the best seven-seat suv under £40k

Britain’s biggest and best car buyer’s guide
Reprinted from What Car? June 2015
EV ERY CA R RATE D H EV EN MORE DATA
THE BEST
SEVEN-SEAT SUV
UNDER
£40K
New Kia Sorento versus
FIRST
UK
TEST
new Land Rover Disco Sport,
Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan X-Trail
‘The Sorento
is the most
practical of
the four, and
that counts
for a lot’
Group test
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento
vs Land Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
Kings of the
mild frontier
THE CONTENDERS
Hyundai Santa Fe
2.2 CRDi 197 4WD Premium auto
List price £33,610
Still looks sharp and costs less to
buy than its Korean counterpart.
Can the new Kia Sorento beat the best seven-seat
SUVs, including the new Land Rover Discovery Sport?
NEW
Kia Sorento
2.2 CRDi KX-2 auto
List price £33,745
Kia’s largest SUV isn’t cheap these
days, but it’s better than ever.
NEW
Land Rover Discovery Sport
2.2 SD4 SE auto
List price £34,195
Freelander replacement is great
to drive. Is it practical enough?
Photography John Bradshaw
Nissan X-Trail
1.6 dCi 130 4WD Tekna
List price £32,145
The cheapest and best-equipped.
No automatic gearbox if you want
four-wheel drive, though.
whatcar.com
SO, YOU NEED seven seats but you
don’t want an MPV. It’s one of the
most popular questions we get
asked here at What Car?. Well,
unless your budget stretches
beyond £45k, these four SUVs are
likely to be on your shortlist.
Two of them – the classy Kia
Sorento and the ultra-desirable
Land Rover Discovery Sport – are
brand new, and we’re about to find
out if they can beat established
favourites the Nissan X-Trail and
Hyundai Santa Fe. {
whatcar.com
Group test
Performance
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Three of these SUVs are available
with a choice of manual or
automatic gearboxes, but the
Nissan forces you to have a
manual ’box if you want
four-wheel drive.
The X-Trail also looks
decidedly underpowered; its
1.6-litre diesel engine produces
just 129bhp, compared with
around 190bhp provided by
these rivals’ 2.2-litre engines. So,
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento
vs Land Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
it’s hardly surprising that the
Nissan was slowest of the four in
all of our acceleration tests by
some margin, and is the only car
that starts to struggle with the
weight of seven people and their
luggage. Relatively short gearing
helps to some extent, but means
you have to change gear
regularly to keep the engine in its
sweet spot.
That said, the Nissan is capable
of pulling braked trailers of up to
two tonnes, which is a match for
its two Korean rivals and only
slightly down on the Land
Rover’s 2.2-tonne maximum
towing capacity.
‘The Nissan
is the only
car to struggle
with the
weight of
seven people
and luggage’
The three 2.2-litre cars offer
very similar performance across
the board, pulling strongly from
around 1700rpm and
accelerating from 30-70mph
similarly briskly.
Meanwhile, the six-speed
automatic gearboxes in the
Sorento and Santa Fe are fairly
slow to change gear, but respond
snappily enough to kickdown
requests. The Land Rover’s
nine-speed gearbox shifts more
positively in normal driving, but
dithers when you ask for a
sudden burst of acceleration –
when pulling out of junctions or
roundabouts, for example.
FASTEST FROM 30-70MPH
Performance figures Acceleration 30–70mph in kickdown
Weather conditions Dry
9.3sec
Performance figures Acceleration 30–70mph in kickdown
Weather conditions Dry
9.4sec
0-60mph
30–50mph in kickdown
A 3.6
9.1
sec
50–70mph in kickdown
9.0m
49.1m
Performance figures Acceleration 30–70mph in kickdown
Top speed
124
Braking 30–0mph/70–0mph
mph
8.8m
Weather conditions Dry
46.8m
Performance figures Acceleration 30–70mph through gears
mph
Weather conditions Dry
12.2sec
9.3sec
0-60mph
30–50mph in kickdown
A 3.5
9.1
sec
50–70mph in kickdown
Top speed
A 5.8
117
Braking 30–0mph/70–0mph
8.9m
whatcar.com
sec
A 5.8
118
Braking 30–0mph/70–0mph
9.3
50–70mph in kickdown
Top speed
A 5.6
0-60mph
30–50mph in kickdown
A 3.8
48.5m
mph
30–50mph in 3rd/4th/5th/6th (sec)
3 4.3
4 5.8
5 12.3
0-60mph
11.3
6 27.1
sec
50–70mph in 3rd/4th/5th/6th (sec)
3 7.2
4 7.2
5 9.0
Top speed
6 12.1
116
Braking 30–0mph/70–0mph
9.1m
50.9m
mph
Hyundai Santa Fe
Ride and handling
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Comfort is the priority here, but
sloppy body control and unruly
handling aren’t acceptable
compromises in a modern SUV.
