Kia Sorento XM facelift has a Qibla compass option

Kia Sorento XM facelift has a Qibla compass option

Remember Proton’s plans to develop an ‘Islamic car’ designed for Muslim motorists? We first heard of this back in 2007, where it was reported that Proton would be teaming up with a company in Iran to introduce cars that has features for Muslims.

It wasn’t really specified what a Muslim car meant at that time, but features such as a compass pointing to Mecca and dedicated space for a copy of the Koran was brought up. That plan was discontinued in 2010 when Proton pulled out.

We’re currently in South Korea to try out the new Kia Sorento facelift as well as the Kia Quoris and I saw this very interesting feature built into the Sorento’s full colour touch screen infotainment and navigation system. It actually had a Qibla compass, which you could activate by pressing the Qibla button. It did not work in our cars though, as the GPS map data was not installed.

Of course we don’t expect all Sorento facelifts to come with this feature. This particular model was probably for Middle East markets as the wing mirrors warning text was in Arabic. Dear Muslim readers, would you find this feature useful in your car? Share in the comments below.

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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

  • Sleepwalkerz on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    Certainly!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 3
    • MoFaz on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:26 am

      well, even if you have a compass, you’re not going to pray while driving. you still drive your car to mosque or go to R&R prayer room which already have qibla direction pointed clearly. unless of course, you’re in the middle of nowhere and need to perform the solat right then and there.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 7
      • wiraone on Oct 14, 2012 at 8:16 pm

        Misconception, you don’t need to be in a mosque or prayer room to pray. You can pray anywhere that is safe. Probably pretty useless here in Malaysia, but this is pretty useful for those who’re in the middle east where people doesn’t stop to pray only at mosque or prayer room.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • well, based on malaysian’s culture, i actually agree with MoFaz..MoFaz’s statement is not a misconception if u are a malaysian and u live in malaysian’s culture as we all prefer to walk/drive to safe, comfort , spacious, with air-cond area to perform a prayer..

          however if we talk about middle east then yes, its pretty useful

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • If the Qibla function available….but u dont pray its mean nothing..u still go to hell oso

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 2
      • Gaban on Oct 19, 2012 at 11:43 am

        Open your mind. Didn’t mean that the people who pray will guarantee 100% go to heaven. Read the Quran, the 107th surah, there are some who pray, but they just ‘pray physically’, not ‘spiritually’. Even, a ‘special’ hell called ‘neraka Waiil’ for them.. The word Islam mean peace. It’s not just about hell & punishment.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • I dunno if im gonna pray in my car…the feature is helpful but not useful.

    Smart phones nowadays ada je gps function n qibla app

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 9
    • Spoilt on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:54 am

      I prayed in a car a few times in UK. Weather was too cold to pray outside and RnR was too packed.

      Ended up point the car to qibla and just pray in our seats.

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 69 Thumb down 3
  • Haikal Ahmad on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    It certainly would be useful if for instance you’re driving in the middle of the desert and with no mosques in sight.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 2
  • halimsanib on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    May be not so useful in Malaysia as i don’t see any cicumstances Malaysian muslims would have to pray in their cars.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 3
  • oilworker on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    probably not needed in malaysia.. but i guess if u are a type of outdoorsy person, it could be useful in the jungle.. but again handphone would be a lot easier to use rather than following the position in the car then moving outside. But hey, u never know. It is very surprising that the korean are the first one to have this too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Visitor on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:22 pm

      That shows the company is very aggressive in capturing niche markets too!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 40 Thumb down 1
  • mystvearn on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:48 pm

    Good to see someone finally started doing this

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Anon Kneemas on Oct 11, 2012 at 10:59 pm

    Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.

    Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 164
    • Nonsense on Oct 12, 2012 at 10:50 am

      why ? you afraid people will caught you of not fasting or it will be hard for you to find food to eat during the day in ramadhan ?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 2
  • alihms on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    Not really. I am hard pressed to find any situation where this is essential. Mosque / surau are easy to find here in Malaysia. A better feature would be waktu solat. Even that is not really required. Just turn on the radio and waktu solat will be announced when it comes.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 1
    • Bimmer on Oct 12, 2012 at 8:34 am

      Waktu Solat is really a great idea, it should also linked with the GPS and adjust accordingly based on the location.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • theanswer on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:14 pm

    useful if offroad..but for hway travel (or daily) we already got r&r with proper place with qiblat sign. ;)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Rulered on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    I think Kia is trying to capture middle east market .

