We have recently conclude the Roadtrippers.asia 1.0 ~ a 10-day roadtrip from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket and back and we were indeed happy when KIA Malaysia Sdn Bhd agreed to loan us the all-new KIA Sorento Turbo Diesel 2.2 for the trip for a review.

Menara Naza, Kampung Baru
Two things that we looked for in a SUV for the Roadtrippers.asia 1.0 was size and good fuel consumption and the KIA Sorento Turbo Diesel 2.2 definitely fits those two perfectly.

Asian Cultural Village, Dannok
This seven-seater SUV is big and when you step inside the SUV you will realize the amount of head-room you get as well as the leg-room. There were five us travelling on this road-trip with luggage and camera equipment, so the size came handy. Everyone rode comfortably throughout the trip ~ slept in their most comfortable position and best of all is when we need to pick-up certain guests in some cities, we can easily configure the seating into a seven-seater easily and the best thing is the third row actually has “seatable” seats that one of our guest who is a good 6-footer can fit back there comfortably. The interior were simple but practical with bottle holders on all doors, air vents and power sockets for the second row passengers, seats were plush and comfortable, and good storage spaces all over.

Kalima Spa and Resort, Phuket
The Sorento was known as beast that can go 800km in a single tank and since we know that this trip will be a long one, we definitely wanted to test out the claim. For this journey, we actually drove 2706 km consuming only a total of 190 liter of diesel, which work out to be about 7 liters per 100km, which I am really impressed. We ran the SUV mainly on ECO mode with cruise control but it was not all just highway run as in Thailand it was mainly a mixture of single and dual-carriage federal roads where overtaking is a must, we were stuck in very slow traffic for the few days in Phuket and also took it out to the beach – literary onto the beach.

Nai Yang Beach, Phuket
Although big and great in its fuel consumption, the Sorento definitely does not lack in power. A good portion of our drive in Thailand was on single-carriage federal roads which means a lot of overtaking and the Sorento delivers its punch on the step of the pedal even though like mentioned earlier, we were running on ECO mode most of the time. You can also feel the power of the Sorento when you are doing steep inclines, like when we were heading up to the Big Buddha in Phuket fully loaded with passengers. The 2.2 liter 4 cylinder inline engine that pumps out 197 horsepower is definitely more than sufficient to get this beast charging when needed. The six speed automatic transmission was smooth without you feeling the gear change.

Nai Yang Beach, Phuket
Another note to make on the Sorento is the ride comfort. The sound proofing of the car is excellent ~ the cabin were really quiet, with no wind noise. The soft suspension soaks up the bigger objects such as speed bumps and potholes very well and the car rides the highway smoothly. Riding inside this 3-gen Sorento really makes you feel you are riding in a luxury SUV.

Petron Gurun R&R
I am really happy to have this opportunity to pilot this Sorento for the trip and I would say it definitely changed my perception especially the ride quality and comfort of this KIA Sorento and how economical to drive this Sorento. I would encourage those who are looking for a big seven-seater SUV to really give this KIA Sorento Turbo Diesel 2.2 a consideration. You can find out more about this amazing SUV at www.kia.com/my or drop by your nearest authorized KIA dealership. You can also get more details about KIA line-up of cars at their Facebook Page.

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