I agree with much of what the previous reviewer says, although after 3 months and 3000 miles I have had no warranty problems - other than those which attract the Main Dealer response "Their all like that Sir" - what I mean is the engine`s tendency to stall - "drop dead" - if you let the revs drop below tickover speed. This can be a real pain trying to re-start on a (mild) hill, and you have to slip the clutch - there is no other choice - to get going when towing, with lots of smells from the burning clutch lining.

The indignant caravan enthusiasts are not wrong - the manual is not a good towing car in this situation. My advice would be to get the auto and accept the 2 tonne weight limit. 2.5 tonnes for the manual is ludicrous in my opinion.

Your 7 year warranty is most unlikely to help you out when faced with a £3000 bill for a new clutch plus DMF flywheel - you are likely to be told this is the result of abuse.

Stump up! Get the auto and make sure the transmission fluid is changed every 3 years by a Kia dealer whatever the service schedule says. It will save you a lot of money!

Otherwise? I can see why people like it - it`s a barge but not as awful as some of the other barges out there - if you want something quieter and more comfortable get a Land Rover - the old Discovery Mk 3 has fantastic refrinement - don`t expect that from the Sorento, there is far too much road noise, whateber the road-testers say!

Economy? 35 mpg as per HJ real figures is about right, but expect 27 or so if you like to press on. This is a heavy car, and the mid range pick-up, whilst very good, has to be paid for.

Visibility is awful, so let your wife test-drive it - you may decide this kills the idea if she is relatively small - (mine is!)

On the other hand, the Sorento has a 7 year warranty, appears to be solidly built and reliable - and above all, it IS cheap - have a look around Ebay. I did and found a new Sorento KX1 was actually cheaper than a two year old car.

Funny old world!

AS