THE motor trade and industry has had a bad year, but you'd not know it from sales of Kia models including their big seven-seat Sorento SUV.

While rivals have rushed to shrink their ranges and look only towards pure electric models which we know are coming over the decade, Kia has slowly and very carefully tweaked its line up so they still offer potentially something for every customer who walks into a showroom or surfs the internet.

Petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery models are dotted throughout one of the biggest model ranges of any manufacturer.

Sorento is available with four-wheel-drive inthree grades: ‘2', ‘3' and ‘4' with the choice of 190 bhp 2.2-litre diesel, 212 bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged-petrol hybrid (HEV), or a 249bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged-petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV). With the choice of standard or premium paint finishes that's an 18-model range.

The HEV and PHEV Sorento variants are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, while diesel models receive an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

New Sorento starts from £41,995 in the UK, £3,030 less than the outgoing model, and rises through the grades and nine available models to £56,670.

Our 2-grade, entry level car had automatic intelligent LED lights, powered and heated door mirrors, rain sensing wipers, heated wheel and front seats with automatic air conditioning throughout, 12.3-inch touchscreen including navigation and mobile phone compatibility, multi-charging ports throughout and seven year Kia Connect services, parking sensors and rear camera, intelligent cruise control and driving assistance systems.

Four years after the last version was introduced, the new Sorento has been aligned with Kia's newer SUV models, fully embracing Kia's ‘Opposites United' design philosophy.

The latest Kia Sorento uses artificial leather and recycled PET cloth throughout the cabin and upholstery, a further implication of Kia's sustainability mission.

All Sorento models receive front centre airbags, side and curtain front airbags, all-round three-point seatbelts, impact-sensing auto door unlocking, second row grab handle, ISOFIX child seat top tethers and anchor fixings in the second and third row, child lock, immobiliser, locking wheel nuts, a visible VIN and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm system.

So the HEV 2 is equipped to a very high standard which unfortunately pushed it nearly £3,000 into the higher road tax band and it came without a powered tailgate or front facing camera which some may desire.

But the fact is the hard and software under the bonnet really do a good job as the 83bhp electric motor comes in when started and as necessary afterwards to reduce emissions and noise while raising economy along with the 129bhp petrol engine.

They work almost seamlessly together delivering very useable power with creamy changes from the six-speed automatic transmission and delivering power to the road or rough track in grip modes selected by the driver varying from sporting to snow conditions. Unexpectedly having to use a narrow country lane diversion after a main road accident and encountering oncoming cars we were able to ease onto the wide grass verge and let the system pull us through the muddy surface without a problem or any wheelspin. You never know when all wheel drive can be useful.

Back on road, acceleration was respectably brisk, fairly quiet and it cruised without complaint on a motorway and main road, returning consumption in line with WLTP data.

Power steering gave good feedback and was vibration-free, it was well weighted but I would have liked a tighter turning circle when parking.

Brakes were well up to their task with gentle pedal pressure returning good slowing and stopping ability and the parking brake did a good job of holding the near two-tonnes car on a slope and coming off the moment the throttle was depressed.

Secondary controls and switches were well placed, well marked and worked satisfactorily with good sized selectable instruments infront of the driver and a very big central fascia touchscreen for infotainment, navigation, communications and settings. Sensibly, the climate and output controls as well as rear screen heating were on separate controls beneath the fascia and they worked precisely as desired.

Powered windows all round and many vents kept the interior comfortable but there was no sunroof in our trim.

Oddments room was good for a family car with big trays, door bins and console compartment along with seatback pockets.

In usual five-seat set up the boot space was a capacious 813 litres but it shrank under 180 litres if the third-row dual seats were lifted out of the loadbed floor before jumping to nearly 2000 litres in two-seat use. It was not easy to get into the rearmost seats and space was tight when you did.

Otherwise, boot and cabin access was very good if a bit of a climb up or drop down, seats were extremely comfortable with plenty of adjust and support for a long journey with a typical family. Suspension was very compliant and smooth.

They enjoy a high riding position with excellent visibility, there're good wipers both ends and bright wide spread headlights with auto-dip setting, big door mirrors and overtaking alerts.

The driver has a good range of column adjustment to use and a comprehensive suite of safety features should ensure an accident free trip avoiding speeding as well.

On road the handling was good and it did not roll very much around bends or tend to plough on through sharp corners while its pitch and dipping was barely noticeable either.

You become aware of its size in narrow lanes or easing into parking bays but on the move it's not so apparent because it responds quickly and undramatically to steering, throttle and brake pedals.