2010 Kia Sorento XM fully unveiled!

Kia Sorento XM

The all-new monocoque Kia Sorento XM is here, unveiled at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show and soon to hit Malaysian shoes when Naza Kia brings it in.

The new Sorento is longer, with the A-pillar and dash moved forwards and tailgate moved rearwards (70mm) to increase cabin room in the interior. It seats 7 in 3 rows. It is 10mm lower and thanks to the new unibody chassis its center of gravity is 54mm lower. Headroom is up by 64mm, legroom by 102mm. It measures 4,685mm long, 1,885mm wide, 1,710mm tall with a wheelbsae of 2,700mm (equal to the Santa Fe).

The MacPherson strut and multi-link design has been carried over from the outgoing model (I’m really surprised they admit this, could have easily said new) but with improvements including a more direct steering requiring less turns lock-to-lock.

Kia Sorento XM

A choice of 3 engines are available – a 2.7 litre V6 petrol from the Mu family (165 PS and 244Nm of torque, also supports LPI liquid natural gas), a 2.4 litre petrol (from the Mitsubishi-Hyundai-Daimler GEMA engine family) and a 2.2 litre inline-4 turbodiesel from the new R family. which makes a peak of 197 PS and 435Nm of torque. Of course the power hungry American market will get one more engine option likely to be the most popular there, a 3.5 litre V6 petrol with 277 PS and 335Nm of torque.

There is an all-new 6-speed automatic available, and Kia says the unit is more compact and lighter because it uses a new “flat” torque converter which allows it to be 54mm shorter with 62 fewer parts, 12kg lighter and boost economy by 12%.

The new XM Sorento is available in either 2WD or 4WD configurations. Naturally the 2WD version will be lighter and offer better fuel consumption, but 4WD will be avaliable for those who need it. The Sorento also has Down-hill Brake Control which can limit vehicle speed to 5 mph on steep decline. Front approach angle is 25.1 degrees and departure angle is 23.1 degrees.

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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

  • Black Dog on Apr 06, 2009 at 3:58 am

    Wow…can't wait for Naza to bring it in. Thought of booking Captiva but this looks much better & cheaper some more. I believe Korean technology has improved tremendously, closer to Japanese. Naza, bring it in QUICK!

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  • wisho on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:00 am

    nice….. just wonder what the price would be if naza bring it here?

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  • sagaKNIGHT (Member) on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:02 am

    handsome look!

    Paul,isnt have the rear wiper?

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  • ago87 on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:05 am

    Better don't put the rear wiper because our low class thief like to steel it…

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  • mitlanevo on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:36 am

    place a booking on Sorento XM, and get yourself a free Nokia XpressMusic mobile phone, lol~

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  • nabil on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:40 am

    the 2.7 v6 hav quite low power output of 165hp…..

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  • Black Dog on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:47 am

    I believe Naza will bring in from September with the change of diesel quality. It's a year 2010 car so earliest wiil definately last quarter. The 2.2 litre diesel turbo sure looks good. As long as Naza price it below RM140K AND improve their manufacturing & service quality together with affordable spare parts, I'm sure it will be a winner!

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  • SwiftMatrix on Apr 06, 2009 at 4:55 am

    I don't think Naza will price it below RM140k since current model started at RM138k (before discount)…

    1st & 2nd year is for Naza to recoup profit as much as they can since by 3rd year, for sure the price will drop like nobody business…

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  • critic on Apr 06, 2009 at 5:52 am

    The recent SUV and luxury sedan releases from Hyundai and Kia (from 2005 Tucson- present gives) headache to the Japanese, and Europeans (they wonder how Korea is doing it cheaper and even better),an embarrassment to the Americans( bailout?), and smiles to the owners of these HIgh quality autos. Enough said.

    P.S. hope Hyundai- Kia's head wont get big. And still go on with their value-for-money prices .

    Petition on going!

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  • [quote comment="227096"]I believe Naza will bring in from September with the change of diesel quality. It's a year 2010 car so earliest wiil definately last quarter. The 2.2 litre diesel turbo sure looks good. As long as Naza price it below RM140K AND improve their manufacturing & service quality together with affordable spare parts, I'm sure it will be a winner![/quote]

    What's wrong with Kia's parts pricing and manufacturing quality? I have no issues with my Kia as far as those 2 issues are concerned.