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • danedz on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    Certain G-shock watches currently having this kind of features…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 1
  • matrxe on Oct 11, 2012 at 11:42 pm

    kinda embarrassing that the korean came out with this first.All it need is just a simple and tidy button. unlike the other manufacturer that shouted MUSLIM CAR!! and then nothing really happened ..half-ass effort.. very uncool… unsurprisingly Malaysian with majority muslim was like blehhh.. we dont need this. Kudos to Kia people for their initiative,Im sure someone will find this very useful and hey a car cant never have too much features right. My muslim friends, we have to be better than this.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 48 Thumb down 7
    • yomamaisadumbfuck on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:15 am

      tell us which company did shout about their car being a Muslim’s car?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Stealth on Oct 12, 2012 at 7:55 am

      Car can have too many features. I don’t want to sit in a car that looks like a plane cockpit. Searching for buttons in the middle of driving. So what’s next for you? One button for every bible verse?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 10
  • not very useful in malaysia since we have R&Rs along highways… but very useful for muslims in other countries like US, Arabia since their country is big and interstates may/may not have as much R&Rs as in malaysia…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Archer on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:11 am

    if going offroad; into forest, middle of desert that feature will be very useful.

    for everyday usage, digital calender with prayer time almanac is much more reasonable.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Pontiac on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:27 am

    Who vote for angry and meh is definitely a bloody racist kiasu people. U know who i meant “kiasu” in politics.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • wolfsburg on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:30 am

    Proton always lagging behind people… Now Korean are eating up the European market and they are now targeting middle east and south america… Even Kia is having Quoris large luxury sedan… But Proton still struggle to catch the market share from Perodua…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • nabill on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:35 am

    if u wer to park somewer n do pray even inside the car…u wd be robbed naked in no time…..but its a handy feature…u cant say u forgot to pray and thrs a big button inside ur car reminding u!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 12
  • shotup on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:39 am

    Are u kidding me?

    This is certainly a good features…be wise & practical lah…handphone bateries last 4 how many hours?especially yg smart phone tu!kalo guna nokia 3310 itu lain cerita…
    Very gud during outdoor even hway..during ramadan,nak raya surau konfem byk org..jem lg..kasut hilang lg…wif this just go 4 ur wuduk & solah next 2 ur car!
    X risau family anak2 dlm kereta…aiyooo bwk sejadah of koz fit inside meh.but i sugest kia create a compartment wif free sejadah olso..hehehe..
    At least korean do make better customer satisfaction than a 30 yrs old pajero that only selling more expensive stuff price like a house already.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I guess it’s kinda useful.

    I drive to sg alot and their hotels have no Qibla indicators most of the time. Can get some sort of agakration on where it is. But that’s the only thing i can think of.

    Doesnt really tip the scales to get a kia if i were planning on buying a car in that category.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hey, it’s in Sorento! Glad to hear there’s a car with this feature. Agreed, at Malaysia we don’t need such of this feature since there are a lots of surau or masjid around, and travelling at highway we also have R&R, also have surau. Yeah, it looks like nothing special but this is an SUV which people tend to go offroad (i.e. jungle) where we are not really sure the exact direction of Qiblat. You might say you have smartphone with Qiblat direction but NOT everyone has it and certain apps also need phone coverage (i.e. 3G or internet connection) to activate the compass. With this feature in the car, as long as your car can start, no doubt you can just click on the Qibla button since this is based on GPS (where there is no need internet access).

    If for Middle East market, I believe this is very useful since there are lots of desert and I don’t think we can find surau or masjid in the middle of the desert. Also, like other country (i.e. US, London) we hard to find suitable place for prayer. I’ve seen a taxi driver pray on his taxi in New York, luckily he know the Qiblat and no need compass to assist him. But what about people who don’t know the Qiblat direction? Here come the function of this feature!

    See, it might not really useful in our country, but open your mind and look at other country then you will find it worth to have it! :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Yes.. the Qiblat Function in your car but not necessary you have to pray inside the car..this feature is useful when you in the middle of nowhere and need the direction of Qiblat…here in the middle east they will stop and pray anywhere once the time is come especially when you travel..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • flat_tire on Oct 12, 2012 at 3:59 am

    ehh hello.. not everyone has a smartphone ‘ya know.. some are still happy by just using a bodophone.. if anything it’s a nice gesture coming from kia.. regardless whether it’s useful or not..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Sulaiman on Oct 12, 2012 at 4:57 am

    Don’t miss judge or miss concept by “MUSLIM CAR”. Muslim Car must be the best in all aspect, not by the accessories that related with muslim needs.I personally do not agree if they said that Muslim Car must must have prayer(solah) accessories etc, but weak in other aspect(quality, safety,prices etc…)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Jilbaber on Oct 12, 2012 at 7:10 am

    This feature show sensitivity of the Korean toward Muslim and that deserve them my respect…

    No offense, but it’s stupid for some people to comment this feature not useful at all what so ever…u never know if you going to need it..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 2
  • Halim on Oct 12, 2012 at 7:30 am

