Kia Middle East and Africa has announced the arrival of the third-generation Kia Sorento, an SUV offering a unique blend of style, practicality and technology, to the region.

The award winning SUV was unveiled late last year through an exclusive test drive media event in Jordan and features a smoother, swept-back profile while deeply sculpted surfaces introduce a greater level of sophistication for the third-generation of this popular Kia SUV.

The premium look and feel is echoed in the cabin, which offers more space for up to seven occupants and numerous innovative features.

Alex Chung, president of Kia Motors Middle East and Africa Regional Headquarters, said: “We are immensely proud of the international awards the all-news Sorento has secured in the short time since its global launch and we are now very pleased to herald its arrival in our region. In its third generation, the all-new Sorento further raises the bar in the regional compact SUV segment.”

For the iF Design Award, a jury of the globally-recognized design awards program honoured the third generation of the Sorento in the ‘Product’ category. As well as praising the car for the overall quality of its design, the jury were also impressed with criteria such as finish, degree of innovation, environmental impact and safety, a statement said.

The third-generation Sorento SUV qualified for the ‘Top Safety Pick’ award by achieving a ‘Good’ rating in every one of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) demanding tests, thanks to an even stronger bodyshell and a wide array of passive and active safety equipment.

In this year’s Red Dot Awards, the jury – made up of design experts from a range of industries – granted the all-new Kia Sorento with the ‘Red Dot’ award in recognition of its exceptional design details.

Sorento’s recent award was received by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 5-star for overall safety rating.  

Throughout the development of the new Sorento, Kia engineers also focused on strengthening the bodyshell structure and improving NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) characteristics to increase refinement and create a tranquil travelling environment that is as sophisticated as the new model’s styling, the statement said.

Two engines are available with the new Sorento including a 2.4-liter and a 3.3-liter multi-point injection (MPI) engines. The two engines fitted to the all-new Sorento are designed to offer greater mid- and low-range torque, providing the smooth acceleration drivers have come to expect from an SUV. – TradeArabia News Service