Kia Sorento 2022 review: GT-Line Hybrid

For now, the hybrid Sorento is available in only one top-spec GT-Line trim level, with a choice of front-wheel drive starting at $66,750, or an all-wheel drive from $69,750

This automatically puts it at something of a disadvantage, as the Kluger offers hybrid across its range, but then again, even at GT-Line level, the Sorento offers a higher level of standard equipment at a similar price to a mid-grade Kluger GXL (from $63,650). 

The GT-Line wears 19-inch alloy wheels. (image credit: Tom White)

It’s also a similar price to non-hybrid high-spec rivals like the CX-9 GT ($63,850) or Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander ($62,550).

Standard equipment is nothing to be scoffed at offering 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 12.3-inch digital dash with a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, an 8.0-inch head-up display, a wireless phone charger, Bose-branded premium audio, quilted Nappa leather interior trim for all three rows, 14-way power adjust for the driver’s seat, 10-way power adjust for the passenger seat, heated and cooled front seats, with heated outboard rear seats, ambient LED interior lighting, a panoramic sunroof, and a motorised tailgate.

The 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (image credit: Tom White)

The only major missing features here include wireless phone mirroring, and oddly, any USB-C connectivity. Still, you’d be hard pressed to find a better level of standard equipment even on high-spec seven-seat SUV rivals.

The Sorento also packs the full array of safety equipment and then some, which we’ll look at later.

The Sorento might be slightly smaller than its Kluger nemesis, but it still manages to feel enormous on the inside.

Front passengers are treated to a great level of adjustability, and the Sorento nicely balances a surprisingly sporty seating position with great visibility out every angle. The seats feel nice, and while they’re not the most supportive I’ve ever sat in or perhaps as lavish as the quilted design suggests, they’re more than suitable for long stints behind the wheel.

Leg, arm, and headroom is great up front, with soft trims for your elbows, with the only missing soft piece being a spot to rest your knee against on the centre stack.

On the storage front there’s a bottle holder in the door, but only a small surrounding bin, two huge bottle holders in the centre console, with a small bay for keys or wallets, a sunglasses tray, and a flip-open tray under the climate unit with three USB-A ports, a wireless charger, and another phone cubby (likely for the phone you’ll have wired up for mirroring). The arm-rest console box is enormous and has a removable floating tray.

Back seat passengers get directional air vents. (image credit: Tom White)

The climate unit is fully tactile, featuring buttons for all the important features and toggles to quickly control temperature, while the multimedia screen has shortcut touch panels and dials for volume and tuning. 

The software, like all Hyundai and Kia products is simple, fast, and straightforward to use, with my only complaint being the furthest extremes of the multimedia screen can be a bit of a reach for the driver (especially since the home button is there… ).

The second row is superb with leagues of knee room behind my own driving position, ample width for all three seats, and a continuation of the seat trim and padded arm-rests. 

The second row offers plenty of leg and headroom. (image credit: Tom White)

Headroom is not as impressive as it is in the first row, although the addition of heated seats is a nice touch. There’s a bottle holder but no bin in the doors, sturdy pockets on the backs of the front seats, dual adjustable air vents in the centre (but no third climate zone as some rivals have), and no less than three USB-A ports (one on the side of each front seat, plus an extra and a 12V outlet in the centre.)

The third row is perhaps the Sorento’s most impressive zone. While it can be a bit of an afterthought in many seven-seaters, the Sorento surprisingly offers enough room for my 182cm tall frame in relative comfort. 

The third row is perhaps the Sorento’s most impressive zone. (image credit: Tom White)

I do have to move the second row forward on its rail, but not by an awful lot, which leaves just enough room for my knees. There’s space under the seat in front to place your toes which goes a long distance to making the third-row feel less cramped, with the most limiting dimension for adults being headroom.

The amenities are hugely impressive, with a continuation of the nice seat trim, a generous bottle holder and storage bay atop each wheel-arch cladding, a USB port and adjustable air vent on both sides, a fan controller which offers impressive air pressure (rare in the seven-seat category), and switches which completely fold the second-row down for a quick exit. 

It even has ISOFIX points for third row seats, for a total of four. Put simply the Sorento’s third row is one of the best I’ve ever sat in in the seven-seat SUV category.

Boot space comes in at 179 litres (VDA) with all rows deployed, enough to fit our smallest <i>CarsGuide</i> luggage case.

The great thing about a parallel or ‘self-charging’ hybrid technology is you don’t really need to care about the details of what goes on under the bonnet, just that it will save you fuel no matter how you drive it.

The same can’t quite be said for a plug-in hybrid, which requires a bit of effort on the driver’s part to extract the best result, both in terms of driving and charging.

The turbocharged 1.6-litre engine combined with an electric motor has a combined output of 169kW/350Nm. (image credit: Tom White)

Regardless, the Sorento HEV pairs a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 132kW/265Nm, to an electric motor producing 44kW/264Nm, for a reasonable combined power output of 169kW/350Nm.

Kia places the electric motor between the engine and six-speed automatic transmission, which has the odd effect of sending the electric drive through a gearbox, something which is a bit more seamless with Toyota’s rival continuously variable set-up.

Under the Sorento’s floor is a 1kWh lithium-ion battery, which acts as a buffer for the electric motor and stores energy regenerated from braking.

All the hybrid tech in the world is useless if it doesn’t make a meaningful difference to fuel consumption, and the good news is Kia’s version of the tech proved to be impressive on my week with the car.

The official consumption number worn by the Sorento HEV is either 5.3L/100km for the front-drive or 5.4L/100km for the all-wheel drive. 

Over my week with the front-wheel drive version of the car I produced a dash-reported 5.7L/100km which is impressively close to the official claim, and to put it in context is city-hatchback levels of fuel consumption for a seven-seat SUV. Impressive.

Even hybrid versions of the Sorento can run on entry-level 91RON unleaded and all variants have a 67-litre fuel tank.

Kia is famous for its seven-year warranty, and while it has the likes of MG and Haval nipping at its heels with similar promises, they don’t offer an SUV in this size-category yet, keeping the Sorento ahead for now.

It also has a seven-year capped price servicing program, although the intervals are shorter than expected at 12 months and just 10,000km, and pricing is a bit tall, too.

The Sorento is covered by Kia's seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. (image credit: Tom White)

Over the seven-year period each service will set you back between $323 and $1159 per visit, for an annual average of $699, certainly higher than we’d like to see.