The Kia Sorento vary is among the most numerous massive SUVs by way of its powertrain choices, with petrol V6, diesel four-cylinder, petrol-electric hybrid (HEV), and petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variations accessible.
WATCH: Paul’s video overview of the 2024 Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV AWD
All of them have seven seats and loads of sophistication, however as of proper now – early 2025 – you continue to must spend a heap extra money if you’d like an HEV or PHEV model of this spectacular mannequin.
It’s the costliest model of the Sorento that’s on take a look at right here: the GT-Line PHEV, which has all-wheel drive as customary, however prices an entire lot greater than you may anticipate.
So is it value contemplating? Learn on to search out out.
How does the Kia Sorento examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Kia Sorento in opposition to equally sized automobiles.
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Sorento
How a lot does the Kia Sorento price?
As talked about, the PHEV powertrain is reserved for the flagship GT-Line trim at this time limit. Kia Australia has, nonetheless, steered it needs to increase its providing of ‘new power’ powertrain choices throughout extra worth factors within the Sorento line-up.
That ought to imply, in concept, that there’ll be some motion within the vary in 2025 that may see HEV and PHEV powertrains grow to be accessible with decrease gear ranges at extra inexpensive costs.
However the actuality right here is that the all-wheel drive PHEV is the costliest possibility within the Sorento vary proper now, representing a large circa-$19,000 premium over the equivalent-spec front-drive petrol V6, and about $16,000 greater than the wonderful diesel AWD. It’s additionally greater than $11K dearer than the GT-Line model of the plugless HEV with AWD.
| Mannequin | Value earlier than on-road prices | Drive-away pricing (NSW) |
|---|---|---|
| Kia Sorento S V6 FWD | $50,680 | $54,090 |
| Kia Sorento Sport V6 FWD | $53,300 | $57,090 |
| Kia Sorento S Diesel AWD | $53,680 | $57,090 |
| Kia Sorento Sport Diesel AWD | $56,300 | $60,090 |
| Kia Sorento Sport+ V6 FWD | $58,230 | $61,990 |
| Kia Sorento Sport+ Diesel AWD | $61,230 | $64,990 |
| Kia Sorento GT-Line V6 FWD | $65,590 | $69,690 |
| Kia Sorento GT-Line Diesel AWD | $68,590 | $72,690 |
| Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV FWD | $70,330 | $76,151 |
| Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV AWD | $73,330 | $79,301 |
| Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV AWD | $84,660 | – |
To see how the Kia Sorento traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What’s the Kia Sorento like on the within?
The inside of the Kia Sorento GT-Line, regardless of which powertrain you choose, is a stunning place to sit down and feels extra upmarket than some rivals.
Entrance seat occupants have terrific inclusions like heated and ventilated seats with loads of adjustment and good consolation, and the tasty Nappa leather-based seat trim additionally makes you are feeling such as you’re getting the business-class expertise, too.
The sprint design is fashionable and trendy, with a pair of 12.9-inch screens flowing collectively in a single panel, and it actually does make this cabin really feel up-to-date. It’s additionally simple to study, with massive icons and fast response instances that make it simple to leap across the screens. And despite the fact that there’s built-in sat nav, you continue to get wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too.
There’s a line of contact buttons under the dashboard for shortcuts across the infotainment menus, and likewise for the local weather controls. You possibly can toggle between these features with a button which adjustments the show, and the way the 2 knobs on the sprint behave. When you get the hold of this touch-panel, it’s actually intuitive.
The digital instrument clusetr is simple to learn, and presents a very good quantity of information, however you possibly can’t present a live-map navigation readout there. Odd.
Charging is taken care of by a set of USB-C ports up entrance, and there’s a wi-fi telephone charger as effectively.
Plus the space for storing up entrance is outstanding, with an enormous space for telephones beneath the dashboard, two cupholders, a deep bin beneath the central armrest, and spacious door pockets.
Annoyingly, although, there’s some plastic trim on the transmission tunnel that continues to be a mud and fingerprint magnet.
Mother and father will love the actual fact there’s a passenger discuss operate, so these within the very again can hear the grown-ups by means of the audio system and a microphone up entrance.
As for the center row, there’s sufficient legroom and headroom for giant youngsters and full-sized adults, to the purpose the place six-footers can fortunately sit behind six-footers.
Center-row riders get a fold-down central armrest, with further cupholders on the door playing cards, and extra storage in addition to that. There are not any local weather controls for the second row, however there are directional vents.
Mother and father can be pleased with the ISOFIX little one seat anchors within the window seats, and there’s additionally a trio of top-tether factors again there. If little one seats aren’t occupying the window seats, those that do will be capable to toast their tooshies by means of the outboard seat heating controls.