    In Malaysia this function is actually not necessary at all as we can always stop & pray at mosque while travelling. Unless you drive your car for adventures deep into the jungle then it may useful. But your smartphone was fairly equipped with Qibla direction.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • for serious offroading muslims yes..but for regular muslims, its a nice peripheral but we have suraus n mosques r aplenty..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • kenny_lim on Oct 12, 2012 at 8:17 am

    paying few hundred or few k’s for this function when u can just buy a compass. so without a car and u’re off camping….what will happened? hahaha….just give a free compass will do….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Joe Radzif on Oct 12, 2012 at 8:17 am

    Allo…

    shame la you all…
    KIA make it then you all say not needed…
    orang dah buat tu bersyukur la…
    nak – pakai
    tak nak – tak yah pakai…

    apa la susah sangat…
    pelik la korang nih…

    patutnya orang Islam lagi tau bersyukur dan menghargai apa yang orang lain dah buat…
    harapkan korang buat..
    tah bila la tak tau….

    cammon…
    open minded skit…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 4
    • Shaekey on Oct 12, 2012 at 10:36 am

      Apasal yg emo sangat ni. Orang tanya pasal feature ni useful ke tidak, so people reply la dgn pendapat dia orang. Apa pulak yg kena mengena dgn bersyukur ke tidak? Just jawab feature ni tak useful tak bermaksud kita tak bersyukur.

      I personally don’t find this feature useful as my phone has the same feature. And I definitely don’t want the feature if it contributed to the increase cost of the car. I don’t want to unnecessarily pay for something that I don’t use.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 11
      • Joe Radzif on Oct 12, 2012 at 3:47 pm

        tak nak pakai, tak yah beli…
        senang…
        carik la kereta lain yang lebih murah yang tak de fancy parts…

        macam akoo pakai skang pakai je Proton…
        semua basic dan murah

        huhuhuhu

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
  • Leonardo on Oct 12, 2012 at 8:55 am

    I have a Casio watch which I bought like almost 10 years ago that have a Qibla and daily prayer time functions. I do a lot of offroading last time, so I needed the watch when I am in the jungle. Now that I am ‘retired’, it is a nice to have function in the car. As like most people mentioned already, we have many mosques and Muslim praying facilities along the highways.
    What would be useful for Muslims in Malaysia is perhaps is the ability for peripheral to dectact ‘local prayer times’. As you know the praying time in KL is different from Alor Star or JB. But again, it is something nice to have here and not something that will guarantee to push up sales among Muslim buyers.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • alihms on Oct 12, 2012 at 8:58 am

    The Koreans in general are more accommodating and work the extra miles to woo customers. I was on vacation to South Korea last June, and surprisingly they did have suraus in major tourist places. Often, these were nothing more than a simple room with an access to wash basin or toilet for ablution. There was no qibla direction indicated nor prayer-times time-table anywhere in sight. The rooms were also unisex (no screen to separate male and female whatsoever). I believe this is more of a case of the Koreans do not know the proper requirement rather than don’t care attitude.

    Really, I do salute them for that.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • MNazri.tan on Oct 12, 2012 at 9:04 am

    Alhamdulillah, very useful. I dont need to be in mosque to pray, if needed i can pray anywhere at the roadside.Normally i would depend on my protrek to show qibla direction as i am not very good with traditional method….if i have this in my car, Together with a bottle of water for abulation, i can stop and pray anywhere……Great Job Kia

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • comrade on Oct 12, 2012 at 9:04 am

    the Koreans thinking out of the box…. useful if you’re middle of nowhere…..desert..jungle trekking with Sorento maybe…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • MNazri.tan on Oct 12, 2012 at 9:07 am

    having qiblat compass is not only meant for prayer, it is always best (though not compulsory) for you to recite your doa facing qiblat, now you can do it easily in the car, also you can read Al Quran, you can stop for a while for sujud syukur (Say you receive good news whilst on the way to somewhere, stop at roadside and sujud) and also a good sense of direction…..i be happy to have compass in my car with my current GPS, but qibla direction is the cream of the crop

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Kambing Gurun on Oct 12, 2012 at 9:13 am

    I’d say prayer time button is more useful in Malaysia. Qibla button is not that important in Malaysian context as we can find mosque/surau easily here. As such, mosque or surau button would be useful too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • alldisc on Oct 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      and yet, our national car never though of it for the past 27 years.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • If i were to buy this car, i want that button or feature taken off. They should then sell it accordingly to race. Because other races don’t need and want such features in their cars.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 56
    • omgimaretard on Oct 12, 2012 at 10:05 am

