Make room for the new Sorento

However, it is the first in a new push by the Korean company to make inroads into its rivals’ territory.

Kia wants to not only match competitors for technology, refinement and quality, but, if at all possible, surpass them. It’s a lofty ambition and means the Sorento has a lot of responsibility on its not inconsiderable shoulders.

It certainly looks the part – standing proud and with the vehicular equivalent of bulging biceps.

Under the bonnet is a 2.2 litre diesel engine that is good for 124mph and a nought to 60mph time of nine seconds. For the technically minded there’s 197bhp on tap and 311lb/ft of torque.

It’s not the quietest of engines, especially under start up, but it’s probably not noisy enough to worry most would-be purchasers.

Put your foot down and the pulling power is apparent from the off, something you will be grateful of when towing. But it doesn’t suddenly dissipate, equipping itself admirably on the motorway as we found on a schlep from Teesside to London and back.

It’s not the most engaging of driving experiences, admittedly, but to be fair I doubt that’s something most people will be looking for in a big seven-seater.

On the inside: KIA has certainly made leaps and bounds in the quality stakes in recent years. However, it would be over-egging the pudding to say it was now up with the best in this sector. There’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of for a car costing more than £35,000 in the case of our test vehicle, but it’s still a fraction off the benchmark motors.

In terms of design, Kia has kept things simple, which is no bad thing. Everything is where you might expect it to be meaning you don’t go to put the air con and get blasted with the latest example of what passes for music these days.

Vision is good as you might well expect.

What do you get: THERE are four trim levels to choose from.

Our KX-3 car came with 18ins alloys, rear spoiler, privacy glass, xenon headlights, front and rear foglamps, heated door mirrors, roof rails, panoramic sunroof, cornering lights and electrically folding mirrors.

On the inside there was black leather upholstery, heated front seats, all around electric windows, reclining and folding second row seats, eight-way adjustable drivers’ seat, outer rear heated seats, alloy pedals and engine start-stop button.

In addition there was a ten-speaker audio system with DAB radio, MP3 capability and Bluetooth, reversing sensors, 360 degree around view monitor and 8ins touchscreen navigation system.

How practical is it: THE new Sorento is bigger than its predecessor and offers more internal space thanks to a revised platform.

There’s plenty of room, whichever row of seats you are sat in and that can’t be said for every car of this nature. Indeed, on the aforementioned trip to the capital my son chose to spend much of the time in the third row. I’d like to think that this was because it was comfortable there rather than the fact he didn’t want to sit with me.

On a red hot day it was also nice to have access to air conditioning in every sector too.

The boot has 605 litres of space with the third row folded flat or 1,662 with all the rear seats down. The middle row also slides to create either more leg room or more boot space, depending on your requirements.

Running costs: KIA says you should get 46.3mpg on the combined cycle, which compares well with our average of 42mpg. CO2 emissions are 161g/km. Cars come with a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty.

Verdict: Kia’s challenge to the established marques continues apace.

Alternatives: Land Rover Discovery, Nissan X-Trail