The third row is okay, however not excellent (if you happen to want excellent, purchase a Kia Carnival – belief me!).
The rearmost seats are finest reserved for small youngsters or emergency seating, and there’s one-touch folding for the second row, to make entry simpler. Huge items may wrestle, however little agile ones will clamber in fortunately.
Third-row headroom is tight for adults, and the flat seats imply it’s a knees-up proposition. However if you happen to’re somebody who makes use of their seven-seater with a number of youngsters on board, you’ll be pleased to study there are an extra two ISOFIX factors and two top-tethers for the very again row.
These within the again get separate fan controls and vents, and USB cost factors, in addition to storage for a small bottle and telephone.
When it comes to baggage house, the Sorento affords 187L with the third row in place, 616L in its five-seat format and 2011L with the second and third rows folded flat. There’s a small charging cable bag that takes up a little bit of house within the boot, too.
All variations characteristic a full-size alloy spare wheel, and there’s even an area for the cargo blind beneath the boot ground.
| Dimensions | Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV |
|---|---|
| Size | 4810mm |
| Width | 1900mm |
| Top | 1695mm |
| Wheelbase | 2815mm |
| Cargo capability | 187L (7 seats) 616L (5 seats) 2011L (2 seats) |
To see how the Kia Sorento traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What’s beneath the bonnet?
This PHEV is a bit totally different to a few of the different plug-in hybrids in the marketplace.
It runs a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine teamed with an electrical motor built-in into its six-speed automated transmission, and it has on-demand all-wheel drive.
The petrol engine makes 132kW of energy at 5500rpm and 265Nm of torque over 1500-4500rpm by itself, with the transmission-mounted e-motor contributing 67kW (2100-3300rpm) and 304Nm (0-2100rpm) for whole system outputs of 195kW and 350Nm.
Beneath the second-row seats is a 14kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack which could be charged by way of AC single-phase energy at a most charge of simply 3.3kW. It’ll take three hours 25 minutes to cost from 15 to 95 per cent at this charge by means of its Kind 2 port.
Kia claims a pure-electric driving vary of as much as 68km (NEDC), mixed gas consumption of simply 1.6L/100km, and CO2 emissions of 36g/km. It has a 67-litre gas tank and wishes 95RON premium unleaded.
Once I charged it up, I noticed an indicated 50km of EV vary on the show, and in actuality it achieved 55km in EV mode over a mixture of driving situations.
I ran it out to 100km to get an concept of whether or not the claimed 1.6L/100km is lifelike, and I noticed a real-world determine of two.5L/100km for that first hundred kays.
Then I did 100 with the battery depleted, to get an concept of what it could be like if you happen to can’t prime up on EV energy. And with some start-stop driving, city working and freeway cruising, I noticed a return of 6.5L/100km indicated.
Not unhealthy, however not fairly a game-changer.
The battery weighs 140kg by itself, and contributes to this Sorento’s porky tare weight of 2052kg. Be aware that the gross car mass is 2680kg, so if you wish to match seven individuals on-board they may must eat gentle lunches within the lead-up.
The towing capability for the Sorento PHEV is 750kg unbraked and 1350kg braked. Select the diesel AWD and also you get 2000kg max towing functionality.
To see how the Kia Sorento traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
How does the Kia Sorento drive?
Let’s discuss in regards to the powertrain firstly, as a result of it’s a peculiar one.
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European HEV variant proven
The electrical motor is built-in into the transmission, and what this implies is that you could really feel and even hear gearshifts occurring, even with the automotive working in totally electrical mode.
In hybrid mode, it would clearly use that gearbox too, and in some situations it will possibly make the drive expertise really feel considerably laggy, with a hesitation between the engine and transmission and the electrical intervention. My associate drove this automotive and mentioned “it felt laborious to guess what would occur subsequent” when in hybrid mode.
One other quirk of this powertrain is that, even if you happen to’re in EV mode and also you’re attempting to dictate the powertrain behaviour, it would overrule you and infrequently kick the petrol engine into life.
Whether or not it’s while you push the throttle laborious, and even throughout deceleration down hills, it gained’t keep in EV mode on a regular basis when that mode is chosen, not like another PHEVs.
As talked about above, it does have a very good quantity of EV driving vary accessible, however with this a part of the market shifting rapidly – there are PHEVs with 100km-plus ranges hitting our shores this yr – it already looks like this Sorento is a bit behind the instances.
That comes all the way down to the low-capacity battery, which at 14kWh for a two-tonne-plus SUV will not be precisely made for long-distance EV commuting.