The Sorento strikes this balance
pretty well. At high speeds it wafts
along in a relaxed and comfortable
fashion, and its fairly soft
suspension copes well with larger
obstacles, such as speed bumps,
around town. Things are a little
unsettled over patched-up urban
roads, although the fact that our
test car was fitted with 19-inch
alloys (standard KX-2 models have
18-inch rims) would have had
something to do with this.
As you’d expect, the Sorento
doesn’t scythe through corners like
a hatchback, but neither does it
lurch around wildly. It grips well,
too. It’s just a pity the steering is
vague and unnaturally weighted,
because this takes the gloss off
what would otherwise be a very
pleasant driving experience.
The Santa Fe shares many of its
nuts and bolts with the Sorento, and
the similarities – in particular the
vague steering – are immediately
apparent. However, the Hyundai
doesn’t ride quite as smoothly as
its Korean sibling and sways about
a bit more through corners.
Meanwhile, the Nissan’s firmer
suspension means you’re always
more aware of bumps passing
beneath the car than in either of the
Korean cars. The ride never
becomes too jarring, even along
seriously rutted roads, and the
Nissan is marginally more agile
than the Kia and Hyundai. It steers
more accurately, too, giving you
that bit more confidence along
twisty country roads.
As its name would suggest, the
Discovery Sport is easily the most
nimble of the four. It sways around
far less than its rivals through tight
twists and turns, and grips harder.
Its quick, accurate steering also
lends the Land Rover an air of
agility without making it nervous.
There is a drawback, though: the
Discovery is the least comfortable
of the four around town, where its
firm suspension jostles you around
over every little imperfection; as
with the Kia and Hyundai, our test
car was fitted with optional 19in
alloys. Things improve as you pick
up the pace and the Land Rover
actually has the most comfortable
motorway ride of all these SUVs. {
Soft suspension means plenty of
body sway through bends. Ride
is a bit lumpy around town, too
Turning
circle
10.9m
BEST RIDE
Lock-to-lock
2.9 turns
Kia Sorento
Kia drives in a similar fashion to
Hyundai but suspension tweaks
mean it rides and handles better
Turning
circle
10.9m
Lock-to-lock
2.9 turns
LR Discovery Sport
The new Land Rover lives up
to its ‘Sport’ moniker with quick
steering and relatively agile
handling
Turning
circle
11.9m
Lock-to-lock
2.4 turns
Nissan X-Trail
Doesn’t ride as well as the Sorento
or handle as tidily as the Land
Rover. No disgrace, though
Turning
circle
11.2m
Lock-to-lock
3.0 turns
whatcar.com
Group test
Behind the wheel
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Getting comfortable in the
Hyundai is easy because there’s a
wide range of manual seat and
steering wheel movement, while
electric lumbar adjustment is
standard across the range. KX-2
Sorentos miss out on lumbar
adjustment but, as with
the Santa Fe, there is at least a
good range of manual seat and
steering wheel alteration.
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento
vs Land Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
The Land Rover also does
without electric seats or lumbar
adjustment (you can have both
but it’ll cost you £420). However,
its driving position is otherwise
tough to fault and drivers of
most shapes and sizes will find it
easy to get comfortable.
In this Tekna guise the X-Trail
gets electric seat movement,
including lumbar arrangement, as
standard. The Nissan’s seats aren’t
quite as comfortable as the Land
Rover’s, but still provide enough
support in all the right places.
Seeing out of all four cars is
similarly easy when you’re
‘Visibility is
good – all have
thin pillars
and tall, wide
windscreens’
Hyundai Santa Fe
looking forwards; all have thin
front pillars and tall, wide
windscreens to accompany their
raised driving positions. However,
the over-the-shoulder view is
more obscured because of their
thick rear pillars and shallow rear
screens; the Kia is best and the
Hyundai worst.
The Sorento’s dashboard is also
the easiest to get to grips with. It
has the simplest climate control
system, followed by the Nissan’s.
