2022 Kia Sorento vs 2023

What's the difference?

Hybrid tech without a plug has proven to be the level of electrification most Australians are ready for, and while the PHEV version of the Sorento is lovely, this HEV version is every bit as good and almost as efficient in the real world, which speaks volumes about the price difference between the two.

It would be nice to see a few more affordable trim levels (which Kia says it wants to add in the future), but one thing's for sure: the Kluger is going to have one hell of a fight on its hands with Kia offering such a great looking, efficient, and polished seven-seater.

The Kia Sorento HEV GT-Line AWD is a mouthful to say but the all-round experience is light-hearted and practical. The amenities inside are really good and definitely make it feel top-spec. The driving experience is a bit mixed for me to truly love it as the everyday car but families wanting comfort won’t be disappointed. I would still be inclined to consider the bigger Carnival, considering the price but the hybrid powertrain makes it fairly fuel efficient and that makes up for the driving.

My son really enjoyed the amenities in his row and felt comfortable.

To me the Kia Sorento is one of the Korean brand’s best designs. It manages to make a dorky seven-seat SUV ooze cool with its tough lines and squared-off angles. 

Up front it looks stout with a squared-off and blacked-out grille, angry LED light fittings, and an imposing square stance.

Down the side the square roofline makes it look squat and sporty, with matte silver detailing adding some intrigue, and those wheels filling the arches, while the rear features muscle-car like light fittings which accentuate this SUV’s width, rounded out nicely with a strong character line running across the boot (with a spoiler on top) rounding out its ambitious frame.

Matching its appeal on the inside should have proved an impossible task, but Kia has pulled it off with grace. The interior is simply a superb piece of design, with an intricate and fascinating dash, full of clever motifs and textures, as well as all the digital enhancements buyers are looking for in this segment.

It’s not quite as dazzling, as, say, a Mercedes-Benz or BMW cabin, but it certainly feels more premium than its price-point suggests, with lovely seats, carefully detailed highlights, and a continuation of the tough-but-approachable theme.

The Sorento is a good-looking SUV that has a refined shape. There’s enough going on to stir some interest, like the chrome panelling and accents, 19-inch alloy wheels and wide LED lights.

Standing at 1900mm tall, the SUV tag feels deserved but the 4810mm length and 1700mm width makes it feel well-proportioned for urban adventures, too.

The interior is beautifully appointed with soft touchpoints, quilted Nappa leather mixed with synthetic leather trims and shiny chrome inserts. It looks on point for the market and definitely top-spec.

The ambient lighting creates a cozy atmosphere in low light and the panoramic display panel on the dashboard looks great.

Each row has similar design points, making the overall aesthetic feel well-executed.

The exterior colour choices are a bit dull, our 'Mineral Blue' paintwork ($695) being one of the more interesting options, but there’s an understated elegance to the Sorento that should keep it feeling modern for years to come.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

For a seven-seater that’s not a ‘people mover’, this is very practical.

The front and second rows will enjoy loads of leg and headroom (even with that panoramic sunroof). The driver gets spoiled with easy-to-use tech that feels modern and looks good.

The 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system has built-in satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel is customisable and easy to read, as is the head-up display. There are three USB-A ports, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad, too. Like I said, spoiled.

Storage throughout is pretty good but the drink bottle holders in each door are a tad too skinny and shallow to be useful for the popular and bigger reusable bottles out nowadays.

My six-year old felt like a king in the second row. It was easy for him to climb in and out because of the 176mm ground clearance and the door handles weren’t too high for him to access himself.

He also enjoyed the retractable sun shades, directional air vents, cupholders in the armrest and the cupholders in the door handle.

Adults will be happy in this row on a longer journey, too. There is a USB-A port embedded in the side of each front seat, plus an extra at the rear of the middle console. No one will be fighting to stay charged up.

The third row positions are still sometimes seats for adults, in my opinion. But what it lacks in space, it makes up for in amenities.

There are directional air vents, fan control, drink holders, snack trays, reading lights and a couple of USB-A ports.

The boot is a bit of a let-down, though. It sits on the smaller end for the market with 187L (VDA) with all seven seats in use.

Stow the third row and it only jumps up to 616L (VDA). The level load space and squared shaping does make it appear larger than it is, but it was more than enough for my weekday errands and the grocery run.

If you do need extra space, you can bump it to a massive 2011L (VDA) with just the front seats in use. Impressively, you get a full-size spare tyre, as well.

There are only two models for the Sorento HEV variant, the only difference is one is a front-wheel drive and the other (ours) is an all-wheel drive.

The AWD will cost you $69,750, before on-road costs. It ain’t cheap but if you’re familiar with Kia, you’ll know that ‘GT-Line’ means top spec and that means a great features list.

You get the luxury items, like: heated and ventilated front seats that have a Nappa leather mixed trim, heated outboard seats in the second row, heated steering wheel, 14-way electric driver's seat, 10-way electric passenger's seat, panoramic sunroof and a powered tailgate.

The kiddie features are superb with the aforementioned ISOFIX mounts and top tethers, seven seats (2/3/2 configuration), hard kickplates on front seat backs, cupholders galore, directional air vents in each row and retractable sun shades on the rear doors.

Despite the extensive features list, the price tag is average for the competitors and a little under the more expensive Toyota Kluger.

By the end of the week, I did wonder what family would be wanting this over a ‘soccer mum’ people mover because if it’s the seven seats which interest you, you can pick up the top-spec Carnival for the same cash… which might make it more practical for kid stowage.

