Kia Sorento

The diesel Europe knows this car by, we do not have. The 2.2 Smartstream CRDi with 194 hp and 440 Nm, on an eight-speed wet dual-clutch, is the outright European bestseller. In America that diesel is not offered at all and in our stock the diesel count is zero. A 2.2 CRDi listing in Bulgaria means a European car from the dealer network, not an import.

The American engines are two and they are different propositions. The 2.5 Smartstream naturally aspirated with 191 hp is the base — simple, but underpowered for the weight. The 2.5 Smartstream Turbo with 281 hp and 421 Nm is the real American hit; it replaced the old V6s and makes the car genuinely quick, on an eight-speed DCT. Europe does not import the turbo officially, on emissions grounds. The 1.6 T-GDI hybrids — the self-charging one at 230 hp and the plug-in at 265 — are sold on both sides.

Mind which generation you are looking at, because the year decides more than the name. Our Sorentos span 2013 to 2026, which is three generations. The older ones carry the 3.3 V6 and the 2.4 naturally aspirated — entirely different cars from the current 2.5 turbo, and none of the comparison above applies to them.

There is no extended version. Unlike Jeep and the American brands, the Sorento is not offered with a longer body — the wheelbase and the 4.81-metre length are identical everywhere in the world. What differs is the seating: five seats, seven, or the luxurious six with two separate captain's chairs in the second row, which is a very popular American option.

The trims diverge at the bottom. In America the range starts from fairly sparse front-drive versions, and the X-Line off-road trim adds 2.5 cm of ground clearance, matt plastic protection and a locking centre differential. In Europe there is almost no base version — the cars come well equipped and with all-wheel drive as standard. Two features are worth hunting for: the blind-spot camera that puts a picture in the instrument display the moment you indicate, and the remote parking assistant that moves the car from outside using the key. The second is mostly on the diesel and the plug-in, not on the base American petrols.