This is my second drive in some months in the new Kia Sorento and this time it’s at home on Irish roads. The new model has an obvious bigger feel to it, and matches the Hyundai Santa Fé with a stronger look. The larger, more vertical grille gives a stronger first impression than the previous model.

The Sorento is a seven-seat 4x4 that delivers comfort and driving smoothness. The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine remains largely unchanged from before, but there’s marginally more power and torque, and it seems smoother and quieter to drive.

I took it across some grass and stubble fields with a good degree of confidence, even if it was running on Nexen 235/65R17 tyres, which were more suited to the road. On the road, the tyre impact was coupled with a new suspension that gives better comfort.

Kia uses a part-time 4x4 all-wheel-drive (AWD) system in the Sorento, which pushes all of the engine power to the front wheels, until one of them slips, when it instantly splits the power and sends up to 40% of the engine power to the rear wheels to give the driver greater four-wheel-drive stability. The test model Sorento had a dash-mounted button to engage a central differential that operates in a limited slip way; it worked well when modestly tested and the Sorento pulled away.

I covered close to 1,000km in the test drive, which gave me a good feel for the Kia’s ability and comfort. I returned a figure of 13km per litre (7.7l/100km or 37mpg) for fuel efficiency – 30% lower than the rated economy.

Out on the road, this new Sorento can deliver 120km/hr motorway speeds at 2,000rpm – always a good measure of economy. The six-speed gearbox was smooth to use and there is a gear selection indicator to help choose the most economical gear. The clutch feels good to use, with a smooth stop-start system and there is plenty of driver legroom.Kia has shaved the CO2 levels to give a road tax cost of €390, which is good for an SUV of this size.

The engine has enough torque to cope with most conditions, but I didn’t have a hitch to give it a trailer test. If you have a hitch, you’ll appreciate the help of the reversing camera, which is a useful part of the standard package.

Kia is selling the Sorento primarily as a seven-seat SUV. I found the third row of seats to be on the compact size – adults may fit in there but after a bit of an effort on the way in. The second row of seats folds on a single lever operation to give access to this third row.

Knock all rear seats down to give a big load area and there is more than two metres of load area available but it’s not totally flat.

The boot door is heavy so the electric opening kit, which will be on the Platinum models, is useful. There was a spare wheel fitted under the rear floor.

There is a high driving position to this Sorento with good visibility. The large-screen satnav unit was easy to use and doubles to give a big screen for the reversing camera.

The new Kia Sorento has the maximum five-star crash safety rating from Euro NCAP. It comes with a vehicle stability management (VSM) system as standard as well as electronic stability control (ESC).

There are extra safety features available – more for additional driver support than totally necessary with such an impressive international safety rating.

The entry price of the seven-seat Platinum version that I drove is €43,995, and that’s the version that most Irish driver’s will opt for. There is a two-wheel-drive five-seat EX version for €5,000 less, which will look the part, drive just as well on solid ground, but you miss the extra capacity.

The seven-seat SUV competition includes the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, Hyundai Santa Fé and Nissan X-Trail. The new Sorento is 95mm (almost 4 inches) longer than the old one, and it’s also marginally the most powerful in this group. It is also at the top when it comes to towing with a 2.5-tonne rating.

The other important Kia bonus is the seven-year warranty, but it’s limited to 150,000km, which may or may not be an issue for some drivers. The look is good in the new Sorento; the deal is competitive for a 4x4 version with a relatively modest road tax of €390, plus the warranty deal.

Kia Sorento Platinum

Engine 2.2-litre diesel

Engine power 200bhp

0-100km/hr 9 seconds

Economy 17.5km/litre

Fuel tank capacity 65 litres

CO2 emissions 149g/km

Road tax band C (€370)

Main service 20,000km/ 12 months

Euro NCAP rating Five stars

Towing rating 2,500kg

Warranty Seven years/ 150,000km

Entry price €43,995

NI price £35,845