SORENTO is to Kia as Coupe is to Hyundai.

Can’t see the connection? Well, both were the first indication that the now-conjoined Korean carmakers could make vehicles that were desirable rather then merely affordable.

But while that first Kia Sorento looked pretty decent against its 4×4 contemporaries when it was launched, the world has moved on since 2002.

And boy does the new Sorento reflect that.

Gone is the old separate chassis in favour of a lighter, monocoque construction.

Ditto the old dual-range gearbox.

And gone are the old thirsty petrol V6s and old 2.5 diesels.

There is a 2.4-litre petrol at the bottom of the range – a two-wheel drive, five-seater.

All other version of the handsome new Sorento are seven-seaters powered by a state of the art diesel powerplant of just 2.2 litres.

And all but one of those oil-burning seven-seaters are four-wheel drive.

Its class-leading numbers are impressive. A whopping 311lb/ft of torque from 1,800-2,500rpm and 194bhp – that’s more than the 3.5 petrol used to turn out.

And before tree huggers lynch me, let me point out that the economy is pretty special, too.

With small cars shouting their predictably smaller CO2 emissions from the rooftops, the Sorento’s 194g/km might seem to be nothing to write home about.

But trust me, the new Sorento is a surprisingly economical SUV.

Given the same use as our 10-year-old 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa, it pretty much matches it on fuel economy.

The average consumption readout when I collected Forest Road’s Sorento demonstrator was 30.4mpg and during my two days it varied between 30.2 and 30.7.

For a luxury flagship seven-seat 4×4 that is impressive.

And I know there are lots of you out there getting more gas miles but there’s a heck of a lot who aren’t.

Don’t believe me? Zero your trip next time you fill up – you will probably be in for a shock.

The Sorento range starts from a whisker under £18K but peaks at almost eight grand more than that.

That’s more than we are used to spending on a Kia.

But this is a Kia like nothing before it.

In top KX-3 spec it is fully loaded with kit, give or take satnav and I’ve always been a fan of the cheap, updatable add-on variety anyway.

The sleek Californian-designed bodywork (Cd 0.38) is bang on the money and the range-top model looks impressive sitting on its larger 18-inch alloys.

Armed with the key in your pocket, a light touch on the door handle unlocks the way into a pretty impressive interior: the interlocking main dials, the leather seats, the extra light available through the electric panoramic glass roof, the heated front seats… I could go on.

Granted, some dash plastics are harder that they would be in some European rivals, but everything you are meant to touch is pleasant and it all seems very well put together. There again, Kia do have the confidence to offer a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.

With reach- and rake-adjustable steering wheel and powered driver’s seat, most should be able to get comfy and there’s decent room for four other adults.

When more accommodation is needed, two more seats pull quickly and easily out of the boot floor.

Access to the rearmost seats is from the nearside only, where the small part of the split-folding rear seat drops forward.

Putting up the third row of seats does, as often in this class, wipe out most of the 531 litres of regular boot space but it does afford pretty decent seating for a couple of older kids.

And by the time they’ve outgrown these seats most ungrateful little bleeders wouldn’t be seen dead with Mom and Pop anyway.

Lardy, wrinkly motoring writers can get in them but would really want the journey to be short – local yes, long-haul no thanks.

In five-seat mode the boot is good with an easily-removable luggage blind keeping the valuables/bodies out of sight while with all bar the front two seats folded out of the way, there’s a cavernous 1,500-litres plus to play with.

Oddment spaces are good, too, with room for a 14-inch laptop in the centre console as well as a decent complement of map pockets and cup holders.

Starting up keylessly is quite impressive: foot on the brake and press the button that starts the chain reaction and a few seconds later the engine bursts into life.

The six-speed auto box does have a manual function but does just fine in drive – you know what they say about dogs and barking yourself.

Sixth is a high cruising ratio that should make for relaxed motorway mile munching.

Locally, the Sorento will spend its time in the lower five gears of its smaller, lighter, auto box between which it changes pretty smoothly.

Progress is surprisingly sharp – shedding around a fifth of a ton compared to the old model helps the benchmark sprint to 60mph come up in a very respectable 9.6seconds.

Like most very high-powered diesels you can hear the engine when accelerating hard – but it’s not enough to detract from even speech radio.

With decent room, dual zone climate control and comfy seats the interior is a cosseting place – and, with a full-house of five Euro NCap crash-test stars, it really is as impregnable as 4x4s feel.

Granted, the orangey red of the digital displays, the night-time mood lighting and illuminated ‘Sorento’ sill plates does bother a few sensitive souls – but not me.

No, I found nits hard to pick while one after-dark journey got ’Er in Drawers drooling as the xenon lights turned night into day.

New Sorento is better on fast tarmac and not as extreme an off-roader or towing tractor as the old one – towing capability is down a tonne to 2,500kg in manual and 2,000 in auto – but it’s still more than just a crossover that happens to have 4WD. There is hill descent control and you can lock the central diff.

Granted, if you remember the brand from its early days, 26 grand is a lot of money for a Kia, but you can easily spend more money on a less well-equipped 4×4 whose manufacturers don’t have seven years or 100,000 miles worth of confidence in it.

Valid criticisms are hard to find – although since the parking sensors are backed up by a visual display I didn’t see the sense of putting that display where the steering wheel spoke obscured it if you had a bit of lock on.

But the truth is that this is a very easy beast with which to live – even the turning circle is pretty modest – and it looks worth rather more than £26K when you see it in the driveway.

And as it is a seven-seat 4×4, those emissions do equate to less than 28g/km of CO2 per seat, or less than 40 per seat when five up.

Smart cars good, 4x4s bad?

Not always, pal, not always.