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.

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 hybrid variants (including the plug-in hybrid) share the same engine - a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol with a maximum output of 132kW/265Nm.

It also has an electric motor which produces 44 kilowatts of power and 264Nm of torque. The overall combined total is 169kW/350Nm.

The motor is powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery. The electric motor tends to kick in more at lower speeds, stop-start traffic and idling.

The engine can feel a bit under-powered at lower speeds and combined with the six-speed auto transmission it’s not what I would call zippy. But once you get up to speed, it’s an easy SUV to cruise in.

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.

I’m quite happy with how it’s performed with fuel economy but am surprised it didn’t perform better for a hybrid.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 5.8L/100km, and real-world testing saw me average 7.1L/100km.

That’s not as awesome as some hybrids on the market now, but it’s very respectable given the size of this SUV.

The Sorento has a 67L fuel tank, takes regular unleaded petrol (91 RON min) and has an approximate driving range of 940km, using our on-test figure.

Other variants of the Sorento are absolute pleasures to drive, and this hybrid version may even be the best yet thanks to its smooth power application, and delicate blend of electrified and turbocharged combustion driving.

For this review we’ve only sampled the front-drive version, and it’s immediately impressive as soon as you hop in the driver’s seat, with excellent visibility and a great seating position.

The steering is firmer than you might expect from a rival like the Toyota Kluger but adds an element of driver engagement rare in this segment, and the same goes for the ride.

While there is no question the Sorento is firmer than its Kluger nemesis, feeling much more of the road, it’s by no means uncomfortable, striking a nice balance between providing the driver engagement this car’s appearance sells, and the comfort family buyers in the market for a seven-seat SUV will be looking for.

It doesn’t deal with larger bumps or frequent corrugations as well as the Kluger, which is a heroic highway tourer, but then it does offer a level of driver fun rare for this segment.

When it comes to the hybrid system things are interesting. It feels a bit different from the sandpaper smooth hybrid drive refined over a 20-year period which the Toyotas offer, but then the electric motor in the Sorento feels stronger, as though it can push further without the need for combustion assistance.

The strangest thing though is having the electric drive driven through a transmission. While this no doubt makes it even more efficient (as most electric or semi-electric vehicles can only make use of a single, reduction ratio) it has the unfortunate habit of making it feel a bit glitchy at low speeds and particularly on inclines, on occasion leaving you without power for a brief moment.

Most drivers will barely notice this effect, but it’s worth noting how this hybrid system is not as slick as its Toyota equivalent.

As with most of these type of hybrid systems, careful accelerator pressure can help you make the most of the electrification and shave your fuel consumption down. 

I'd even go so far as to say that if you pay attention and roll the Sorento on slowly from a standstill, the electric motor will allow you much more breadth of purely electric driving than I found I was able to get away with in the Kluger hybrid.

Not being as delicate with your input will cause the engine to surge to life, and while it does experience a drop in refinement, the little turbocharged four-cylinder feels and sounds a lot more modern than the big old thrashy 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle engines used in equivalent Toyota models.

The best thing about a parallel or ‘self-charging’ hybrid like this, though, is no matter how you drive it, it will save you fuel. The blend of electric driving might be and feel a little different from the Toyotas, but the end result is the same. This is an efficient and smooth SUV to drive, excellent for the seven-seat SUV space.

The driving doesn’t have the polish that the rest of the car does but it will get you from A to B… just maybe without the pizzaz.

When the electric motor is being solely used, the ‘engine’ noise is non-existent and you have reversing beeps like you do in a full EV but then it switches over to the engine, which is loud and can sound whiny when you put your foot down.

The steering is firm but smooth and the 11.6m turning circle helps with tight car parks. As does the crisp 360-degree camera view.

However, the lane keeping aid does make it a bit jerky at times, which I didn’t like. It’s also a pain to turn off every time but I would make an effort in the city.

Unlike a number ofother Kia models, the Sorento Hybrid has not been tuned in Australia to suit local conditions. As a result, the ride comfort is a lot firmer than I was expecting and you feel every bump in the road.

The car shakes, rattles and bounces along the country roads near me; I think this is more suited to urban drivers.

It’s a heavy SUV and you will feel that when you’re slowing down or tackling bends. I got A LOT of noise from my passengers this week, despite a lower cruising speed to not jostle them about.  

The safety list is what makes this a true family car, and anxious parents need not stress because the following come as standard: LED daytime running lights, LED lights, automatic emergency braking (with pedestrian, car, cyclist detection and junction assist), forward collision warning, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, emergency lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, 360-degree view camera with parking guidelines, front and rear parking sensors and rear occupant alert (which pops on every time you park).

A special mention for the blind-spot camera view that pops up on the instrument panel when you indicate. It was a really nice feature in the city which added some reassurance when you had to change lanes.

It only has seven airbags, which does include the newer front centre airbag but unfortunately, the curtain airbags don’t cover the third row. Which is something to consider if you plan on using that row regularly.

The Sorento has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating and it was tested not that long ago in 2020.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard seats in the middle row and three top tether anchor points. Interestingly, the third row also boasts two ISOFIX child seat mounts and two top tether anchor points. There is enough room with a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

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.

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.

Ongoing costs are always something to consider and the Sorento comes with Kia’s seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which is above average for the market.

The Sorento comes with a seven-year capped-priced servicing plan, which is better than most but services are a bit expensive at an annual average of $608.

Servicing intervals could get annoying if you travel a lot, they’re at every 12 months or every 10,000km, whichever occurs first.