The Hyundai and Land Rover have
slightly less intuitive and buttonheavier interfaces, but don’t take
too long to get the hang of.
Raised driving position,
thin front pillars and
large front screen
mean the view
forwards is very good.
Rear view is less clear.
Hyundai’s switchgear
isn’t the finest quality,
and climate controls
could be more intuitive
to make them easier
to use on the move
Kia Sorento
INFOTAINMENT
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan All four cars come with
Bluetooth for making
handsfree calls on the move
plus a USB socket for charging
your phone and playing music
stored on it through the stereo.
Each car also has steering
wheel-mounted audio controls.
The Hyundai is alone in
missing out on a DAB radio,
while the Sorento is the only
car in this test to make do
without a CD player.
Meanwhile, Land Rover is the
only maker not to include
sat-nav; the only way to get one
is to upgrade to SE Tech trim,
which adds £1500 to the price.
The Land Rover’s 8.0in
colour touchscreen is slightly
larger than the 7.0in displays in
its rivals. However, bigger
doesn’t always mean better,
because the Discovery Sport’s
system isn’t any more
responsive than the ones in the
Hyundai or Kia. The on-screen
menus and surrounding
buttons are similarly logical
in all three cars, so you won’t
have any problem navigating
the systems.
The Nissan’s Connect system
is actually the most responsive
Hyundai
Santa Fe’s screen is
bright and
responsive and its
buttons are easy to
hit. There’s no
mobile app
integration
BEST SYSTEM
of the four, but some of the
on-screen buttons are too
small and too close together,
and the same goes for the
surrounding shortcut buttons.
The X-Trail system can also
sync with an app on your
Smartphone, allowing you to
get social media updates and
make internet searches. Land
Rover also offers an app that
can check the car’s status (fuel
level, location) remotely, and
make emergency calls to Land
Rover Assistance. The Santa Fe
and Sorento offer no app
integration at all.
You won’t find a hard drive
for storing music and photos
in any of the four. In fact, only
Land Rover offers further
infotainment options,
including an upgraded sound
system (£200) and four
additional USB sockets across
the two rear rows (£200). {
Kia
Sorento forgoes a
CD player, but DAB
radio, Bluetooth,
USB and aux
connections are
more relevant
in any case
Land Rover
Only car here to
miss out on satnav, but Land
Rover’s new
infotainment
system is a huge
improvement
‘The X-Trail’s
media system
can also sync
with an app
on your
smartphone’
Nissan
Screen and
surround has too
many fiddly
buttons, but the
Nissan has the
longest list of
infotainment kit
OPTIONS TABLE
✓ Standard
7 Not available
Touchscreen
Sat-nav
size
7.0in
7.0in
✓
✓
Land Rover Disco Sport 8.0in
Nissan X-Trail
7.0in
7
✓
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorento
whatcar.com
Bluetooth
No. of
audio
streaming speakers
Steering
wheel
controls
Upgraded
sound
system
DAB
radio
USB
socket
Bluetooth
7
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
6
6
✓
✓
7
7
✓
7
7
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
10
✓
✓
7
£200
7
7
✓
✓
6
Hard drive
7
CD player
✓
Kia has made leaps and
bounds with its cabin
quality recently, and
the Sorento is the latest
and greatest. Lots of
soft plastics inside.
There’s a wide range
of seat and steering
wheel adjustment and
the wide, well-placed
footrest is welcome
on long journeys
BEST DRIVING POSITION
LR Discovery Sport
Seats provide good
bolster but no lumbar
support; however, the
multifunction wheel is
well designed with the
buttons well placed
Not a minimalist dash,
but no worse than the
others. Switchgear
looks and feels the
slickest to use of
the bunch, too
Nissan X-Trail
Large piano black
surfaces give a feeling
of quality and the
switchgear is well
damped, conveniently
positioned and simple
Seat and wheel both
have lots of adjustment
and the X-Trail’s pedals
line up well with the
driver’s seat – good for
long distance comfort
whatcar.com
Group test
Quality and reliability
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan The top and face of the Kia’s
dashboard is covered in dense,
soft-touch plastics, while its
switchgear is nicely damped and
its chrome accents give a
welcome lift to the dark grey
ambiance. The Discovery Sport’s
interior feels similarly well
screwed together, and its plastics
and surfaces look and feel even
more upmarket. Its rotary dials
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento
vs Land Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
‘The top
and face of
the Kia’s
dashboard are
covered in
dense, softtouch plastics’
and buttons also have a solid,
nicely damped feel; it’s very
impressive in the company of
these manufacturers.
