    i mean the gal……..sooo sweeeeet……….!
    especially the 1 on the left

    *edited* i very like her….!

    ————————————————————

    yeah man…i like her 2
    —————————

    -yeah… me too… why only got one pic… hmm..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pengawas (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    WreaKing said,
    January 17, 2008 @ 1:04 pm

    Any more close up pics????
    Meant the girls… and definitely meant the one on the left.
    Skip the car tho, k?
    ——————–
    -you have to save on your pc and then zoom it… like i do.. i think MisterBenjo do also…. hahaha..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • msmar_453 (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Aha! (Ha ha ha!) an Optima without butt!
    Can I call it Naza Sorento Aeroback?
    the headlights remind me so much to the new Kia Optima!
    See it clearly!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ront (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    2.5 liter intercooled turbodiesel engine still remains one of the more powerful ones in the segment, producing 140 PS at 3,800rpm and 294Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.

    that is hardly impressive, isnt it? there’s plenty of diesel engines out there with better numbers on paper….like a 2.2liter 177hp@4000rpm, 400NM at 2000-3000rpm…..and in a smaller car too….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Paul Tan on Jan 17, 2008 at 7:29 pm

    and where are those engines and those cars? Are they in malaysia. Notice i said in its segment?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ront (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:13 pm

    sorry…didnt catch your ‘in its segment’ part…..thought you meant diesel engines in general (worldwide that is)……the engine in my example…dont think its available in malaysia…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • szw (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    i see what’s the diff already .
    its the car being tilted sideways compare to the old car .
    lolz !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • sam1983 (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    Damn, the gals look much better than the car!!! Plus, diesel cars just make no sense, loud engine noise after a few years,heavy polutions and fuel efficiency is terrible. NO RESALE VALUE!!!!!!!!!1

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ront (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    sam1983…..you might want to look around for more data before making a statement like that.

    for example…..Volkswagen Passat Sedan Petrol vs Diesel comparison in fuel consumption…..I guess you can use this as a benchmark in fuel efficiency.

    the 2.0 FSI (Petrol )gives combined (hway+city) consumption of 8.1l/100km
    the 2.0 TDi (Diesel) gives combined consumption of 5.9l/100km

    CO2 emission of the same Passat…petrol gives 192g/km, diesel gives 152g/km..remember CO2 is one of the biggest pollutant although its not the only one.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • LittleFire85 (Member) on Jan 17, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    Paul, i think ront car is from Hyundai Santa Fe if i not mistaken. It got VGT turbo for a 2.2L diesel engine.

    But in Malaysian Santa Fe the diesel engine output is just 150ps at 4000rpm wif massive 335.Nm 1800-2500rpm. That very good for a 2.2L compare to the 2.5L above.

    Somemore Santa Fe got 7 seater and 5-speed auto for the diesel model.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • MisterBenjo (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

    pengawas said,

    January 17, 2008 @ 1:30 pm

    WreaKing said,
    January 17, 2008 @ 1:04 pm

    Any more close up pics????
    Meant the girls… and definitely meant the one on the left.
    Skip the car tho, k?
    ——————–
    -you have to save on your pc and then zoom it… like i do.. i think MisterBenjo do also…. hahaha..

    ———————————————————–

    why u so desperate

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Paul Tan on Jan 18, 2008 at 12:17 am

    all those high powered diesels have problems coming to malaysia because of our terrible diesel quality

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • shaif (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 8:31 am

    Exactly since Govt still reluctant to increase diesel quality, is it because Malaysian can’t accept higher diesel price or gov need to subsidies more on new diesel? Any expert here..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    pengawas said,
    January 17, 2008 @ 1:30 pm

    -you have to save on your pc and then zoom it… like i do.. i think MisterBenjo do also…. hahaha..
    ———-
    Must be itchy guy, but don’t do it at hotel until drop your pant. You may end up another “CD-Mail-To-House” star.

    Anyway, I also like both of the girls more than the SUV. This SUV is suck, high FC with high new price but low 2nd hand value.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • maibatsu_thunder (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    Now we are like EURO2M or something. To reduce sulphur content would increase the refinery cost. That compounded with the rising oil barrel prices would make it quite a big jump on the final retail price that the customer has to pay.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • ront (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    small glitch on the numbers mentioned earlier..

    its 177ps at 3600rpm and 400Nm at 2000-2600rpm
    available in Toyota Auris….no turbo charger mentioned though.

    yeah….i think still have to wait for diesel quality in msia to ‘catch-up’ before we can even see a glimpse of these in the local market

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pengawas (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    BigFish said,
    January 18, 2008 @ 1:56 pm

    Must be itchy guy, but don’t do it at hotel until drop your pant. You may end up another “CD-Mail-To-House” star.
    ————————
    -sorry.. i’m not that type guy… this is only misunderstood…. i’m just joking for that…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Smallfish (Member) on Jan 18, 2008 at 11:23 pm

    I’m very skepticle about Korean car because of bad experience my brother-in-law had with one of its brand. However, I like those gals standing beside. Wish NAZA to pose more beautiful gals around the car!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Kit (Member) on Jan 21, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    looks just the same as the previous one…. disappointing…. the safety part…
    NHTSA NCAP only do rating by crashing 100% of the front part of the car…. where many cars can pass with 4-5 stars safety because the impact were spread fully to the whole front part…..
    they should test the car in EURO NCAP which only crash 40% of the front part of the car…. which is much more risky for people inside the car because the impact were absorb by only 40% of the front part….
    just like naza ria / kia carnival also scored 5 stars safety in NHTSA NCAP…
    but only get 2 stars only in EURO NCAP…. (is quite horrible for a family car as the driver really hurts)
    go google and type euro ncap and you will got the website

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • equinox345 (Member) on Dec 18, 2008 at 6:44 pm

    Ditch the car! What’s so special about a common car from KIA, kolo mee is special to you? The girls I will take home tonight. You guys can have the car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • S. O. Odanye on Jul 04, 2009 at 4:53 am

    Please help me send the Garage Price of the above product into my mail address.

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  • Aaron Ch'ng You (Member) on Nov 05, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    Paul,

    Where can I find the rim in the last two picture.

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  • Aaron Ch'ng You (Member) on Nov 05, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Paul,

    Where can I find the rims in the last two picture.

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  • Anyway its look better than malaysian cars…

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  • bai_0407 on Aug 13, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Paul,

    Need ur opinion on this model Kia Sorento year 2005, plan to shift from normal sedan car to this type of vehicle cause my family is expanding now. is it worth buying if the price offered around RM60K & how abt the fuel consumption??is it high as i plan to use it e/day.

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