Sorrento vs M Class?

[philip_5109302]

Can't decide, 03 Sorrento or 02 M Class. head says Sorrento, heart says Merc. Need to tow up to 2t without clutch struggling when manouvering / reversing etc.. Or is a 4 motion Passat a better option?

Confused and bewildered, help.......

 

[Ian_5094401]

All Ican say on this matter is that I have a Sorento. A mate of mine had a Merc. When his car was in for a warranty repair (again) he borrowed my Sorento to relocate his van.

He was so impressed with the Sorento he sold his Merc and bought one. Nuff said I think.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Are you not comparing peas with sausages here?

 

[Conquerorman]

Having owned both i would recommend the sorento. If it's image you want buy the M class. If you want reliability and a better towing vehicle go for the sorento.

 

[Mikey1]

I agree with Garry,you cant compare the 2.

Brand new the Sorento is so much cheaper but second hand the price becomes more comparable ie 3yr old merc 19k.

I have a Sorento for a week end,smaller boot ,quite a noisy diesel,very light steering and quality of plastics and i had the 4 speed auto as well but for the price you cant go wrong,although price has crept up a bit now.

I have always liked my Merc and i had tested all the others and felt i had made the correct choice in my opinion.

Everyone has their own ideas on what is the perfect car.

Try them all and make the desision on what YOU like the best.

 

[Del_374232870]

It has to be the merc, much more refined engine and in a different class. the Sorrento is a lovely car for the money but I agree with gary. Interesting that when it comes to styling the Merc set the standards and most other manufacturers followed.

 

[Mikey1]

Hi Philip

If you are going to tow up to 2T you will nearly 100% Kia kerbweight just over 2000Kg Merc is 2200 Kg

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Mikey

Both the Sorrento and the Merc are both rated to tow 3.5T which is well beyond the 2T that Philip wishes to tow.

The only time that the difference in these two car might be for Philip, is if he had only passed his driving test after Jan 1997, when, the standards test only allows the driver to tow a trailer up to 100% of the kerb weight, but he would also be scuppered on the train weight which would exceed the categories limit of 3500kg

Otherwise legally there is no problem with either car.

Technically it is sensible to keep the ratio as favourable as possible. And of course there is no guarantee that combination will tow well, that depends on a whole host of factors, one of which is weight ratio, but loading, tyres, suspensions and not least driving style will all affect the towing experience. - but that also applies to every other combination.

Philip I cannot offer any suggestions on which of the two vehicles to choose as I have never driven either model. But it is easy to become blinkered and it might be worth considering a wider range of vehicles.

Both the Kia and Merc are considered to be large 4x4's, and whilst they area capable towers, All 4x4's are mechanically more complex, and have the potential to be more expensive to service and repair, and with the weight and the friction the extra mechanics impose they will use more fuel than an equivalent two wheel drive model. How often have you honestly come across a towing situation that only a 4x4 could master?

Even the most ardent caravaners spend most of their driving without a caravan in tow. So unless you are mud plugging everyday, it might be worth looking at what else can tow your caravan, and might also provide a better day to day driving experience.

You mention the Audi, clearly you are not jumping to the conclusion that large 4x4's are the only choice, in fact is a 4x4 actually necessary? There are other large saloons and estates that are technically capable of towing 2T.

I personally use a 2.2l diesel Renault Espace to tow a 2T twin axle trailer, and it has always been a pleasure to drive, offering the high driving position similar to a 4x4, the flexible space for passengers and luggage, and good economy. More recent models offer a 3L diesel with auto box. There are of course a choice of MPV's - both Kia and Merc offer models. - it might be worth looking.

 

[Mikey1]

Hi John L

From a well known caravan site

For the beginner:

Find out the Kerb Weight of your tow car (it should be in the vehicle handbook, on one of the vehicle VIN plates or look on the Towsure web site) then multiply that weight by 0.85 to obtain the safe all-up or Maximum Authorised Weight (MAW) for towing.

For the expert:

If you have years of experience towing, then you can probably get away with towing at 100% of your vehicle's Kerb Weight.

It also states you should never exceed the Kerbweight of your vehicle.

Tail wagging the dog springs to mind.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Mikey,

It is estimated that the UK caravan market is only about 10% of the whole of Europe. The CC therefore represents a very small percentage of the caravanners across Europe, and yet none of the other European organisations suggest such low limits on towing.

It also does not reflect the state of the law, and it ignores the detailed work that the vehicle manufactures do to obtain type approval.

I do agree that it is sensible to keep the weight ratio as favourable as possible, but provide the outfit is stable then there is nothing in law to prevent working right up to the manufacturers limits.

Regardless of what ratio, any towing must be carried out with care. And good preparation, with good weight distribution, tyre pressures etc.

