sorento xs

[dazber]

hi

need a few pointers..!!

seen a 55 plate sorento xs auto.. anyone have one ?? whats it like economy wise ?? no doubt the 2.5 engine will drink some but just wanted to know if anyone has the correct specs for solo and towing.. cant seem to find them on line anywhere..

thanks in advance

darrell

 

[SteveW77]

You will find that there is no simple answer to your question.

The MPG varies from car to car,whether its manual or auto, some autos get 33+ mpg, others like mine get 22-23mpg despite driving like an old maid.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

Steve W

 

[SteveW77]

P.S. Try this site.

www.kiasorento.proboards46.com/index.cgi?action=login

Steve W

 

[dazber]

hi steve

thanks for comment.. how come then some vary from model to model.. thought the mpg should be pretty much the same.. 22 to 23 doesnt sound very much though

darrell

 

[xtrailman]

darrell

my gut feeling is, the difference is due to engineering tolaraces, or poor quality control.

Sometimes you do get what you pay for. Its usually what you can't see.

An example. my niece worked for a company that supplied paint to Honda. Now Honda had a strict spec for the paint.

A batch was made that tested out of spec,(too thin).

The manager said send it anyway!

My niece said Honda will just send it back.

Honda did, the firm lost the contract. The factory shut.

My niece now signs on.

Another example of poor managment?

 

[Max_5063914]

Darrel, I have the same car/year. I regularly get 28 - 30 mpg solo, and 22/24 towing an Abbey Vogue GTS 415 (1470kg's. I think that given the size/weight of the vehicle, it's not too bad.

Max.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Darrell

I've had my 05 Sorie from new. The mpg improved considerably as she reached 10k. Now we get 32 solo on average and 28 towing on mororway , dropping to 24+ on twisty A roads.

The uksorento.com site has already been suggested. Have a look . We did a survey of mpgs. Very interesting.

In a nutshell it just depends if you have a lot of leasd in your right foot and like pressing the brake pedal hard?

As a tuger , and for reliability, one of , if not the best I have had.

Cheers

Alan

 

[SteveW77]

"In a nutshell it just depends if you have a lot of leasd in your right foot and like pressing the brake pedal hard?"

I am sorry Alan, I can't let that slip by without saying something, as I have already stated, I drive like an old maid, trying to get decent figures for fuel consumption.

There are several of us on the Kia forum that continually complain about the wildy varying fuel consumption figures quoted.

To try and make it seem as if there is not an issue with fuel consumption, may mislead someone into buying a car that they may be very disappointed in, or worse just cannot afford to run.

Steve W

 

[Dustydog]

Steve

I agree the Sorento forum has wildly varying mpgs.

But why??

My mate has one and his consumption was poor. Eventually the dealer found the rear handbrakes were not releasing, hence binding.

Others have found the engine management system needed changing.

My figures are pretty accurate over the last 40k. I also use one of Taffs Powerboxes. And before you say it, no it does not improve mpg but more so improves torque, thus requiring a lighter throttle opening and mpg doesn't suffer .

I stand by my statement that the Sorento is very sensitive to a heavy right foot. Flooring the throttle all the time will drink the juice.

My figures are pretty well mid table on the Sorie site so I don't think for one minute I am misleading anyone. But no one in their right mind , me included, can believe the manufacturers quoted figures.

It is also worth mentioning that overall economy is directly related to annual mileage. Thus if I do 15k a year I am not too bothered. If I did 30k a year it really will cost me. But then why did I buy the Srie in the first place? To tow my caravan.

Cheers

Alan

 

[dazber]

Steve

I agree the Sorento forum has wildly varying mpgs.

But why??

My mate has one and his consumption was poor. Eventually the dealer found the rear handbrakes were not releasing, hence binding.

Others have found the engine management system needed changing.

My figures are pretty accurate over the last 40k. I also use one of Taffs Powerboxes. And before you say it, no it does not improve mpg but more so improves torque, thus requiring a lighter throttle opening and mpg doesn't suffer .

I stand by my statement that the Sorento is very sensitive to a heavy right foot. Flooring the throttle all the time will drink the juice.

My figures are pretty well mid table on the Sorie site so I don't think for one minute I am misleading anyone. But no one in their right mind , me included, can believe the manufacturers quoted figures.