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  • stephenstreets on Apr 06, 2009 at 6:26 am

    :,(

    Tears of joy !!!

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  • stephenstreets on Apr 06, 2009 at 6:28 am

    Blue color version is so awesome

    But rear light not so awesome but typical asian styling

    Great car KIA

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  • worker on Apr 06, 2009 at 8:00 am

    for your info next week my friend will heading to gurun to help NAZA construct the main production line for new sorento.

    so keep our finger cross.

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  • nazaiscrap on Apr 06, 2009 at 8:05 am

    pls dont buy this stupid crap from kia,i m the owner of the current sorento 2.5 cdri from the day i bought till now it gave me a lot of problem and the lastest all of the injectors burst like shit and now i m dealling with rm10k to repair all those shits,stop bringing this piece of shit into this country,to naza tq for selling the current model at discounted price and make my 2nd value drop like shit!!!

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  • EricG on Apr 06, 2009 at 8:09 am

    love the front and rear lights

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  • kil13r on Apr 06, 2009 at 8:09 am

    de back looks quite similar to Lexus LX570….not creative enuf but it's normal tat KIA n Hyundai copy Lexus..NO OFFENCE but juz look at de Hyundai Genesis n Lexus GS..n somemore…once again…NO OFFENCE…

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  • Black Dog on Apr 06, 2009 at 8:27 am

    My friend bought a new Sorrento last year, the oil cap cover came off & he got so much hassle changing it. I'm sure it's not a common problem but he says the service at Naza sucks.

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  • CocoBear on Apr 06, 2009 at 10:43 am

    No WOW factor here. The exterior and interior design doesn't appeal to me. Thx to Kia's marketing mockery, u guys are fooled. This first video footage sucks. Go earn more money and get a better SUV. Kia is a rubbish. I hate Kia so much.

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  • Maibatsu Thunder on Apr 06, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    My company has been running these 3 models heavily since 2007 with no problems with Optima, Sportage, Spectra5 thus far. Spare parts pricing is affordable compared to Japanese. No defects. Excellent build quality compared to Japanese.

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  • jhuan on Apr 06, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    This SUV is really good looking. As long NAZA can improve their QC and servicing quality, this SUV can made wave into our market! And of coz with a right pricing as well.

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  • Black Dog on Apr 06, 2009 at 7:45 pm

    If u bother to check, a lot of auto sites rank Sorrento high up their list, even higher than many Japanese & European models. CRV is higher bcos they have 2.4L instead of or underpowered 2.0L. So the problem lies with Naza's manufacturing & services.

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  • this will replace my old kia sorento… i'm waiting

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  • mystvearn on Apr 07, 2009 at 2:30 am

    Look ok, but resale value…

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  • Bodow on Apr 08, 2009 at 1:31 am

    So we have 2 camps here ….. 1. Happy Kia owners 2. Fuming Kia owners …ermmm which one is correct ? i'm wondering ..

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  • Black Dog on Apr 08, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    [quote comment="227345"]this will replace my old kia sorento… i'm waiting[/quote]

    Please tell us what do u think about your Sorrento so far?

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  • sydput on Apr 12, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    the 2.2 engine beats navara 2.5 in terms of hp and torque. Save money on road tax some more.

    I will not buy the navara, which i heard cannot use bio-diesel as it willl make the injectors kaputs and wait for the sorento instead and use a trailer if I need to load durians from my family's orchard. One car for office/family and offroad use. what a saving.

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  • Looks can be deceiving,yups, NAZA service sucks, parts are costly, poor resale value

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  • edmund on May 09, 2009 at 2:37 am

    Ohhhh really nice SUV… no doubt.

    BUT….

    if naza bring it in……. sorry to say NO.

    Buying naza's car is where you want to make your life hard…

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  • Richard Browne on May 20, 2009 at 1:17 am

    If you want a car with a great engine and smooth ride buy a Sorento.If you want a car that doesnt rattle like shit dont buy a Sorento.My Sorento had one internal rattle after the other.I had to take it back to the dealer countless times and it still rattles??