 

[spj]

Hi Philip,

As posted before I went for the ML becuase I believe it will hold it's value better than a Kia, but I am comparing a 2 year old Merc to a New Kia, mine was 38k new, I paid 20k at 23 months old from a main dealer so somebody else took the hit. To compare a new ML to a new Kia would not be fair due to the price difference. I have no doubt the Kia is an excellent car but it is a budget 4x4 with some cheap looking trim and I would be very surprised if they do 30mpg towing, I know they have a bit of a following but is it a bit like Landrover owners that tell you they don't break down? The older engine is also sluggish, coupled with a relatively primitive 4 speed auto it will not perform like an old shape ML solo or towing. The ML had a 5 speed auto and a common rail diesel engine when it was launched nearly 10 years ago.

Dont take all this the wrong way as I looked in depth at the Kia and for the price it is excellent value, but the ML suited me better although as with any car it has its bad points.

We go on a lot of winter rallies and the Sorrento is very common with all year caravanners so Kia are doing something right.

spj.

 

[philip_5109302]

Thanks guys for the informed and interesting replies, i guess you pay your money and take your choice!

 

[RogerP]

Hi Philip

bottom line , you need to be comfortable with the costs of any vehicle be that purchase , running and eventually resale.

Go for the car that does the job you need it do but does it safely.

Also test drive your choices , and not just a spin round the block. You need to make sure you can live with the car for long labourious journeys or short trips to the shops

I looked at the Kia but found it seemed cheap compared to some other options. Sounds daft but I like to rest my right arm on the door ledge , the Kia didn't really have one and it was plastic , so very hard.

Think about the stuff you'll have in the car , where will it go?

Also the ONLY dealers who offered extended test drives (i.e the car for the weekend) were Merc and BMW. My local Kia dealer was almost reluctant to let me take the car off "his" preferred test route.

Finally , dont believe all you hear about Kia and mpg , there are some cars where it is half of the official figures. I cant go into details but suffice to say , aside from the many forums with owners accounts of poor performance , the company I work for has highlighted this to Kia who have been unable to explain or solve.

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

what did you pick

jo-anne

 

[philip_5109302]

what did you pick

jo-anne

Nothing yet Jo, will wait till after Xmas when we start towing again i think. I know, cop out, but hey,it takes a long time to save it and no time to blow it, so I want to be right when i do!!!

 

[clivea]

Hi,

Kia have now reduced the 3 yaer recovery assist (europe -wide) to one yaer, on account that the Sorento is so reliable. i own a Sorento and think it is a fine tow car and in nearly fours yaers it has been totally trouble free and main dealer servicing is not expensive compared to previous prestige cars such as land Rover Disco, Volvo, Saab and BMW. I would go as far as saying it is the best car I have had for reliability. Look at warranty directs website to get a comparison on relaibilty and calim costs.

 

[Mikey1]

Seems strange why they would reduce their recovery,if they were really confident on the reliability they would have increased it?

 

[rob_jax]

Quote "Seems strange why they would reduce their recovery,if they were really confident on the reliability they would have increased it?"

This is open to a number of interpretations.

For instance, every Mercedes car has a "free" 30 year MobiloLife package - a very comprehensive roadside assitance / get you home / run out of fuel / lose the keys European protection package.

Fine, but it's not a service that MB actually run, it's organised by a third party through local specialists and service centres.

And Kia did the same third party sourcing with their 3 year assistance package - but it does actually cost Kia money - and one way of reducing costs / increasing profit is to reduce outgoing expenditure.

Robert

 

[RogerP]

they haven't actually reduced the cover due to reliability , its a cost thing.

Breakdown cover from manufacturers is becoming a cost luxury and with the squeeze on due to slowing sales they need to improve the margins on a new car. Some are reducing cover and others will remove it completely in the near future.

 

[RogerP]

Quote "Seems strange why they would reduce their recovery,if they were really confident on the reliability they would have increased it?"

This is open to a number of interpretations.

For instance, every Mercedes car has a "free" 30 year MobiloLife package - a very comprehensive roadside assitance / get you home / run out of fuel / lose the keys European protection package.

Fine, but it's not a service that MB actually run, it's organised by a third party through local specialists and service centres.

And Kia did the same third party sourcing with their 3 year assistance package - but it does actually cost Kia money - and one way of reducing costs / increasing profit is to reduce outgoing expenditure.

Robert

Hi Rob_Jax

slightly inaccurate about the MB cover , MB do actually run the scheme from a Maastrict for the whole of Europe.

I know we lost a shed load of staff when they centralised it about 10 years ago , litterally pulling the plug on the UK based solution overnight.

 

[Mikey1]

So now if your car break down after 13 months they wont recovery whereas before they would recover you,is this correct?

 

[RogerP]

basically yes ,

They will offer you the choice to rejoin the scheme at your costs at a favourable rate though.

Breakdown cover is like any insurance scheme , you can only 'claim' during the policy term. So if cover ends today and you dont renew or take out alternative cover , tomorrow you breakdown then you're on your own.

You can join RAC or AA et al if you are broken down but you will have to pay a surcharge above the membership fees and also be subject to restrictions of cover (dependant on what cover you take out) for that incident.