      That is the stupidest comment coming from anyone at all.. what a retard.. u dont like it then dont buy it.. IF can means alot of things, you want to be racist and stupid then please do it elsewhere.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • azaka on Oct 12, 2012 at 9:04 pm

      its just a customized compass.

      youre allergic with the word “qibla”?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • My Sorento V6 in UAE already had a Makkah button in the LCD touch options. Not sure how different is this new one. I am now back to Malaysia. Looking forward to the new facelift but Naza guys are saying Nasim wont bring this into Malaysia. So are they killing Sorento naturally? Why would i buy an old model?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • wendy on Oct 12, 2012 at 10:44 am

    this function probably for those who stay in middle east where they usually pray along the roadside, but i think they should have this sensor where if the car park in a dark area and when the car suddenly the car detect vibration movement in the car, the car should then raise the alarm or turn on the cabin light, so it will help reduce the social problem happening if u know what i meant hehe.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • sepul on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:11 am

    actually this is a very good feature to have, in the case where smart phone doesn’t work when we need it, the car gps can be of remedy

    anything that helps us muslims to be reminded of our prayer times and kiblat is always a good thing

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Mr.Blade Abdullla on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:32 am

    Excellent marketing strategy by KIA. Whether the drivers are using it or not is immaterial. The fact that they have thought it is very noble already. May Allah reward those who helped to materialize this feature with his blessings. Even if he is a non-muslim. One muslim who misses one prayer will be in the fire of jahannam for 1 wukuf (1000 years). I day in hereafter is 1000 years in this dunia. Imagine yourself being in the heaven. Thanks KIA. Your’re cool

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Khaled on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:36 am

    What I would like to see is a car infotainment system with Android base OS like the one Clarion has. Then we can install qibla, prayer times, Quran, etc..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Leonardo on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Another thing that I want to point out is, if it has the Qiblat function, it will automatically have a normal compass function, since it is based on GPS technology. The compass function would be useful to everyone, regardless of your faith.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • klaus heissler on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:43 am

    will be extremely useful if i pick d sorento for a year-long sojourn in indochina.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paparadzi on Oct 12, 2012 at 11:55 am

    It is a nice feature. It is not a necessary feature as a lot of other gadgets such as a smartphone can do a better job.

    As a Muslim, it is a nice feature to have. But those from a different religion may not like features that is associated with other beliefs.

    As such don’t expect this feature to be introduce here, except maybe on optional basis.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BAGWELL on Oct 12, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    5 star if the car turning 360 to qibla position when you press that button!! haha..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
    • Deus Ex Machina on Oct 12, 2012 at 6:43 pm

      Dude, you do realize turning 360deg means you end up facing the same direction you started from? Might as well don’t turn aaahhh!!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Abuya on Oct 12, 2012 at 2:29 pm

    I need 3 axis compass to car (lari dari tajuk)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Jasmine on Oct 12, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Looks like a good feature, and great especially for Muslims, I guess.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hadi75 on Oct 12, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Nice feature….may not be useful here in malaysia but good to have it……
    Imagine that a non – muslim company doing its best for its customer but us muslim never give our best when doing our job……

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Edward Ferrers on Oct 12, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    Good! Nice feature.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Chris on Oct 13, 2012 at 12:04 am

    More photos and review on new Sorento XM please. GDI engine coming to
    Malaysia?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Proton wayang then and still wayang now, nothing ever materialise..too much politics and run by politicians equals to failure

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • wetshoes on Oct 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    How much does that gadget cost?
    A rm5 compass can also do the job.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • OrangSegamat on Oct 13, 2012 at 3:48 pm

    Qiblah compass is useful with condition.
    Maybe can add more features..
    1. Some reminder based on driving style. (This may improve our driving style)
    ex.) phrase a ‘syahadah’ if you drive above 160kmph.
    2. Automatically start quran recitation or zikir when silent.
    3. Azan.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • innocence on Oct 17, 2012 at 11:48 am

      cant agree more…
      haha…
      love the feature which syahadah will cited when you drove more than 160kmph

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • muhammad fauzi on Oct 14, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    whether it is useful or not, u see a car maker from non islamic country is concern about muslims main ritual (ibadah,/worshiping allah), thumbs up for kia!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Again, does anyone know if Naza will swap the older Sorento for this newer one?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Mr. Biggy on Oct 14, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    Strap a bomb on the car, sell it to Arab countries. BOOM! Will sell like hot falafel!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • reza bakhshi on Mar 07, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    hi
    my sd card deleted please help me and send to me all files that on the sd card sorento xm until use qibla compass.
    i wait ….
    with best regard

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Salman on Jul 20, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    It will be most useful for long roadtrips in the deserts or camping as well, where you can just pull over on the side of the road and pray in the accurate directions, this will be very useful in saudi, as you cross 100s of kilometers of desert and duned to get from one city to another

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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