Sokia, together with a team of sixteen journalists, set out to search for the ancient Tmutarakan principality. To reach the destination, the participants had to cover about a thousand kilometers along the Black Sea coast, from Adler to Anapa. The entire distance was covered in Kia Sorento SUVs.
A column of seven cars started from Adler Airport and headed for Anapa, near which, according to assumptions, the Tmutarakan settlement, more than 2500 years old, was located. Why was this particular place and these particular cars chosen? Usually, when exact coordinates are unknown, they send you "to Tmutarakan," but here we were talking about a real geographical point. The question was whether ordinary vehicles could get there, so Kia Sorento was chosen as the off-road vehicle.
The expedition took four days. The first day turned out to be the easiest: only a hundred kilometers to a hotel in Lazarevskoye, located right by the sea. Along the way, we stopped to see a local attraction — 33 waterfalls, which required overcoming a short off-road section with steep descents and ascents. The situation was complicated by a downpour, which by evening made the Sorento's windows almost opaque, but fortunately, everything went without incidents.
The second day, 200 km long, turned out to be much more serious: most of the route had to be driven along the bed of the treacherous Pshada River. This was the first real test, and the Izhevsk-built Kia passed it with dignity. The all-wheel drive has three modes: automatic, where the rear axle works most often, hard-connected all-wheel drive, and an option with a low-range gear. In all modes, including automatic, the car confidently overcame obstacles. Even deep fords with strong lateral currents were easy — the main thing was to maintain a constant speed so that a life-saving wave went ahead of the car. Soggy clay and sharp stones also did not become an obstacle, which was confirmed on the special section "Thunder Gates" on Mount Shakhan, 1070 meters high, where the film of the same name was once shot. To conquer these gates, we had to drive along a broken mountain road and tackle several steep climbs. It is worth noting that the cars had regular summer tires, but the tire pressure was reduced to 1.5 atm to reduce the risk of cuts and improve traction.
The third day was spent on asphalt, and here one could appreciate the dynamics of the 2.5-liter diesel engine with 170 hp. For the rather heavy Sorento, its capabilities are quite sufficient: at low revs, the traction is good, but the impression was spoiled by the too thoughtful automatic transmission. The suspension can safely be called ultra-comfortable, but the price for this was body rolls and pitching, which at high speed requires increased attention from the driver. As a result, the Russian-Korean SUV is a successful compromise between comfort and handling. By the end of the day, the expedition reached the cherished goal — the Tmutarakan settlement. It was located (and, judging by everything, it was located exactly there) not far from Anapa. Currently, excavations are underway at this site, and the abundance of archaeological finds indicates that life once flourished here. Our group was even lucky enough to find several ancient coins.
On the last day, there was an opportunity to test the Kia Sorento again on different surfaces, as well as to try it in an unusual role — a drift car on the sandy Solenoye Lake. The SUV coped with this task.
Driving
Off-road, the Kia Sorento behaves confidently. On regular roads, there is a lack of steering feedback and a stiffer suspension.
Interior
The interior is spacious: there is enough room both in the front and in the back, plus there is a roomy trunk.
Comfort
On a long trip, you can get comfortable, but the soft suspension can become tiring over time.
Safety
The base trim includes a large set of passive and active safety systems, but behind the wheel, one should not forget about the vehicle's mass and soft suspension.
Advantages and disadvantages
+ Spacious interior, all-wheel drive, good off-road capabilities.
- Large mass, inefficient brakes, soft suspension.
Specifications
Make and model — Kia Sorento
Dimensions — 4590/1884/1810 mm
Engine — diesel, 2497 cm³, 170 hp/3800 rpm
Transmission — 5-speed automatic
Dynamics — max 180 km/h; 12.4 s to 100 km/h
Competitors — Hyundai Santa Fe, SsangYong Kyron, Chevrolet Captiva, Opel Antara