The Hyundai’s interior doesn’t
have the same air of class. It’s
sturdy throughout, but there are
poorer-quality plastics lower
down on its dashboard and some
of its silver highlights look and
feel tacky.
The X-Trail’s interior is largely
borrowed from the smaller
Qashqai, but don’t expect higher
quality from the bigger, more
expensive Nissan. As in the
Hyundai, everything feels
pleasingly solid, but it’s
functional rather than fancy. The
gloss black finish on the
dashboard and generally
softer-touch materials just give it
the edge over the Santa Fe for
outright quality, though.
None of these models featured
in the most recent JD Power
ownership satisfaction survey,
but Hyundai was the most
reliable of the four manufacturers here, finishing third out of
26. Kia wasn’t far behind in fifth,
while Nissan’s ninth position was
far from shameful. Land Rover’s
21st place was less impressive.
EQUIPMENT, SAFETY AND SECURITY
Equipment
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Safety and security
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Hyundai
Thatcham rated it
below average for
resisting break-ins
and theft, but
standard knee
airbag is a
great addition
The X-Trail Tekna gets all the
essentials, plus an opening
panoramic sunroof, a reversing
camera and a self-parking system
that can automatically steer the
car into a space. You also get LED
headlights and keyless go – all
items that are either optional or
not available on the other cars.
The Kia and Hyundai both
offer plenty of kit, including
heated seats in the front and back
and faux leather upholstery, but
you can’t add any options apart
from metallic paint.
The Discovery Sport is low on
luxuries in this company, but it’s
still reasonably well equipped.
Part-leather upholstery, rear
parking sensors and cruise and
climate controls are all included,
and you have the broadest range
of colours to choose from,
including a contrasting roof.
Kia and Hyundai both offer
white as the only standard colour,
but the Santa Fe is available with
a couple of bright colours, where
the Sorento’s palette is resolutely
monochrome. Nissan offers
red as the only no-cost colour,
and has a decent range of
optional paints.
The Kia and Hyundai look
decidedly short of safety tech.
Both come with a tyre-pressure
monitoring system, but you
can’t even add automatic
emergency braking or lanedeparture warning – things that
the Nissan and Land Rover get
as standard.
The Nissan goes further still; it
displays the speed limit of the
road and warns you if there’s
something in your blindspot.
The only thing it doesn’t get that
all the others do is trailerstability assist – a function that
adapts the electronic stability
control to respond if an attached
trailer starts to weave.
All of these cars were awarded
five-star ratings by safety body
Euro NCAP, but the Land Rover
fared best for adult occupant
protection, while the Hyundai
was tested under older, less
stringent test conditions. Both
the Land Rover and Hyundai get
a driver’s knee airbag and the
Discovery goes even further
with an external airbag to cover
the windscreen and upper
bonnet area to cushion any
impact with a pedestrian.
Kia
No driver’s knee
airbag, but only
the Sorento and
Disco have head
airbags that
extend to cover
the third row
Land Rover
Pedestrian airbag
is currently a rare
feature. Land
Rover’s partleather interior
features the only
real cowhide here
Nissan
Gets everything
you could want,
including LED
lights, opening
panoramic glass
roof and a
reversing camera
OPTIONS TABLE
✓ Standard
7 Not available
Alloy
wheels
Metallic
paint
Air-con/
Leather
Heated
climate
upholstery front seats control
Keyless
entry/go
✓^
✓^
7/7
7/7
Hyundai Santa Fe 18in£585
✓*
Kia Sorento
18in LR Disco Sport
18in£600
✓** £550
Nissan X-Trail
19in£550
✓*
✓*
✓
✓
✓/✓
✓/✓
✓/✓
✓/✓
£500/✓
✓/✓
Auto
lights/
wipers
Cruise
control
Detachable
tow bar
✓/✓
✓£528
✓/✓
£950***
✓£750 ✓/✓
✓£500
✓
£675
Parking
sensors
front/rear
7/✓
7/✓
Glass
roof
Airbags
77
7
6
Hyundai Santa Fe
Refinement
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan
The new Sorento has close ties
with the Santa Fe, so you’d
imagine the two cars would be
similarly refined. Not so – the
Kia’s engine is noticeably
smoother and quieter. It’s still a
bit clattery at idle, but not as
harsh under acceleration, and you
feel a bit less vibration through
the steering wheel and pedals.
