Kia Sorento SUV (2011-2015) - Practicality & boot space

The Kia Sorento is a very big car with seven seats that can be arranged in a variety of layouts, so it’s perfect for large families. It’s very similar in length and width to the Hyundai Santa Fe, with which it shares a lot of components. The Kia is 4,685mm long and 1,885mm wide, while the Hyundai is 4,690mm long and 1,880mm wide.

Vast as it is, the Sorento isn’t too hard to park. Its big windows mean visibility is generally good, while the steering is light and every model comes with rear parking sensors as standard.

Kia Sorento interior space and storage

Legroom and headroom in all but the third-row seats of the Sorento is good – and even those back seats are fine for children and young adults. The seats are also flexible, with the third row splitting and folding 50:50 and the second row splitting and folding 60:40. There are also ISOFIX child-seat mounts in the second row.

There are plenty of cubbyholes dotted around the Kia’s cabin, including a large centre storage area and a huge glovebox, plus another storage space behind the centre of the dashboard.

The Sorento is tall with a high ride height, so getting in and out is a lot easier than with most cars, as you step up rather than having to contort yourself down.

Kia Sorento boot space

If all seven seats are in place, then the Sorento’s available boot space isn’t much to write home about – only 116 litres. Fold the back two seats down and you get a much more spacious 515 litres, while there’s a massive 1,530 litres with all five back seats flat.

That’s not quite as big as the Hyundai Santa Fe (585/1,680 litres) and it pales in comparison to the Nissan X-Trail’s 550/1,982 litres, but all three are pretty large. Loading big objects into the Sorento is easy, as the boot has a large opening and no lip to lift baggage over. You also get a full-size spare wheel with the Kia, which better than the increasingly common tyre-repair kits.

Kia Sorento towing

A big 4x4 like the Sorento with a large diesel engine is perfect for towing, but you need to pay attention to the transmission if you plan to push the envelope with the amount of weight you’re pulling. Manual versions of the Kia can haul 2,500kg behind them, while the automatics are good for 2,000kg.