It is also worth mentioning that overall economy is directly related to annual mileage. Thus if I do 15k a year I am not too bothered. If I did 30k a year it really will cost me. But then why did I buy the Srie in the first place? To tow my caravan.

Cheers

Alan

hi guys..

thanks for all the info.. greatly appreciated..

i tow an abbey aventura 330 with my sorie and think its bloody useless economy wise.. my old freelander was way better and still pulled the van no problem..

as an example... i put

 

[dazber]

10:07 PM hi guys..

thanks for all the info.. greatly appreciated..

i tow an abbey aventura 330 with my sorie and think its bloody useless economy wise.. my old freelander was way better and still pulled the van no problem..

as an example... i put

 

[otherclive]

I have an 04 XS auto and get 30-32mpg solo, and 22-24mpg towing 1400kg. I use branded fuels and have a K&N filter plus I use fully synthetic oil. My driving is a mix of rural, A and M roads.

Regarding Ray's swipe at Kia he clearly doesn't know the pedigree of the engine, or the other components that make up the Sorento or he would not be so cynical. Just look at the Sorento reliabilty figures compared to other comparable vehicles.

 

[xtrailman]

clive

i wasn't having a swipe at your sorrie,

i only know what other sorrie owners tell me.

that the economy varies wildly.

i was guessing that engineering tolarances maybe the reason?

What do you think the reasons are?

i dont think for a minuet that using branded fuels and full syn oil makes the difference.

As for the kn filter all that does is allow more air passage, with the result of providing less filtering?

 

[dazber]

hi guys..

again thanks for all the feedback, the sorrie is a brilliant car in all aspects apart from the fuel economy.. i had a freelander before the sorento, and i know its a smaller engine. ( and it wasnt the td4) but the overall economy was hell of a lot better.. with the freelander i towed all the way to devon ( 1500 abbey) and still had fuel left from a full tank wheni got there.. went to bournemouth at xmas with same and had to full up just as we arrived..if it had the same economy as my old landy i wouldnt hesitate in keeping it..but alas its going to have to go.. lookin now at either mondeo, passat, vectra or peugeot 407..

fingers crossed

thanks again

daz

 

[otherclive]

clive

i wasn't having a swipe at your sorrie,

i only know what other sorrie owners tell me.

that the economy varies wildly.

i was guessing that engineering tolarances maybe the reason?

What do you think the reasons are?

i dont think for a minuet that using branded fuels and full syn oil makes the difference.

As for the kn filter all that does is allow more air passage, with the result of providing less filtering?

Ray,

my comment re fuels, oil and filter was intened to show that even with those inputs the best I get is 30-32mpg and I am not a heavy footed driver. Why a small number get much less than that is a mystery that even the correspondents on the Kia Home Forum have not got to the bottom of.

Cheers

Other Clive

 

[GeorgeB]

Darrell,

Having worked with Audi for a number of years & my speciality is engine management systems, from what I can gather is that the problem with Kia is that the eninge management ECU set up varies from car to car let alone batch to batch!

I was recently made redundant so "lost" my beloved Audi as my company & tow car....so what did I choose as my daily & tow car.....2005 (55 plate) Sorento 2.5 XS Manual! & yes one of the first things I have done is fit one of Taff's power boxes, not for out & out ooomph but to get the best torque figures to enable the sorrie to tow at its best.

Pre power box fitment my mpg figures were solo (over 1000 miles) 41.59 mpg & yes I do drive it like an old fart after all its my hard earned dosh that pays for the fuel! & 25.23 towing (over 74 miles) not towed yet with the power box fitted, but solo (over the last 750 miles) mpg is 41.44 mpg, a slight reduction but the car is so much more responsive its like driving a different car! I'm going to try it tugging the van before I back off the power box setting.

Driven sensibly the Sorrie still wont be the most economical one around, but for one of the best tow cars on the planet...get yourself a Sorrie you wont be disapointed!

 

[Tony-Porthcawl]

Hi Guy's

I have a Sorento 2004 XS manual amd get 32mpg solo and 26mpg towing my Bailey Senetor Wyoming TA like a dream best tow car I have had.I have towed for 25yrs with all types and this is the best so far.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi George

That solo figure is pretty impressive. See my earlier post above.Taff's powerbox does work as long as you accept it is not primarily a fuel saver but a torque increaser.