    Good engine,good runner but the rst shit…

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  • Nazashit on Aug 26, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    If I have choice I'll buy CBU Kia Sorento this time around. Trying to save money by buying Naza Sorento but it give me 1001 problems wasted more money and time .Until I Die I'll never buy Naza crap.

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  • 55 Cents on Aug 27, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    Those fuming with the old Sorento not necessarily mean old equates to new.. No car manufacturer wants their car to fail or at least, during the warrant period. From the looks, reviews and technology that has been put into making the new Sorento it seems to be quite a good ride. The theory is.. if you pay for a Kia, please don't expect a Volvo XC 90 or a Lexus in return. What can be guaranteed is that you will get your money's worth… At least, that is what I think. My first car was a Kia Picanto and it served me sweet. Though, I have since upgraded to a Nissan Latio for that added safety for my children but will definitely consider the new Sorento once it is launched here in Singapore.

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  • 55 Cents on Aug 27, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    By the way, to have a closer look at the marvels of the new Sorento you may wish to visit Kia Sorento's official website at –

    http://www.kia-sorento.com/

    Who knows, it may just help clear some of your doubts, qualms and queries.

    As for in Singapore Cycle & Carriage is the sole distributor of Kia, Mercedes, Mitsubishi and Citroen. The pre and post service is exceptional.

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  • Kennyjoeky on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:43 am

    when will the soremto be here on sale,and what are the priest going to be.

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  • 55 Cents on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Kenny, sorry for the late reply.

    I checked with C&C Singapore and was told sometime during 1st quarter of 2010. Then again, sole agents can always push forward or backward the release date based on demand, marketing and other country sentiments.

    I for one, have left my details with C&C (Kia) to have their sales consultant contact me once the pre-launch date is fixed and they have agreed. Am not too sure about Sorento's launch elsewhere, aside from Singapore.

    As for the price, was told it may be in the region of 75k-85k (SGD) – no assurance given though by the rep.

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  • paultan on Oct 22, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    now naza offer buy 2 free one sorento. Value until 31 December of 2009

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  • gayson on Nov 25, 2009 at 8:54 am

    yeh looks ok but still gonna be shit to work on

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  • gayson on Nov 25, 2009 at 8:57 am

    i have more power in my honda civic

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  • gayson on Nov 26, 2009 at 9:56 am

    would any1 like to see my honda civic its orgasmic

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  • gaylord gary likes i on Nov 28, 2009 at 3:02 am

    o yes i cant wait to see all the room in the back for me and my best friends hope theres loads of room cos me and my boyfriend like dogging

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  • Farhat on Feb 01, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    This is the most ugliest SUV. No offence but there are a few on the road here in Berlin and id rather go for the Qashqai. Its horrible. I thought the design would gradually get friendlier with me like my reaction to the front hog design of the 7series or the 5 series granturismo (which is seen everywhere now), but this is not cool at all. its weird.. bad Kia.

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  • Aquilino Perez Jr. on Feb 05, 2010 at 6:44 am

    Im the new owner of 2010kia sorento & i tell you it is awesome to own such precious possesion. Perceptions here in the Philippines & perhaps in some other places that kia is a low quality ugly desigend piece of shits but it proves me wrong. I love my new Sorento & proud of it. Thanks to you who made this jewel, keep making lots of it please.

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  • Sharviin Sasasey on Mar 04, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    NAZA…keep ur mouth shut and let KIA do the business…

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  • Whatever happen to NAZA? It’s almost mid year now, and there’s still NO sign of the new Sorento 2010 will be here in Malaysia! I’ve been waiting for so long. Long enough to switch to Hyundai Tucson 2010… ;(

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  • Yes, still waiting for a test drive in the new, oops old 2010 Sorento!

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  • saw one today at jalan raja laut bearing the reg WTH3. already lauched or for selected people only?

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  • madstone on Dec 14, 2010 at 5:25 am

    I thought i saw somewhere the initial price for New Sorento is RM158K BUT i can’t remember where i saw it.

    Sorry guys!

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