Ths week, Al Suttie takes the seven-seat Sorento large SUV out on highways and byways to gauge its fleet appeal.

Kia Sorento 1.6 T-GDi Edition HEV

List price (BiK): £50,395 (37%) CO2: 168g/km Economy: 38.2mpg Test efficiency: 35.5mpg

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Monday

The Kia EV9 is grabbing a lot of headlines right now, but for many fleet drivers the company’s Sorento will be just the ticket. It’s why I asked to try out the seven-seat Sorento, which pitched up today in all its sizeable glory. This is a car that can take on the Land Rover Discovery Sport with ease, and also the larger Discovery, I reckon, if you’re not blindsided by badge snobbery.

Tuesday

This Sorento has arrived in top-line Edition form, which is lovely to have, even if I think the lower-level Vision trim has all the kit you need. Still, it’s good to have extra goodies such as upgraded leather trim, even more electric seat adjustment and Bose stereo. One feature of the Edition that is worth having is the remote park assist, which helps get the car in and out of tight parking bays. It’s a boon given the size of the Sorento.

Wednesday

No plug-in option for charging this Sorento that’s on test, which is not a disaster for most of my driving needs. A trip into Glasgow today held no fear of its Low Emission Zone as the Kia meets the criteria with ease. It also proves very quiet and comfortable on the motorway commuting into town, but the 20-inch alloy wheels pick up on a few niggles on the city’s crumpled streets.

Thursday

It may be a small-ish engine powering a large SUV, but the Kia’s 1.6-litre motor with hybrid assistance does a very sound job in most circumstances. Cruising up to Perth this morning on the A9 was very relaxed, especially with the cruise control set to allow for the average speed cameras. The only disappointment is the delay in throttle response when pulling away from a standstill – there’s just a fraction too long between what my right foot wants and the car’s reaction.

Friday

There’s no need to trouble the seven-seat capacity of the Sorento on the way to my son’s football practice this evening. Instead, his kit and that of his two mates is thrown into the Kia’s boot without any thought of trying to pack it in. The load bay is vast with the two rear chairs stashed away, which means the Sorento makes for an ideal family SUV in my book.

Saturday

Full marks to Kia for sticking with physical controls for the heating in the Sorento. It’s ffff-reezing here today, so I got in the car with gloves on to switch it on before de-icing the windows. No need to take my mitts off while pumping up the heat onto the windscreen. Toasty heated seats were also fully fired up by the time I’d scraped the ice from the windows.

Sunday

Poor driving conditions all week have not allowed for any enthusiastic driving of the Sorento, which may well have aided the average fuel economy to 35.5mpg by my calculations. Against an official 38.2mpg, that’s a pretty good result given how much town driving I’ve done. Just as importantly, the Sorento has been smooth, refined and sure-footed in wet, cold and icy conditions.