Kia has added a new Sorento to its 2014 Paris motor show stand that already includes a facelifted Kia Rio announced yesterday (29 Spetember). The introduction of the European spec third generation Kia Sorento promises to improve ride, handling and crash safety. Other aspects that have been looked at include improvements to NVH, a more quality interior and improved petrol and diesel engines.

2015 Kia Sorento Details

From the offset it’s easy to see that the new Sorento has taken on a more masculine physique. The current generation Sorento appeals to the minivan driver and airport shuttler, this new one has a much more butch, SUV stance.

Check out the teaser video for the 2015 Kia Sorento here

The front of the new Sorento incorporates long, wrap-around headlamps and more prominent fog-lamps, as well as a larger, more upright ‘tiger-nose’ grille, with a three-dimensional diamond pattern, first featured on the 2013 Kia Cross GT concept. The rear of the car features more prominent shoulders and a highly sculpted number plate surround.

The dimensions of the new Sorento change as follows: increased length (+95 mm to 4 780 mm), reduced height (down 15 mm to 1 685 mm) and extra width (+5 mm to 1 890 mm).

Kia says its interior is the biggest improvement on the new Sorento featuring a more luxurious cabin with significantly higher quality materials. One of the most distinctive interior styling features is the Swiss watch-inspired user interface, which incorporates Kia’s latest infotainment system surrounded by new silver-look border.

The Sorento will also see the debut of a few new pieces of tech. An Around-View Monitor, with four cameras helping the driver to manoeuvre when parking by displaying a birds-eye view of the vehicle on the dashboard display screen, and a Smart Power Tailgate. This system opens the tailgate automatically when the key is sensed in close proximity to the boot.

The Sorento has upgraded versions of both the petrol and diesel engines. The 2.4-litre petrol motor is now capable of 138 kW and 241 Nm. The entry-level 2-litre diesel sees it push out 136 kW a 402 Nm of torque. The top-spec 2.2-litre diesel pushes out a hefty 147 kW teamed with 441 Nm of torque.