The all-new Sorento is the first model that Kia is fitting with its Multi-Collision Brake system, designed to help prevent or mitigate the severity of a secondary collision, which may occur after an initial impact as the vehicle continues to a stop, often out of the driver’s control.
The system is activated by the deployment of the vehicle’s airbags, which indicates a severity of accident that warrants system intervention. Once activated, the system measures vehicle speed and any changes of direction, applying the appropriate level of braking force to bring the car to a controlled stop.
The system monitors the position of the pedals to check if the driver is attempting to accelerate or brake. If the MCB system detects little or no driver intervention, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) mechanism intervenes to apply the appropriate amount of braking for the car’s level of momentum. The system is not active at speeds exceeding 110mph, as brake intervention at high speeds can cause other severe impacts.
MCB will be offered as standard on all Sorento models, including the new Plug-in Hybrid model which is due to launch in Europe early in 2021.
MCB’s effectiveness in preventing secondary vehicle impacts has already been acknowledged by Europe’s car safety assessment body, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). The programme awarded an additional safety point to cars equipped with the MCB system for adult-passenger protection. According to Kia, empirical testing of the system has indicated that a car with MCB showed an 8% decrease in fatalities and a 4% decrease in severe injuries compared to the same car without MCB. Kia will roll out MCB to other models in line with planned model updates during the coming year.
