Kia packs a punch with its off-roading van

Published on Tuesday 3 February 2009 21:43

IS THERE really that much call for 4x4 vans? Whatever the thinking behind it, Kia has gotten in on the act with its Sorento XE-C commercial vehicle.

The pick-up truck is a far more common beast, for reasons that aren't too tricky to fathom. They have that tough 'n' trendy image and you can see how the open-air load area could come in useful for dirty and/or smelly equipment.

In terms of functionality, a 4x4 van only really makes sense if you want to carry a load that must be kept clean and protected from the elements over terrain that a conventional van couldn't handle. It's a specialised set of requirements that might go some way to explaining the 4x4 van's relative obscurity.

Over the past few years we've seen 4x4 vans aplenty popping up onto the LCV marketplace, some of them, like Kia's Sorento XE-C, from unexpected quarters. Nissan, Land Rover and Mitsubishi are the usual suspects in the sector but Jeep threw us a curve ball with its Cherokee Pioneer a while back and then Kia came up on the rails. These last two additions to the genre are unusual, because neither Jeep nor Kia had any history of selling commercial vehicles in the UK.

Could it be that they viewed a van conversion as a quick-fix method for shifting a few more units of their family 4x4s? It is a possibility, although there's more to the Sorento XE-C than a standard Sorento in which someone has set about the rear seats with an angle-grinder.

The Sorento's rear bench seat is no longer present in the XE-C van and in its place is a flat load floor. The area in the back has surprisingly roomy dimensions with a load length of 1.6 meters, a load width of 1.3m and a height of 93cm.

Access to this space is through the rear tailgate that also retains the secondary flip-up glass hatch seen on the Sorento passenger car. It's a handy inclusion that lets you quickly drop smaller objects into the back without opening the full tailgate.

You can also get at your cargo through the rear passenger doors, but these side-hinged portals don't really lend themselves to the loading or unloading of bulky items.

You soon appreciate why purpose-built vans employ sliding doors on their flanks when the open doors on the XE-C get in the way, and the aperture that was designed to accommodate passengers won't let that big cardboard box pass. Eventually, you'll admit defeat and use the tailgate to stow any oversize objects.

The Kia Sorento is a good-looking family 4x4, and being that the alterations that made it into a van took place internally, the Sorento XE-C keeps its styling. Looking good might help it get an edge on the competition too. It's not too difficult to envisage image- conscious urban businesses turning to something like the Sorento XE-C instead of a run-of-the-mill compact van.

They would probably have no intention of taking it off-road, but the XE-C will cut more of a dash on the local high street than something like a Citron Berlingo. With its chunkily modern front end featuring that sharply contoured bonnet and those dramatic wheel arches housing their oversize wheels, Kia's offering might just be the most visually attractive 4x4 van on the market.

The XE-C is based on the Sorento XE from the passenger car range, but it shares its specification with a non-commercial model. This is encouraging, as vans normally miss out on the choicest features to keep costs down. Sorento XE-C buyers get air-conditioning, remote central locking, power steering, ABS brakes and 16in alloy wheels amongst other niceties. What's entry-level spec for a family 4x4 these days is still positively luxurious for a van.

All Sorento models come with the same 2.5-litre CRDi common-rail diesel engine and it's a pleasantly refined one that's not lacking in power. The 138bhp maximum output is generated at 3,800rpm and torque of 343Nm is available between 1,850 and 2,500rpm.

It all adds up to good flexibility with strong acceleration on tap through a broad section of the rev-range.

There's a choice of good five-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed H-matic auto option that makes for a more relaxed drive but hurts fuel economy slightly. Pick the manual and you can expect to get 37mpg from your Sorento XE-C and that drops to 33mpg with the automatic.

On the road, the steering is rather loose and inaccurate, but the XE-C rides well and is otherwise pleasant to drive.

Kia's traditional values of high specification and low prices should strike a chord with commercial vehicle buyers. There are question-marks over the durability of some of the interior materials when faced with harsh commercial usage and the Sorento isn't the most capable off-road vehicle, but you can't argue with the specification, the price or the styling – and the engine is also a winner.