Kia first brought the Sorento to Europe in 2002 as a mid/large sized 4x4.  Revised in 2007 it had a separate chassis, beam rear axle and high/low ratios via transfer box.

Sorento II in 2009 (now a joint project with Hyundai’s Santa Fe) traded separate chassis and transfer box for front wheel drive with rear axle ‘kick-in’ if slip detected. Variable up to 60-40 front-rear, drive can be locked 50-50 (to 25 mph) if needs be. This and Hill Descent control meant a decent degree of ability off-road was retained.

Unitary bodywork with independent rear suspension brought improved steering, cornering and ride quality – it was lighter too benefitting fuel consumption and emissions. Sorento II also came with Kia’s 7-year/100,000-mile warranty.

Both Sorento and Santa Fe were renewed in 2013/14. Hyundai launched a new Santa Fe in 2018 but Kia went for a mild ‘facelift’, improved ‘spec’ and equipment for the Sorento. Main change: a new 8-speed autobox to replace the 6-speed unit.

A 6-speed manual gearbox, with a proper mechanical handbrake, remains available on KX 1, KX 2 and KX 3 variants (£30,250-£38,285).  Auto-only ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ (£42,950 & £43,585) have an electric park switch.  A Sorento in GT-Line S, 8-speed auto guise was the choice for this year’s Franco-Spanish 3,000-mile trip.

A Dover-Calais crossing is the usual routine with two overnights in France on the way down and back, Chartres was both first and last stop this year.  Four hours or so from Calais it’s close enough for a late-afternoon check-in (but early enough for a place in a hotel’s secure car park), a walk, drink and finding a nice place for dinner.

The cathedral, of course, is the centrepiece of the historic old town. On the way back we caught the annual ‘Chartres 1254’ festival – see below. Albi, first stop on the return drive through the south, another of France’s great cathedral cities and birthplace of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, was an overdue ‘discovery’.

The trip involves motorways, routes nationales, Pyrenean mountain passes and Aragon’s upland (unsurfaced often) caminos rurales in the foothills of the Matarranya region’s Sierra de Beceite. 

The new Hyundai-Kia 8-speed autobox provides a broad range of ratios making for relaxed motorway progress. ‘Eco’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ or ‘Smart’ responses can be dialled in via the Drive Mode switch – Comfort the setting most of the time (but Sport useful if pressing on off-motorway).  Ride-roadholding trade-off nicely judged overall, for what is still a tall vehicle, but badly-surfaced roads do make their presence felt.

Nonetheless, the Kia remained perfectly composed through a torrential rainstorm from north of Toulouse and around the city’s western ‘ring’. Taking the autoroute towards Pau we turn south at St Gaudens for the Pyrenees. This avoids Andorra to the east and takes in the Vielha tunnel - opened a few years ago and a real boon.

A 2.2-litre, 200ps, 4-cyl Diesel provides the kind of torque a sizeable SUV requires and the Sorento did not disappoint. Fuel consumption also quite reasonable. Front seats were comfortable with a range of power-adjustment but the squabs/bases could be longer - preferably also adjustable - for the taller, leggier occupant.

Not unlike some other ‘multi-ratio’ types, the autobox could hesitate when pulling away from stand-still/low-speed. Stop-start activated the car could also begin to roll back momentarily on an incline before the engine fired up again and gear selected.

A mild ‘idiosyncrasy’ to which a driver soon accommodates (there is an ‘Auto-Hold’ button) but the opportunity to jump into a gap in traffic at a round-about, for example, isn’t there in the way it would be with a manual ‘box poised in 1st-gear.

Kia’s next Sorento is due in 2020/21. Although the SUV sector continues to grow, the main thrust is from compact/smaller models. Demand is still on the up for ‘premium’ marques (Germany’s “usual suspects”, JLR and Volvo) less so for non-premium.

Hyundai and Kia have Europe’s 1st and 2nd place in this bracket.  Although the sales curve might have flattened their market share continues to grow - deals should be keen in the run-up to Sorento IV.  The current car is a polished, capable and spacious ‘SUV tourer’ with a high level of standard equipment. GT-Line S has all the “bells and whistles” but KX 3, perhaps, a more value-for-money proposition.

Facts & Figures: 127mph; 60mph 9.1-secs; 35mpg (brim to brim; best-39); 46.3 (official combined); CO2 161g/km; Road Tax £830 1st yr in OTR price; £450 there-after (GT-LS; others £140); Ins Grp 25; Braked Trailer Weight 2000kg (manual 2500).
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Our members know that Wales offers an unrivalled combination of scenery, a variety of different road types, and challenging off-road sites, all in relatively close proximity.
 
Although we sometimes get to sample UK versions of the latest models in Wales, such as with the Hyundai Kona and Ford Fiesta in November 2017, it is sometimes surprising (to us) that more media launches of new cars don’t take place on this side of the border.
 
But for Caroline Burnell, senior press officer for Mercedes-Benz Vans, Wales seemed to be the ideal location for the UK media launch of the new X-Class pick-up truck, late in 2017.
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Polar opposite to a ‘crossover’ there is also clear blue water’between the Rexton and a mainstream Sport Utility Vehicle.

