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Adult occupant protection 
Frontal impact driver | 
Frontal impact passenger | 
Side impact driver |  |
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Child restraints | 18 month old Child | Britax Roemer Baby-safe, rearward facing |
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| 3 year old Child | Britax Roemer Duo, forward facing |
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Pedestrian protection No image car front available |
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Safety equipment | Front seatbelt pretensioners |  |
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| Front seatbelt load limiters | |
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| Driver frontal airbag | |
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| Front passenger frontal airbag | |
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| Side body airbags |  |
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| Side head airbags | |
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| Driver knee airbag | |
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Car details | Hand of drive | LHD |
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| Tested model | KIA Sorento GLS 2.5 diesel |
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| Body type | large off-roader |
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| Year of publication | 2003 |
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| Kerb weight | 2115 |
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| VIN from which rating applies | KNEJC521835143275 (LHD) and KNEJC321535158064 (RHD) |
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Comments Results for the Sorento were due to be published last year but a failure in one part of the tests delayed them until now. KIA used the time to increase protection for front occupants’ knees. The Sorento just achieved four stars but weaknesses remain. In the frontal test, the front passenger suffered more severe loading to his chest than the driver so this was used in rating the car. The restraints protected the children’s heads in the front and side impacts but the 18-month-old risked chest injuries, even though his restraint was rear-facing. Protection for pedestrians was dire.
Front impact
The passenger safety cell was badly damaged but not quite enough to make it lose its stability. The driver’s airbag bottomed out and the impact displaced the steering wheel, if only a modest amount. And there was substantial deformation and metal disruption in the footwell and at the base of the front door pillar. The Sorento still posed hazards to the driver and front passenger’s knees. But, compared to the earlier test, injury risks were reduced.
Side impact
Vehicles like the Sorento should score highly because of their high-set seating, which puts occupants above the point of impact. This off-roader performed well, gaining the maximum available points in the test.
Child-protection
The three-year-old was sat in a forward-facing ISOFIX seat with top tether while the 18-month-old was in a rear-facing universal seat. The older child was protected in the front and side impacts, meeting all Euro NCAP safety standards. However the younger child was not protected in the frontal impact and risked chest injuries. This was unusual because a rear-facing seat should minimise such risks. But he was looked after in the side impact. The car’s safety labelling was adequate but was not permanent and could only be seen when the passenger’s sun visor was in the stowed position.
Pedestrian protection
Only the part of the bonnet where an adult’s head might strike offered cushioning. Otherwise, the Sorento’s front end scored nothing. This is a very poor result. KIA says it intends to improve future designs.
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