If 4x4s are all about oneupmanship, Kia's second-generation Sorento is the first shot in a new class war. Droves of British drivers are paying through their lofty noses to be seen behind the badges of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo and Lexus - but here's a Korean no-name that promises to walk the all-terrain walk and talk the plummy talk so convincingly that no one will even notice the low-cost price tag.
How low cost? This new model is already in the showrooms with a price structure that kicks off at �19,995. Now, for a diesel 4x4 which at a glance, or even at a fairly prolonged gaze, looks not too dissimilar from a Mercedes-Benz M Class, that seems quite a snip. That price, for the CRDi XE, sees you behind the wheel of a 35.8mpg family car which lists air con, alloys, central locking and electric mirrors among its assets. Step up to a �22,995 XS model and you can add cruise, auto climate control, a power sunroof and - vital for muddy Labradors - leather seats. Kia's dealers, in short, are showing you into some very nice seats. Walk into a German rival's showroom with the same expectations and budget and they'll probably buzz for security.
What of the small print though? Isn't buying an M-Class lookalike as any brand-aware person might casually wonder, akin to grabbing fake Gucci from Camden Market? Well yes, to a point, but the bottom line with this newcomer is that it's no flagrant rip-off. Sure, it looks very much groomed to blend with the best, but the design details are more of a nod of admiration that a shameless crib.
To find out more, I went to Morocco. This country's don't-look-down topography, its roads punctuated by regular smash ups and littered by wondering camels, sheep and goats, isn't quite the terrain that any new SUV buyer will readily encounter. But with savage off-road tracks, widescreen seas of Saharan sand and fast open roads for high speed cruising, it's the kind of road test environment that would make even the rufty-tuftiest offroad manufacturer think twice about before setting as a venue.
With 25 Sorentos exposed to two three-day sessions of intensive bashing, I spoke to the man responsible for Kia's Moroccan test as we jetted headed home. In a week, he'd lost just one, after the motoring editor of a certain national broadsheet paper crested a sand dun with his, apparently believing a "Convert To Plane" button existed somewhere on the dash.
If you'd seen the kind of chassis twisting, grinding misery some of our routes entailed, I think you'd judge this tally impressive. In the Atlas mountains, a section of our route took us (in low ratio) through a rutted quarry bed that turned out to be a 45-mile lifeline for a string of remote villages. Kia prided itself on using factory-standard models; when we emerged at the other end the only damage was the sort that washes off.
Morocco proved the Sorento would serve Barney Rubble proud, but what of the finer points? Some cars are user-friendly, but this one is almost embarrassingly polite. It's got a great ride. Even as a passenger, there's very little jiggle and wibble as you cut through twisting roads. It has plenty of room - in the back, leg space is exceptional and although the dash isn't going to lure Audi TT drivers, the design is neat and tidy with no unpleasant Far Eastern twists to make you reach for your sunglasses.
There are some minor reservations. The door pockets seem to be designed for skeletons to use - so narrow they are virtually useless; the radio aerial rises up from the driver's side wing in a fashion that's so yesterday and -ok, perhaps not so minor - the manual gearbox has too wide a gate. Lovely if you want to impersonate a bus driver; less good if not. The auto option - at �1,100 more, sadly - is the only way here and is far more of a match for the car's performance.
And perform it does - okay, it's not going to shame a Range Rover Sport driver, but the Sorento (unlike its previous incarnation) now derives sufficient grunt from its 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine to produce competent results. Granted there's a lack of reserve in the mid-range for snappy overtaking, but on the motorway this car will waft along with the best.
With so many boxes ticked, does the Sorento really pass muster as a street-credible 4x4? The answer isn't exclaimed in screaming capitals, but the answer, all the same, is yes.
Tiscali verdict: 8/10 For a smarter SUV, move up a Kia