In reality, if you happen to want a seven-seater SUV and you understand you’d prefer to get extra out of your EV drive element, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV could be an excellent alternative. It’s cheaper than this SUV, and whereas it is usually barely smaller, I managed to get greater than 80km of EV driving out of a full cost.
With regards to efficiency, there’s definitely sufficient on supply right here. You’ve obtained a number of modes to select from, together with Eco, Regular and Sport, and the latter actually means that you can get essentially the most out of the powertrain. It’s not ridiculously quick, however it’s fast sufficient.
The drive expertise is predictable, with steering that feels manageable in any respect speeds and simple to show while you’re parking, and the experience consolation isn’t too unhealthy, with a barely agency edge to it, nevertheless it by no means feels too jarring or sharp.
It’s a little heavier than the opposite variations, however the weight isn’t all that noticeable in most conditions.
However we famous a few high quality points with our mortgage automotive: there was a slight vibration in EV mode at low speeds, particularly when turning, and the dashboard of the automotive developed a squeak after simply 1200km.
To see how the Kia Sorento traces up in opposition to the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What do you get?
On take a look at right here is the flagship variant within the Sorento vary, the GT-Line PHEV.
2025 Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV gear highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Full-size spare wheel
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Blind Spot View Monitor
- Distant Sensible Parking Help
- Keyless entry
- Push-button begin
- Electrical tailgate with proximity opening
- Parking Collision Avoidance Help – Reverse
- Quilted Nappa leather-appointed seats
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Suede headliner
- Ambient inside lighting
- 360-degree encompass view monitor
- Heated and ventilated entrance seats
- Heated outboard second-row seats
- Panoramic sunroof
- Kia Join
- Over-the-air updates
Is the Kia Sorento protected?
The utmost five-star ANCAP ranking was awarded to the Sorento in 2020, and it continues on with the outcome throughout all powertrain selections.
| Class | Kia Sorento |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 82% |
| Baby occupant safety | 85% |
| Susceptible highway consumer safety | 63% |
| Security help | 89% |
Commonplace security gear contains:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Automobile detection
- Pedestrian detection
- Bicycle owner detection
- Junction help
- Blind-spot help
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Lane-keep help
- Lane Following Help
- Adaptive cruise management
- Clever Pace Restrict Help
- Driver consideration alert
- Protected Exit Warning
- Reversing digital camera
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
- Tyre strain monitoring
All 2024 Kia Sorento fashions now additionally obtain Kia Join on-line companies, which embrace:
- eCall
- Distant lock
- Distant local weather management
- Automobile monitoring
- Automobile standing monitoring
- Voice assistant
- Vacation spot ship to car
- Actual-time visitors updates
- Valet parking mode
The Sorento Sport and above add Freeway Driving Help which features solely when driving on a freeway or motorway and builds on adaptive cruise management with stop-and-go functionality, mixed with Lane Following Help to maintain the automotive centred within the lane.
GT-Line variants add:
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Protected Exit Help (NEW)
- Digital little one security lock
- Encompass-view digital camera
- Facet parking sensors
- Distant Sensible Parking Help
The Sorento has seven airbags, together with twin entrance, entrance centre, entrance facet and curtain airbags, however be aware that the third-row occupants’ heads usually are not coated by these curtain baggage.
How a lot does the Kia Sorento price to run?
The 2024 Kia Sorento is roofed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, and the identical cowl is obtainable for the battery pack for the PHEV mannequin.
Servicing necessities are an enormous consideration right here. The Sorento PHEV wants upkeep each 12 months or 10,000km, making it needier than its non-electrified siblings.
And it prices a helluva lot to service, contemplating these interval durations, as follows:
| Service interval | Value |
|---|---|
| 12 months/10,000km | $329 |
| 24 months/20,000km | $669 |
| 36 months/30,000km | $726 |
| 48 months/40,000km | $1016 |
| 60 months/50,000km | $370 |
| 72 months/60,000km | $1165 |
| 84 months/70,000km | $662 |
Which means your common service price is $705, so whereas your petrol bills could be decrease, you’re diverting a few of that price in direction of upkeep.
Roadside help is obtainable, and if you happen to service with Kia you’ll have it renewed out to eight years of canopy.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia Sorento
Frankly, that is the least attractive model of the Sorento in GT-Line spec. The worth appears exorbitant, and the diesel AWD is well a greater choose for individuals who need a highly effective and environment friendly model of this seven-seater.
That’s what I’d purchase if I used to be set on a Sorento. Or perhaps even the cheaper Sport+ diesel AWD.
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