This is the Korean company's best-selling SUV and now the upgraded version gives more comfort and performance. There have also been changes to the exterior.

The 2.5 litre 16 valve common rail diesel engine has extra power thanks to a variable geometry turbocharger which helps put out 168bhp. This is an increase of 21% more power. There is also 25% more torque - 392Nm at 2,000rpm.

The engine now meets Euro 1V emission standards while at the same time giving good acceleration of 0-100km in just over 12 seconds, which is a 2.6 second improvement over the previous best performance.

And just as importantly, the fuel figures are now better and run at about six litre/100km (33 mpg) in mixed driving. Kia claims up to 7.3 litre/100km (38.7mpg) in open road driving and 11 litre/100km (25.7 mpg) in city driving, which is good considering the size and weight of the hefty Sorento. The top speed is 182km/h (114mph).

This sort of performance improvement will help the Sorento gain increased penetration in the important fleet market, and while the 2.5 litre diesel engine is the only power plant offered, it comes with a five-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The now higher gear ratio in both gearboxes has reduced cruising noise levels. The automatic version has a Kia 'Sports Mode' which gives a manual over-ride on the automatic gearshift.

The Sorento's ladder-frame chassis and dual-frame body construction have given sound performance over the past three years, and this latest version has new settings on the springs and dampers of the independent suspensions. This gives a more comfortable drive. Other improvements include a selectable or full-time 4WD system and a low-ratio gearbox assists in severe off-road driving conditions.

Inside there is a new central control stack, better dash layout and higher quality materials. The reshaped backrests on the front seats give more rear legroom.

Safety features include electronic brakeforce distribution, standard across the three levels of trim, side curtain airbags and front and rear side impact beams.

Standard equipment includes cruise control, electric driver's seat, and radio/CD with six speakers and fog lamps. The GSE and GLS versions get leather upholstery and dual-zone climatecontrol air conditioning, while the GLS gets 17" alloy wheels - 16" on the other versions.

The exterior improvements are minimal and are confined to new front and rear bumpers - the overall length has increased by 20mm because of the new bumpers - and new headlights.

Kia says the changes were kept to a minimum so that the residual values of the previous model would not be damaged, but new and more inspired ideas would have been welcomed. Too many companies - for instance Mini from BMW, are sticking to the same body lines while most punters in the street would like to see revolution rather than evolution coming from the design boards.

The Sorento has just won a second recommendation in the 4WD category of the JD Power Customer Satisfaction survey, adding to its Towcar of the Year 2006 award from the Caravan Club (UK) and Best 4X4 of 2005 from the UK-based 4X4 magazine.

Prices have increased only marginally over the run-out model. The test vehicle with automatic transmission costs Euro46,795 and in manual transmission is Euro44,795. The entry model, the EX version, is priced at Euro40,495 and the top specification GLS is priced at Euro48,295.

VITAL STATISTICS Kia Sorento GSE 2.5 common rail dir. inj. diesel 4,590 mm 1,885 mm 1,805 mm 2,710 mm 0-100km - 12.3 secs 185 km Five-speed automatic 8.6L/100kms (32.8 mpg) Euro46,795