But before we could purvey the finest of South Korean people-movers, we were plied with some insight into their operations, this being the 20th year Kia have been serving us Mzansinites.
They regaled us via PowerPoint slides, Kias of the past such as the original Sportage, Shuma sedan (remember that?) and more. Of all the places to get nostalgic, well, a Kia presentation wasn’t what I had in mind but while these cars were familiar, they were hardly beloved. And I can say that without offending – it was never the marque’s strategy, not then anyway.
Not like now, when Kia doesn’t have a single offensive design in their range. For that you can thank ex-Audi penman, Peter Schreyer – he of original Audi TT design. And if the latest Stinger sports saloon is anything to go by, ex-BMW engineer, Mr Albert Biermann is also proving successful at steering the tiger-nosed brand forward into something far more desirable that the company’s humble beginnings could ever envisage.
Now, Kia is a rock star with 37 design accolades accumulated in the last decade alone. In JD Power terms, it is the number one non-premium brand in the world. Where the original SA line-up struggled to sell 310 cars per year, 2018 Kia Motors South Africa does that in a week. As for non-premium? Well, it seems nobody told the new Sorento and Grand Sedona.
2019 Kia Grand Sedona (Cape Town to George)
Kia have taken a scalpel to the range. Gone is the 3.3l V6 and in its place the 2.2 litre CRDI diesel engine, good for 147kW and 440Nm and mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Depending on which model you opt for you could have seven, eight or even eleven seats at your disposal.
Ours, the flagship SXL, comes with seven pews and if you’ve ever been inside a Chrysler Voyager you know what to expect. It’s well-appointed inside, fairly striking to behold from the outside and honestly, deserves to fare well against rivals such from the VW (Caravelle), Hyundai (H1) and Mercedes-Benz stables.
On the twisty N2, the helm felt well-weighted, the suspension incredibly compliant if a bit soft on the bends. Top-heavy even, mind you – physics cannot be ignored and I was pushing on in a somewhat spirited manner - and it didn’t protest either.
Still, settle down and it’ll remind you of the old appeal of a soft-ish bus that favours capaciousness over apex-carvery.
Pricing:
| Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX 7-seater | R599,995.00 |
| Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX+ 8 seater | R629,995.00 |
| Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI SXL 7-seater | R782,995.00 |
| Grand Sedona 2.2 CRDI EX 11-seater | R615,995.00 |
2019 Kia Sorento (George to PE)
We climbed aboard the Sorento the next morning and immediately missed the space of the Sedona. Sure, the Sorento is a spacious-enough SUV with seven seats in supply, but it felt too familiar, too car-like after the previous day’s tour-bus vibes.
But with car-like capacity came car-like driving characteristics, making the drive between George to Port Elizabeth a much more engaging experience. We’d once again found ourselves in the range-topper, this time in all-wheel drive EX derivative with the same 2.2 litre diesel engine.
Both cars would average circa 7.6l/100km. Both had their nuts revved off, and both proved consummate highway cruisers.
Which would I choose? Well, as great as the Sorento is, I think it is pretty obvious that the Grand Sedona had left its mark on me. Perhaps we can put this one down to the fact that I’m a father of three who loves a long road trip, a task both vehicles could perform. Just in the Sedona, I reckon it would be more... Grand.
Pricing:
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI LX 2WD | R509,995.00 |
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI LX AWD | R569,995.00 |
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI EX AWD | R599,995.00 |
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI EX AWD | R639,995.00 |
All cars include a 5 year warranty with unlimited kilometres and 5 year/100,000 service plan
