On the road: Kia Sorento – car review

'It is the first time, by popular lore, Kia has ever come up with anything you'd want to spend 30 grand on'

The Kia Sorento is the kind of car that will cause acquaintances to ask, "What are you driving now?" when you arrive. If you like that kind of thing - and God knows, I love it - you'll burst with pride. It has a slightly militaristic exterior, more imposing in black, I should think; in white more redolent of plain money. It's long, wide and low, spacious inside, bullish on the road. There are potentially three rows of seats, though I never needed them and left the boot as was. As low as it is, the boot is an extremely high jump for an elderly dog, not that I would ever put a dog in his twilight years in a review car, oh no.

City driving, as with anything not designed for a city but that city people love to drive, is not ideal: it's sluggish in the lower gears. If you're in first and second a lot, you may feel vexed by the effort. But cruising is a pleasure: give it an A road or a motorway and it will take care of itself. The acceleration is confident, the steering is true, the traction is reassuring, the handling invites trust, the leather seats make you feel as though everything's going to be OK.