Not only has the new Kia Sorento been awarded five stars in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the big SUV has achieved one of the highest ANCAP scores ever - 36.62 out of 37 in the more stringent 2015 criteria.
The third-gen Sorento aced the side impact and pole tests with perfect scores, with all impact zones on test dummies in front-offset and whiplash tests ranging between good and acceptable. Where were points lost? The chest region and the lower leg area in the frontal offset test, with 3.75 and 3.87 out of 4, respectively.
The Sorento's good safety performance is not unprecedented for a Korean car. Last October, the Hyundai Genesis achieved the highest score in the 21-year history of the ANCAP with 36.88 points against 2014 criteria. The tests get tougher every year.
"ANCAP requirements continually increase, encouraging manufacturers to provide consumers with safer cars. ANCAP has been raising this bar annually since 2011. Consumers should continue to look for cars which have been awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating. In addition, ANCAP also publishes the Rating Year for each car it rates. This important reference indicates the standards against which a vehicle has been assessed," explains ANCAP CEO Nicholas Clarke.
The new Kia Sorento will launch in Australia this week, and is set to make its Malaysian debut either this month or in July, we have been told. The second-gen Sorento, while handsome, was only available with a petrol engine in Malaysia. Let's hope that the diesel makes it here this time around.
Third-generation Kia Sorento
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