Big, tough and well up to a day’s work it’s surprisingly comfortable on a long trip and remarkable value for money.

The latest (fourth-generation) Rexton retains body-on-frame (separate chassis) construction and transfer box for high/low ratio 4x4. A manual gearbox remains an option on the cheapest and the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel has been tweaked for better MPG and CO2.

Until recently the future here looked bleak for such vehicles with only the Rexton and Toyota’s Land Cruiser on sale. Now however, Mitsubishi has come back with a new Shogun Sport on the L200 pick-up chassis and a new Navara-based Pathfinder is on its way from Nissan.  SsangYong’s new Musso pick-up has just arrived here.

According to McLaren Automotive’s CEO Mike Fluett, “Super Series is the core of the McLaren business”. So, when the company ushers in a new generation - only the second since 2010 and a meteoric rise as road-car manufacturer - it’s an event.

The McLaren 720S comes in three variants: entry model at £208,020; Performance and Luxury specs from £218,020. “It is absolutely true to McLaren’s pioneering spirit . . . a revolutionary leap forwards, both for our brand and the supercar segment” adds Fluett.

Founded by New Zealand champion racing driver Bruce McLaren (1937-1970) the company’s products are evolved from the racing cars. Previous headline vehicles included the F1 (1992-1998) and Mercedes-Benz SLR (2003-2009).

Volvo’s first XC90 (and first SUV) came in 2002. Strong sales kept it going for 13 years up until launch of its replacement at 2015’s Frankfurt Show.

For the first time, 2016’s XC90 featured a petrol-electric hybrid. S90 saloon and V90 estate are its 'executive' car stablemates. ‘XC’ is now for SUVs only – higher riding estates are badged 'Cross Country'.

Next upper-medium '60s' (new XC60 just arrived) and larger '90s' are the fruit of Volvo’s integrated SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) project. Drive-lines have been rationalised too. There is one four-cylinder 2.0-litre unit and it’s eight-speed auto only. Diesel or petrol, turbocharging and/or supercharging vary the power outputs.

Jaguar faced a dilemma in designing the F-Pace. The company’s image was based on sleek, swift saloons and rakish sports cars.

However, the migration to SUVs was becoming a flood. But it had to be done in a way which did not tread on Land Rover’s toes. The result was an athletic SUV-like ‘crossover’ with an on-road focus.
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Has it worked?  It does have its own distinct look and, rather than base it on a Land Rover or Range Rover, the F-Pace team adapted the architecture of the XE and XF  cars. That brought with it an 'aluminium-intensive' body structure with some magnesium thrown in for further weight-loss.

How far will a car realistically go on a full tank of fuel? Most car owners will know it isn’t as far as manufacturers lead to you believe in their advertising.
 
Some car manufacturers – in the wake of 2015’s ‘dieselgate’ scandal, and pre-empting the introduction of a revised testing process for vehicles – have already begun to publish their own ‘real world’ fuel consumption figures to help manage customer expectations.

​Some consumer automotive publications have introduced their own alternatives to official figures, with one, HonestJohn.co.uk, giving owners the chance to input their own fuel economy to database that then returns an average for individual models.

​Passing Junction 10 of the M40, heading towards Birmingham late on a Monday morning, a Ferrari 360, barrelling down the outside lane took a nano-second to fill my rear-view mirror.
 
Fast it might be, and head-turning it might be, but with 50 miles behind me and another 400 to go, I was grateful to be at the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra diesel.
 
Having covered just shy of 1,000 miles in two days (and further 1,000 over the next three says), it was apparent just how good the Astra is: since the original model made its debut back in 1979, it has matured into a fantastically capable, good-looking and affordable car.

A classic Bentley Turbo R faces off against a new Mulsanne Speed in the Brecon Beacons

For decades Bentley motor cars were overshadowed by the models of the Rolls-Royce marque. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, they were made using the finest materials by skilled craftspeople, as were Rolls-Royces.

But they were effectively badge-engineered vehicles, slightly less ostentatious versions of the luxury cars regarded as the best in the world.

It was much the same when the Silver Spirit and Mulsanne replaced the Silver Shadow and T Series in 1980. At the time of their launch around 90 per cent of the models produced in Crewe wore the Spirit of Ecstasy as a radiator grille mascot with the remainder sporting the flying B.

In 1982 we began to witness a shift in how the company wanted both brands to be perceived with the launch of the Mulsanne Turbo. It produced around 50 per cent more power than a Mulsanne or Silver Spirit, and perhaps the pivotal moment that defined the start of the delineation of both brands arrived in 1985 with the launch of the Turbo R.

It's always fascinating seeing highly skilled and specialised craftspeople working in modern production. This is why visiting Bentley's factory in Crewe is always an education.

​A demonstration of how ancient techniques have not lost their place among ultra-modern technology in the production of some of the world's finest luxury cars.

This month the factory will begin production of the new Bentayga SUV. Bentley will be the first super-luxury automotive brand to launch a 4x4, and the model is expected to increase the company's sales worldwide by 50 per cent over the next few years.