THE latest Kia Sorento has now been on the market for four years and is a large step up from the popular previous model.

It has a larger body all round, giving seven seats as standard and the rearmost two are big enough to carry adults.

The whole car moved a long way up market, with soft feel materials throughout the cabin and a high specification as standard.

Of course, any bought secondhand come with the remainder of Kia's market-leading seven year or 100,000 mile warranty for complete peace of mind.

I've always thought that any company offering such a warranty has to be very sure of the quality of their products, and that augers well for all future owners.

The improved interior space is achieved with a 10cm longer body, but is also helped by an 8cm longer wheelbase, which gives more passenger room in the second row of seats.

These tip and slide forward, making access into the rearmost pair reasonably easy.

Although other engines are offered in the rest of Europe there is only one 2.2-litre diesel available here, driving all four wheels through either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic.

I wondered whether such a small engine would be man enough for the heavy weight but, with 197bhp and excellent low speed torque, it is perfect.

Acceleration from zero to 62 miles an hour takes nine seconds in the manual and slightly longer in the automatic and top speed is around 125 miles an hour where the law allows.

The manual gearbox has a very easy change and a light clutch and the automatic is smooth changing, suiting the engine very well.

The 2.2-litre is smooth and reasonably quiet most of the time, only getting slightly more raucous if asked for revs, and general refinement is also very good, making a subdued and very pleasant car to live with.

Economy should stay above 40mpg in gentle use and for a large SUV it also has low emissions of just 149g/km in manual guise. However, this rises to 174 in the automatic.

As with most large SUVs there is some body roll in the corners but, nonetheless, it holds the road well and instils confidence in the driver.

The power assistance of the steering can be adjusted by the driver to give more or less help and is weightier at speed in its best setting than some others. Make it lighter and car park manoeuvres become simple and easy.

There are six models to choose from and even the entry KX-1 is well equipped, with air conditioning, cruise, traction control, alloys, loads of steering and seat adjustment, parking sensors and audio remote.

KX-3 adds electric heated leather seats, sat nav and electric sunroof and KX-4 doesn't add much to that.

Pay about £15,400 for a '14 64-reg KX-2 manual, or £29,000 for a '17 17-reg KX-4 auto.