Kia Motors has revealed the first official image of the redesigned 2010 Kia Sorento, code-named 'XM'. Set to formally debut at the Seoul Motor Show in April, the new Sorento will bring a host of new fuel-conserving technologies including the all-aluminium turbodiesel R-Engine developed in-house with Hyundai. The 2010 Sorento will deviate greatly from the current Sorento which rides on a body-on-frame platform. Instead, the new model will ride on a monocoque, also called unibody, platform. The redesigned model is also substantially bolder in style compared to the current model, as it is one of Peter Schreyer's first fully-individual works.
The truly breakthrough element of the 2010 Sorento is the array of powertrains it will be available in. In the Korean market, the CUV will be powered by a 2.4L Theta II petrol, a 2.7L LPI, or a new 2.2L turbodiesel R-engine. Making its debut in the new Sorento, the R-engine turbodiesel yields the ultimate efficiency and is Euro-5 compliant thanks to a close-coupled diesel particulate filter. Producing 200 PS and 321 lb.ft of torque (436 Nm), the R-engine also achieves optimal fuel economy numbers with 14.1 km/L (direct conversion: 33 MPG). This places the 2.2L turbodiesel-equipped Sorento as the most fuel-efficient SUV in Korea, even ahead of its smaller sibling, Sportage. These numbers are also reachable due to the standard 6-speed automatic transmission it is mated to and an ECO-Driving system that assists the driver in extracting the best fuel consumption numbers.
The USDM Sorento will be available in either the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine or a 3.8L Lambda V6 (est. 270 hp). The Sorento will be manufactured in Kia's new, state-of-the-art West Point, Georgia factory. The Korean-market Sorento is slated to go on sale in April.
[Source: Kia]