Drive along any battered
backstreet and you’ll also notice
less suspension noise in the Kia,
although more wind noise filters
into its cabin at 70mph.
The Discovery Sport will get a
new 2.0-litre diesel engine in the
next few months. That’s a good
thing because the 2.2-litre in this
version (carried over from the
Freelander) is gruff at low speeds
and sends too many tremors
through the pedals. The Land
Rover isn’t the most refined SUV
in other respects, either, because
there’s more road noise than in
any of the other three cars, and
similar wind noise to the Kia.
However, the Discovery Sport
is positively hushed compared
with the X-Trail. Most of the
blame lies with the Nissan’s
diesel engine, which clatters
away noisily at idle and emits a
unpleasant snarl at higher revs. It
also sends far too many
vibrations through the pedals
and to the soles of your feet.
There’s less road noise than in
the Land Rover, but comparable
amounts of wind noise.
At least there isn’t much
wrong with the Nissan’s manual
gearshift - it’s relatively slick and
accurate. The Kia and Hyundai’s
auto ’boxes blur changes with
suitable smoothness, and while
the Land Rover’s nine-speed auto
is a little jerky at low speeds, it’s
never enough to be irksome. {
‘The Kia’s
engine is
noticeably
smoother and
quieter than
any other’
Least wind noise of all four cars, but
there’s plenty of suspension noise
– especially along rough roads
Noise at 30mph
61.5dbs
0
100
Noise at 70mph 67.4dbs
0
100
Common noise levels
60dbs Electric shaver
65dbs Piano practice
70dbs Noisy restaurant
80dbs Telephone dial tone
QUIETEST CRUISER
Kia Sorento
The engine is a bit too clattery at
tickover, but there’s otherwise
little to complain about
Noise at 30mph
0
61.7dbs
100
Noise at 70mph 0
67.3dbs
100
LR Discovery Sport
Road noise is a problem on the
motorway, and there’s more wind
noise than in Kia and Hyundai, too
Noise at 30mph
0
62.2dbs
100
Noise at 70mph 0
67.6dbs
100
Nissan X-Trail
Nissan has the noisiest engine, and
you also feel far too much vibration
coarsing up through the pedals
Noise at 30mph
0
Noise at 70mph 0
61.7dbs
100
69.0dbs
100
7/✓£9508
✓/✓
✓^^6
*Faux leather **Part-leather as standard. Full leather is £650 option ^Includes heated rear seats ***Includes upgrade to xenon from halogen headlights ^^Opening panoramic glass roof
whatcar.com
whatcar.com
Group test
Space and practicality
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan Even tall adults will find it easy to
sit comfortably in the front of
any of these SUVs. Ultimately, the
Discovery Sport has the most
head room, followed closely by
the Santa Fe. Headroom in the
Nissan and Kia is comparable,
even though our Sorento test car
was hindered slightly in this
respect by its panoramic roof,
which doesn’t feature on
standard KX-2 models.
Two adults will be able to sit
comfortably in the middle row of
all four SUVs, but three adults will
have most shoulder room in the
Sorento. That said, the Santa Fe’s
cabin isn’t much narrower and,
like the Kia’s, its floor is flat with
no transmission tunnel eating
up foot space.
The middle-row seats in all of
the cars are split 60:40. They can
be slid back and forth as required,
and their backrests reclined.
Although the third row of seats in
each is best reserved for children,
the Sorento stands out as the best
for carrying adults on short
journeys. Knee room is
noticeably better in the Kia than
the other three cars. That said, the
X-Trail has a bit more headroom.
The Santa Fe is next best for leg
room, followed by the X-Trail,
while the Land Rover’s third row
is the most cramped to sit in and
the trickiest to access.
The Sorento has the biggest
boot, and it’s also the widest
overall, which makes loading
broad, bulky items much easier.
Each car’s third row of seats
folds away leaving a flat, extended
load bay. The middle-row
backrests can be folded in each
car, too, giving a vast load area. In
two-seat mode the X-Trail’s boot
floor is flattest, although there’s
only a slight angle to the floors of
the other cars. {
‘The Land
Rover has
the most
headroom
for front-seat
occupants’
whatcar.com
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento
vs Land Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
Hyundai Santa Fe
Front
Impressive head and
legroom on offer
Boot
capacity
516-1615
litres
Not the biggest
here but ample
room for two
large suitcases,
no lip and a
wide opening
Rear
Third row best for
children on long trips
112-135
75
95
97
106
104
48-72
Kia Sorento
Front
Test car’s panoramic
roof cut headroom
Boot
capacity
605-1662 litres
The biggest
boot on paper
and in reality.