I have the same outfit as Tony and find it a good match. My '05 Sories on 65k miles and she's been good as gold touch wood.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[GeorgeB]

Dustydog,

This weekend, did just over 190 miles, this time driving like a "Normall" person, just to see what the difference is between my "Old Fart" mode of driving & normall is.......mpg dropped to 37.89 OMG! back to OLD FART MODE!!!!!

 

[KevinKTWO]

I often wonder why people worry about a few mpg difference, If we take GeorgeB example. If you were todo 10,000 miles per year and pay 95 p litre (I know it's closer to a petrol price than diesel) however 41.44 mpg costs

 

[SteveW77]

Hi Kevin

The cost is considerably more if like mine it only returns 24mpg even driving like an "old fart" I have never spoken to a Sorento owner who has got anywhere near to George B's figures.

Steve W

 

[Sailor2]

Hi Kevin

The cost is considerably more if like mine it only returns 24mpg even driving like an "old fart" I have never spoken to a Sorento owner who has got anywhere near to George B's figures.

Steve W

I have a 57 reg Sorrento XS towing a 1500 Abbey GTS and I have to say it is the best vehicle I have had, the economy is good both solo and towing, you forget you have caravan on the back, a lot different to other 4x4's I have had in the past. it is a lot of vehicle for sensible money, unlike the similar vehicle with a prestige badge on the front.

Highly Recommended

 

[Dustydog]

I, Other Clive and Tony all seem to be getting the same mpg. No where near what Kia suggest nor I have to say anything like George B! How do you do it George????

Ray , My friend visits Kia in Seoul twice a year on business . It is a state of the art factory that would be envied by MB. The engineering I am told strictly follows Japanese practice.

The Kia Sorento costs half the price of a Landrover Disco, is clearly more reliable and brings intelligent reliable 4x4 vehicles to those who do not have deep enough pockets to afford a Disco. And yes nearly 4 years on my Sorrie has been a very faithful beast.

Do all Discos eturn the same mpg?? I think not!

Cheers

Dustydog and his Sorrie

 

[otherclive]

I, Other Clive and Tony all seem to be getting the same mpg. No where near what Kia suggest nor I have to say anything like George B! How do you do it George????

Ray , My friend visits Kia in Seoul twice a year on business . It is a state of the art factory that would be envied by MB. The engineering I am told strictly follows Japanese practice.

The Kia Sorento costs half the price of a Landrover Disco, is clearly more reliable and brings intelligent reliable 4x4 vehicles to those who do not have deep enough pockets to afford a Disco. And yes nearly 4 years on my Sorrie has been a very faithful beast.

Do all Discos eturn the same mpg?? I think not!

Cheers

Dustydog and his Sorrie

Hi, the Which Spring 2009 Car survey shows the Sorrie to have very good reliabilty and it compares far better to most other marques including LR FL2. My experience back that up as until recently it had been totally trouble free in 5 years. It's only failing has been a stuck caliper which cost

 

[GeorgeB]

Dustydog & others,

How do I do it? well I don't really know, but maybe it's because I've worked with cars all my life & as with all pieces of machinary I treat them with an awfull lot of respect (even when racing them, cars that is... mainly because when I did race I couldn't afford a a tow vehicle so I had to drive my race car to the track, race it & then drive it home afterwards! so I couldn't afford to blow the engine or gearbox on the track!).

I'm also fortunate inso much as where I live I can be on the "open" road within half a mile so can drive the Sorrie at its most economical speeds within a very short period of time!

Making sure that the Sorrie is in Perfect running order also helps, it's also helpful that I drive as per "fuel economy runs" thats to say anticipation plays a huge benifit, as does not accererating or braking harshly! also I do not coast to save fuel, but rely on engine braking & the engine management system to save fuel consumption!

I also avoid conurbations at rush hours, constantly accerating & braking plays havoc with fuel economy! on the open road I engage the cruise control & it's very rare that I exceed 65 solo & 55 towing.

When I was young & stupid (as opposed to old & stupid now!) Speed & 0 to 60 (or even 100) was everything, now it's 0 to 60 eventually!.......hence "Old fart mode"!!!!!!!!!

Kevin,

As I drive on average 50K solo per year the difference between 41.5 mpg & 35 mpg at 100.9p per litre means