Kia has added a five speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic style operation to the Kia Sorento but with no increase in price, further adding to the remarkable value offered by the stylish Kia four wheel drive.

"The addition of this advanced new gearbox with no price increase is yet another example of Kia's policy of offering its customers the best possible >value for money," says Edward Butler, General Manager of Kia Automotive Australia.  "The Sorento transformed Australia's image of Kia, with its stylish good looks and sophisticated drivetrain, while enhancing our reputation for value for money. In the 18 months since its launch in Australia our only problem has been getting enough to meet demand, as worldwide demand has consistently outstripped supply. This has meant that our plans to add additional versions, such as the diesel Sorento that has very strong sales in Europe, have been put on hold while we meet demand for the 3.5 litre V6 version."

The new five speed gearbox, with its higher top gear and wider spread of ratios, provides the Sorento with refinement gains at all speeds, better fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions at freeway speeds and enhanced offer road ability with an improved ratio spread in low range.

The Tiptronic style manual operation offers more than just a high level of driver involvement in manual mode, its makes using the gearbox in difficult conditions easier and more instinctive.

The new gearbox lever and the new the centre console blends effortlessly with the stylish interior of the Kia Sorento.

Kia has built a considerable part of its reputation with its tough four wheel drive vehicles, both with vehicles for public markets and with its range of military all terrain vehicles. But it had never contested the medium size four wheel drive market, until the arrival of the Kia Sorento. >This sector is one of the most hotly contested in the whole market place with high quality vehicles from Europe, Japan and the USA fighting for the growing demand in all the key markets in the world, including Australia.

The Kia Sorento launched into this daunting market place as a clean-sheet design, aimed at not just matching its new rivals, but beating them in key areas of design, technology and styling, while adding to this market sector the keen pricing and value for money packaging that has proven so significant in other market sectors.

The Kia Sorento is generously proportioned, so as to provide more interior space that in rivals. It is, at 4.5 metres and 1.86 metre, longer and wider than the Jeep Cherokee, while its wheelbase, at 2.7 metres is one of the longest in the class. The track of the Kia Sorento - essential for sure-footedness on the road - is also generous; at 1.5 metres it is better than the Mercedes M Class, BMW X5 and the Ford Explorer.

But Kia has been careful to restrain the height of the Sorento to 1.8 metres with its standard roof rack, to ensure that it does not have any problems with low car parks or garages. Translating this into the interior, the Sorento, for example has a boot that is both longer and wider than a Land Rover Discovery; it has more than a metre of leg room in the front and more than a metre of head room in both the front and the back seats.

The Sorento is far more than its raw dimensions, although the ratio of width to height and length bestows the overall shape of the Sorento with a muscular strength. The Sorento is clearly European in its styling roots with a strong, but understated elegance that comes with a careful, but restrained use of strong and clean lines, with smooth flanks and a strong bonnet behind the new Kia grille. There is no risk of the Sorento being "over-styled" like some its competitors.

The high ground clearance and strong wheel arch extensions, combined with the large alloy wheels shod with dual purpose tyres make the Sorento's off road abilities clear, but not over whelming for a car that will probably spend the majority of life fighting an urban, rather than an outback life style.

Not that the Kia Sorento lacks any of the technical or equipment requirements required to cross the outback, as a quick look underneath will reveal. A sturdy ladder chassis surrounds the drivetrain, with front and rear drive train protection. The drive train itself is a full selectable on the fly four wheel drive system with a full low range gearbox for serious cross country work. All of this technology is simply engaged by the use of a rotary control on the dashboard that provides the choice of two wheel drive, four wheel drive high range and four wheel drive low range. The system uses a free running differential which minimizes the disadvantages of free wheeling front hubs under difficult conditions such as dust, humidity and low temperatures, as well as improving the looks of theSorento by preventing a protruding hub at the centre of each front wheel.

Powering this drivetrain is a muscular 3.5 litre V6 engine with 145 kW of power at 5500 rpm and a tree stump pulling 295 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm. This is sufficient to provide the Kia Sorento, where the law permits, with a top speed of 192 kmh, something it can achieve thanks not just to the engine, but also due to the aerodynamic efficiency of the body, which also ensures excellent cross wind stability at all speeds. Even with the new five speed automatic transmission the Sorento still undercuts many of its manual rivals.

Power is nothing without control and, again, the Sorento excels. The suspension is a sophisticated five link system at the back and double wishbone at the front. This enables the Sorento to absorb the worst conditions off road, from substantial bumps to Australia's infamous washboard surfaces with equanimity, while providing a fluid and comfortable ride around town. Handling and road holding are, of course, also excellent. Stopping power is provided by disk brakes on all four corners, ventilated at the front and rear with twin piston calipers at the front.

