Sorento top pick for SUVs

Kia’s Sorento has been named as the Consumer Reports 2016 Top Pick in the mid-size SUV segment. The 2015 Sorento model overtook the Toyota Highlander, which has held the top spot for years, to become the “new king of the category”. The US-based agency says the seven-seater model is “a great SUV hiding in plain sight”. “It’s a shade smaller than its mid-sized competitors, but that allows the Sorento to be city-friendly while still offering the space and features of a larger vehicle”. The report tested 260 vehicles across 10 categories The Sorento has previously been named the Highest Ranked Mid-size SUV in Initial Quality by automotive consultants, J.D. Power in its 2015 Initial Quality Study. The study focuses on owner-related problems in the first 90 days of ownership, and bases scores on problems that cause a complete breakdown or malfunction, or where controls and features are difficult to use or understand. The Sorento scored 81 problems per 100 vehicles, “the fewest number of design-related problems and defect/malfunction problems in the mid-size SUV segment”. Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, says the Sorento and other models “share build quality sold in other markets around the world, including the United States”. Pricing for Kia’s Sorento starts from $49,990 plus on-road costs.