Longest from
front seats to
boot lid across
flat seats, too
Rear
Most third row
kneeroom of the four
105-138
46/82
92
95
114
106
50-73
LR Discovery Sport
Front
The most generous
headroom here
Boot
capacity
479-1698 litres
No lip,
rearmost seats
fold flat in to its
floor, but size
isn’t that
impressive in
this company
Rear
Good middle row,
but cramped behind
117
50/79
95
98
95
107
62-78
Nissan X-Trail
Front
Two adults can
stretch out with ease
Boot
capacity
550-1982 litres
Farthest
distance from
the ground to
the boot floor
but Nissan’s
five rear seats
lie flattest
45/79
110-130
Rear
Only average
space in the second
two rows
92
96
90
53-80
105
whatcar.com
Group test
Buying and owning
Hyundai Kia Land Rover Nissan The Nissan is the cheapest to
own, no matter if you’re a
private cash buyer or a company
car driver. The X-Trail will be
£1400 cheaper to buy outright
after discounts, with the
Hyundai next cheapest after
haggling. While the list prices of
the Sorento and Santa Fe are
similar, the Kia’s just-launched
appeal means savings are
smaller, so it’ll cost you an extra
Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento vs Land
Rover Discovery Sport vs Nissan X-Trail
£1330 to buy. Still, at least there
are small savings to be haggled
– more than can be said for the
discount-free Land Rover, which
is the priciest by £1715.
Where the Discovery Sport
excels is in its strong resale
values, which save it from being
the most expensive to buy and
run if you sell on after three
years and 36,000 miles. That
dubious honour goes to the Kia,
with the Hyundai only
fractionally cheaper.
The Nissan is cheapest for
those buying on finance, too. Put
down a £5000 deposit on a
three-year PCP deal and the
Nissan will cost you £409 per
month. Surprisingly, the
Discovery Sport is next cheapest
at £500 per month, while the
Santa Fe costs £515 and the
Sorento £523, although Land
Rover will demand the largest
balloon payment should you
choose to buy the car at the
end of the agreement.
Predictably, given its smaller
engine, the Nissan is the most
economical, averaging 45.7mpg
in our real-world True MPG
tests, next to an underwhelming
37.6mpg for the Hyundai,
34.6mpg for the Kia and
33.9mpg for the Land Rover.
The Nissan will cost a 40% rate
taxpayer £9620 in company car
tax over the next three years,
which is £3000 less than the
Discovery Sport over the same
period, £3550 cheaper than the
Santa Fe and £3600 cheaper
than the Sorento.
In fact, the only way the
Sorento won’t cost you the most
is if you’re leasing when,
surprisingly, it’ll actually cost
you the least (£349) every
month. Meanwhile, the Nissan
will cost you £368, while the
Hyundai comes in at a muchstiffer £447 and the Land Rover
an eye-watering £485. {
WHAT WILL IT COST YOU?
