Euro NCAP has awarded the all-new Kia Sorento SUV line-up, including the upcoming plug-in hybrid, a five-star safety rating.

The Sorento achieved 82% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 63% for pedestrian protection, and 87% in the ‘Safety Assist’ category.

Euro NCAP praised the Sorento for passenger compartments that remained stable in the event of a collision, as well as its ability to offer good protection for all critical body areas in the side barrier test.

Seat and head restraint tests demonstrated good passenger protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision, it said.

The Sorento’s standard-fit Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist system also helped the car avoid impacts during testing for the ‘Safety Assist’ category.

Pablo Martinez Masip, director of product planning and pricing at Kia Motors Europe, said: “It’s important that the car offers a wide range of features and technologies designed to reduce the chances of a collision and protect occupants should a collision be unavoidable.”

Depending on specification, the Sorento offers owners Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist technology with pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle detection and Junction Turning (detecting oncoming vehicles when turning across the road at a junction), High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning system with leading vehicle departure warning, Lane Keeping Assist and Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist.

Other technologies include Highway Driving Assist with Navigation-Assisted Smart Cruise Control (Curve), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Safe Exist Assist, Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist when reversing, and Surround View Monitor.

The Sorento also features Kia’s new Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM), which acts as a ‘second pair of eyes’ for drivers, says the manufacturer.

It enhances safety for occupants and other road users by eliminating a driver’s left- and right-side blind spots by displaying a high-resolution video feed within the instrument cluster.

Kia’s first Multi-Collision Brake system, which enables the Sorento to mitigate the severity of secondary collisions is also standard.

It automatically applies the vehicle brakes when the airbags have been deployed after an initial collision, further protecting occupants from secondary frontal or side impacts.

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