Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger comparison review - We test two of Australia's best seven-seat family SUVs

The Kluger and Sorento are tough-looking SUVs, but to me the Toyota appears relatively simple and conservative in an almost ‘government issue’ way. The Kia is far more extravagant and modern in its styling, inside and out.

Let’s take a closer look at the Kluger first.

The Kluger is about as beautiful as its name, which isn’t very. Still, while it doesn’t have the futuristic face of the Kia Sorento it does look tough and serious.

Having spent time driving it in the suburbs where off-road utes rule, I can tell you it commanded a bit of respect even while I was blocking an entire street with my eleventy-point turn.

The Kluger looks like a larger version of the RAV4 with its moustache-like grille and blade headlights. The Kluger isn’t as angular as its mid-sized sibling and you can see the curves in the rear haunches which wrap around to the tailgate.

The Kluger is about as beautiful as its name, which isn’t very.

The GX is the entry-grade and above that is the GXL – they have 18-inch alloy wheels, but only the top-of-the-range Grande has 20-inch rims and they come with chrome-effect paint, which might be OTT for some.

The cabin is more functional than fashionable with a dashboard dominated by what appears to be one of those big pizza paddles which holds the media screen and climate control dials.

The GX has black cloth-trimmed seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, the GXL has synthetic leather seats, and the Grande has actual leather upholstery.

There are soft-touch surfaces with stitching, but all grades still have hard plastics galore and styling which lacks the premium look of some rivals.

The Kluger’s dimensions are 4966mm end-to-end, 1930mm across and 1755mm tall.

There are nine paint colours to choose from: 'Graphite metallic', 'Atomic Rush Red mica', 'Liquorice Brown mica', 'Saturn Blue metallic', 'Galena Blue metallic', 'Crystal pearl', 'Silver Storm metallic' and 'Eclipse Black.'

The Kluger’s dimensions show it to be 4966mm end-to-end, 1930mm across and 1755mm tall.

The Sorento is about 150mm less in length at 4810mm long, 30mm narrower at 1900mm wide, and 55mm shorter in height at 1700mm tall.

And while the new Kluger looks a lot like the old version, the new-generation Sorento looks nothing like the last one… n-o-t-h-i-n-g like the last one.

Well, apart from the rear, side window which has the same angle to it, which is an intentional nod to the previous model.

The level of detail, thought, and styling which has gone into the Sorento is obvious.

The outgoing version was premium and friendly-looking, but its proportions seem bloated compared to the muscular, angular, new-generation Sorento.

It appears to have had an attitude change, too. Sure, this is a family SUV but there are muscle car traits from the Camaro-style headlights flanking that cliff face of a grille, to the Mustang-esque tail-lights, with everything in between filled with sharp edges.

The cabin is even more striking with its cheese-grater textures in the dash and doors, the large centre console with chrome trim and rotary shifter.

The 10.25-inch media display, standard on the Sport grade and above, is the most interesting I’ve seen on any car I’ve tested.

The level of detail, thought, and styling which has gone into it is obvious with its neon people, fonts and icons, old-school bulb effect for radio frequencies, and even the ‘street light’ mode for the navigation is intriguing. At the same time, it’s also one of the easiest to use systems I’ve encountered.

While the new Kluger looks a lot like the old version, the new-generation Sorento looks nothing like the last one.

The top-grade GT-Line steps up the premium look with its fully-digital instrument cluster and Nappa leather seats.

The materials feel high quality, while the fit and finish is superb.

There are seven colours to pick from but only 'Clear White' doesn’t demand the $695 cost of the rest, which include, 'Silky Silver', 'Steel Grey', 'Mineral Blue', 'Aurora Black', 'Gravity Blue' and 'Snow White Pearl.' 

Score out of 5

The Kluger and Sorento are seven-seater SUVs, although the third rows are not going to be comfortable or spacious for most adults.

I’m 191cm (6'3") tall so those back seats are out for me, but I found the Sorento offered better head space and legroom than the Kluger in its third row.

The Kluger wins for second-row roominess and the space up front is vast, making the Sorento’s cockpit feel compact in comparison.

The cargo capacity of the Sorento’s boot with the third row folded flat is 616 litres, while the Kluger has a 552-litre volume. With the third row in place the Sorento boot is 187 litres and the Kluger’s is 241 litres.

Cup holder count? The Kluger and Sorento both have eight (two up front, two in the second row and four in the third row).

The Sorento has a full-sized spare wheel, while Kluger owners will have to hobble to a tyre repair centre on a space saver spare.  

Score out of 5

There’s something you need to know about the safety of these cars. Ready? The third row airbags in the Kluger and Sorento don’t extend to cover the occupant’s heads in those very back seats.

It’s an unacceptable shortcoming on vehicles built for families. The carmakers know that it is children who will mainly be sitting in these rear seats and would be aware that kids won’t be as adequately protected by airbags as the other occupants.

This alone would be a deal breaker for me if I was looking for a seven-seat SUV and intended regularly using those rear seats for my children.

If I needed seven seats regularly, I’d pick a Kia Carnival, a Mazda CX-9, or a Hyundai Palisade because they all have side curtain airbags which extend to cover the third row occupants' heads.

Somehow ANCAP has given both SUVs the maximum five-star rating with the Kluger being tested in 2021 and the Sorento in 2020.

Are you still there? Understand if you’re not.

Look, it’s a shame these SUVs are let down by such a simple thing when the rest of the safety tech in both cars is so advanced and comprehensive.  

All grades of the Kia Sorento come with AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert and blind spot collision avoidance.

Then the GT-Line also has blind-spot view monitoring, which shows the view behind you on whichever side you’re indicating towards.

There are ISOFIX points and top tether mounts for the third-row seats, plus two more ISOFIX points and three top tethers mounts across the second row.

It’s good to see the Sorento has kept its full-sized spare wheel, which is under the car.

All Klugers come standard with AEB with pedestrians and cyclist detection, there’s also blind-spot warning, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points in the second row.

Score out of 5

The Kluger has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, while the Sorento comes with seven-year/unlimited kilometre cover.

Servicing is recommended at 12 month/15,000km intervals for both and the pricing is capped.

The Sorento wins hands down, right? Let’s hit the showers.

Whoa there! Keep your gym shorts on.

See, if you look at the servicing costs the Kluger is more affordable. Each annual service for the Kluger is $250 that’s $1250 over five years.

For the Sorento V6 petrol Kia says servicing over five years amounts to $2388. The diesel has similar pricing.

Score out of 5