Kia Sorento
2.2 CRDi KX-2 auto
List price £33,745
1
Kia Discounts will improve,
but emissions are poor
Land Rover Great resale
values, but not so efficient
Nissan Cheapest for private
and company buyers
CHEAPEST TO OWN
Prices
List price
£33,610
£33,745
£34,195
£32,145
Target Price
£31,150
£32,480
£34,195
£29,748
£367/£356/£378/£400
per month
£350/£339/£361/£384
per month
£266/£256/£277/£298
per month
£349
£485
£368
Company car
tax until April £365/£354/£376/£399
per month
2015/’16/’17/’18
Contract hire
£447
(per month)
Measurements
Internal figures in bold are best in test
Dimensions in cm
Space
605-1662 litres
92
Kia Sorento
2.2 CRDi KX-2 auto
For Best seven-seater;
comfortable ride; smart
interior; infotainment
Against Relatively high CO2;
vague steering; real-world
fuel economy
‘The Sorento is the most
practical of the four, and
that counts for a lot’
£23,275 69%
£25,174 75%
£28,751 84%
£22,151 69%
2
£19,124 57%
£20,675 61%
£23,649 69%
£18,226 57%
3
£15,726 47%
£16,974 50%
£19,426 57%
£14,925 46%
4
£13,424 40%
£14,524 43%
£16,602 49%
£12,774 40%
£947
£14,769
£14,823
Total
£23,710
Total
£24,449
Total
£24,237
Total
£22,252
£5149
Emissions and economy
37.6mpg
£225
whatcar.com
77
210
Turning
circle (m)
10.9
33%
£2295
£797
£450
True MPG
34.6mpg
177g/km
£1052
£410
£5596
VED from second year
£225
33%
CO2
33.9mpg
166g/km
£1785
£5711
£1147
£260
2
Land Rover
Discovery Sport
2.2 SD4 SE auto
3
Nissan X-Trail
1.6 dCi 130 4WD
Tekna
4
Hyundai Santa
Fe 2.2 CRDi 4WD
Premium auto
Economy
True MPG 34.6mpg
Average (Govt)42.2mpg
Tank
71 litres
Emissions
177g/km, Euro 6
83%
67%
71%
For Cheapest to buy and run;
impressive standard kit list
Against Poor refinement;
slowest; no automatic gearbox
option
Verdict A bit agricultural, but
lots of space and kit for the
money
For Spacious cabin; decent
seven-seater; plenty of kit
Against So-so ride and
handling; shortage of safety
and security kit
Verdict Outclassed by newer
rivals, but still worth a look
Size
2199cc, 4cyl, diesel
Peak power
197bhp@3800rpm
Peak torque
311lb ft@1800-2500rpm
0-60mph
Top speed
sec
mph
9.3
124
Buying
£4237
£130
139g/km
135
Safety
Verdict Great to drive and
hugely desirable. Not the
biggest, though
45.7mpg
31%
148
478
For Highest quality interior;
best handling; slow
depreciation
Against High price; limited kit;
gruff engine; cramped third row
2015-’16 tax liability
£205
151
Engine and performance
True MPG
£15,506
£450
178g/km
Road tax
Servicing
£15,424
£2100
£1740
Insurance
169
46-82 198
Euro NCAP crash rating y
xy
xy
xy
xy
x
1
Depreciation
50-73 66-89
105-138
90%
(by year)
203
89
37-138
106
Resale value (by year)
Three-year cost
95
278
Verdict The best seven-seat
SUV under £40k
Hyundai Fairly cheap to
buy, but loses value quickly
STATS, SPECS AND RATINGS
OUR VERDICT
25%
IT’S A SIGN of how relatively
little there is to split these four
SUVs that, despite the
similarities between the Kia and
Hyundai, it’s these two cars that
bookend the running order.
The Sorento fully deserves the
victory, though. It’s the biggest
and most practical, which
counts for a lot, but it’s also the
most refined and the most
comfortable. The way it drives is
unlikely to excite you, and it’s a
shame the Kia’s engine isn’t a
little more efficient, but the
smart and user-friendly interior
more than makes amends.
That said, we can certainly see
why you’d be seduced by the
Land Rover’s more premium
image, sharper handling and
better safety provisions. Yes, it’s
the least practical of the four,
the most expensive and delivers
the worst real-world fuel
economy. That high price has to
be offset against the Discovery’s
slow depreciation, however,
while a new diesel engine due
later this year should take care
of the fuel economy issues and,
hopefully, also improve
refinement. In fact, if you can
wait a few months, the Land
Rover may even prove a better
buy than the Sorento.
Third place goes to the X-Trail.
It’s the cheapest, no matter if
you’re a private buyer or a
company car driver, and also
comes generously equipped. It’s
very noisy, though, and
performance is decidedly
pedestrian in the company of
these larger-engined SUVs.
The Santa Fe isn’t disgraced.
It has many of the Kia’s virtues,
including its size and a strong
engine. It isn’t as good to drive
or as smart inside as its Korean
sibling, though.
Website www.kia.co.uk
Car pictured Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI KX-4 with optional
metallic paint (£550)
OVERALL VERDICT
Performance
Ride & handling
Behind the wheel
Infotainment systems
Quality & reliability
Equipment
Safety & security
Refinement
Space & practicality
Buying & owning
whatcar.com
www.kia.co.uk
Kia Motors (UK) Ltd
Walton Green
Walton-On-Thames
Surrey
KT12 1FJ
Freephone: 0333 2022990
www.kia.co.uk