The elegance of the exterior and the refinement provided by the drivetrain combine inside the Kia Sorento to produce an interior that is as cosseting as it is versatile and flexible for all uses.

Large comfortable seats face an elegant and fully equipped dashboard, where detail features to ensure comfort and ease of use abound. Twin drinks holders are asymmetric so as to hold securely every size of drink and rubber rings guarantee no rattles; the centre armrest has two storage boxes, a top one for maps and documents and a lower with a built in CD and cassette rack; there's a power point for computers and mobile phones for people working on the move, while a readout in the roof console confirms altitude, direction and barometric pressure, external temperature and behind this read out are two holders for sunglasses to keep them safe, secure and always to hand.

The standard ventilation system is a class leading AirCon system. As well as host of vents in the front of the Sorento, there are also vents under the front seats to keep the rear passengers cool. Tested under all conditions, the Sorento AirCon system was able to reduce temperatures more quickly and maintain them regardless of exterior temperatures more effectively than key rivals.

The back seat is a generous three seat bench, with two (not three, unfortynately, lap sash seat belts and three headrests. It, too has luxury touches, with its own twin drink holders and bottle holders in the large door pockets, as well as another power socket for phones and computers, or, given that this is where children will probably be sitting, games and video entertainment systems. The large fold down centre armrest has another storage locker in it.

Throughout the passenger compartment, deep pile carpet and plush cloth upholstery are used, providing not just tactile comfort, but they are also the top layers of a comprehensive sound elimination system that makes the Sorento a calm and quiet place in which to ride. Unless, of course, the standard CD digital audio system is activated, with eight powerful speakers, six mounted in the doors for strong bass and mid-range response and tweeter speakers at the top of the dashboard for stereo separation.

Behind the back seat is the class leading boot that offers a minimum of 900 litres under the standard luggage cover and with the back seats in place. Fold down the standard 60/40 split fold rear seats - with their integrated storage spaces for the headrests - and this expands to 1.9 cubic metres. Nor is it just raw space. There are storage boxes on either side of the boot, a large under floor, out of sight storage area, split into convenient compartments and storage trays on top of the suspension towers. This spacious boot is easily accessible through the rear door or through the rear window, which opens separately. A standard cargo net holds loads in the boot safely and securely.

With regard to storage spaces, there are clever storage spaces throughout the Sorento. In the front of the Sorento there is a capacious glove box with two storage areas inside; there is a sliding storage tray under the front seat, a drop down locker to the right of the driver, sliding tray in the centre console, holders in the centre console for pens, coins and a mobile phone; two storage areas in the centre armrest; generous door pockets, with bottle holders in the rear pockets; rear storage bins and pockets and net pockets on the back of the front seats.

Safety has been central in the design of the Kia Sorento and it has been developed to beat all the required safety standards in the world. The wide track, responsive steering and sophisticated suspension, as well as powerful brakes combine to assist the driver to avoid accidents. The ladder chassis has been designed specifically to work with the body shell to absorb impact, something not all 4WDs with separate chassis are designed to do. The sides of the chassis are shaped to match the side of the Sorento and absorb impact, spreading across the frame, while the front and rear of the chassis frame extend into the bumpers, again to absorb impact and take it away from the passenger compartment. The body shell has its own safety cell around the passenger compartment and crumple zones from and rear to absorb impact.

To ensure that the occupants are best positioned to survive an accident, the latest design of air bags for the front occupants work in league with pre-tensioning front seat belts.

There are a host of other safety and security features, including a glovebox lid made from a honeycomb interior that protects the front passengers knees and warning lights on the doors that activate when a door is opened, while security is ensured with central locking, with a master control for the driver, dead locks and an engine immobilizer.

Kia has also worked hard with the Sorento to ensure the safety of the environment. Kia has eliminated asbestos from the gaskets and brake linings, the air bag inflators are non-azide, the AirCon system uses the latest environment friendly R134a refrigerant, all plastic parts over 100 grams in weight carry material composition codes to aid recycling; some plastic components are made from recycled plastic and the body has been designed so it can easily be pulled apart and recycled at the end of its long service life.

The Kia Sorento is fully equipped. Standard equipment includes ABS brakes with EBA, cruise control; three power points; front and rear electric windows; remote central locking; twin front airbags; power operated mirrors; power steering; air conditioning; CD stereo system with eight speakers and an electric aerial; alloy wheels; remote opening rear window; roof rack with adjustable cross bars; multipurpose readout with altimeter, external temperature, compass and barometer.