2023 Kia Sorento vs 2024 Toyota Kluger

What's the difference?

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.

The Kluger Grande Hybrid is outstanding among its peers for fuel efficiency, practicality and ownership costs. It's just that this grade is overly expensive. Really the GXL is the sweet spot in the range for value but you do miss out on some good features such as the sun blinds and leather seats.

That said, hybrid is the way to go with a large SUV, delivering fuel savings and a more peaceful driving experience.

Comfortable, easy, practical and peaceful, that's all parents really want.

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 Toyota Kluger is the New Balance sneaker of cars. Yep, Toyota has nailed Mum-and-Dad fashion with the look of the Kluger, without any hint of irony.

This generation came out in 2021 and you can guarantee Toyota won’t bring out a new-gen version until about 2028, possibly 2030.

And even then that one will also look like a loaf of bread, just with a different face. Like this one, and the last one and the one before that.

That reminds me, we need bread.

The Kluger looks tough, but not elegant. It looks modern, but not avante-garde. It looks functional and tells the world, 'if it wasn’t for the kids I wouldn’t be driving this'.

Get past the Kluger Grande’s uninspiring exterior and you’ll find a surprisingly upmarket cabin that's full of air and light, well appointed with premium seats as well as a modern and stylish dashboard.

The Grande grade adds some nice trimmings I didn't mention in the features section such as the wood-look elements, ambient lighting, and the soft-touch instrument panel.

The exterior also gains chrome elements in the grille, roof rails and larger 20-inch chrome-look wheels.

There are some elements which bring the tone down in the cabin. The JBL speakers in the windscreen pillars look like big plastic novelty ears and the wood-look trim doesn’t look or feel like wood (why didn’t they use real wood?), but it’s not worth getting uppity about.

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.

The Kluger is vastly more practical than many of its rivals despite them also being large and seven seaters. 

That’s because the Kluger’s use of space inside is excellent for storage, luggage and people. There’s thoughtful practicality everywhere. 

Take the Kluger’s dashboard, which doesn’t eat into the cabin too much and has built-in shelves running the width from front passenger to driver. 

And the centre console box with its roller door opening that reveals a wireless phone charger and below that deck is a huge hidden space.

There are cupholders in all three rows and generously sized door pockets.

Legroom in the second row is excellent and I can sit behind my driving position even though I'm 189cm tall.   

I could sit in the third row, but my head touched the roof and my knees were getting friendly with the back of the seat in front. As with most third rows in SUVs they’re best suited for kids.

Along with the wireless phone charger there are seven USB ports (five up front and two in the second row).

Three-zone climate control means the second row can set their temperature (this comes on the GXL grade, too), and the Grande adds sun blinds and privacy glass to the rear windows.

The rear doors also open tall and wide making entry and exit easy.

The tailgate opens high so there's less chance of bumping your head and it’s the gesture type which means you use a kick motion to open if your hands are full.

Boot space is excellent. The cargo capacity with the third row folded flat is 552 litres and with the third row up its 421 litres.  

If you’re reading this you’ve decided to find out more or possibly just want to know why I called out the price of the Kluger Grande Hybrid in the introduction.

Here’s why. The Kluger Grande Hybrid lists for $80,230. That’s before on-road costs like rego, stamp duty, compulsory third party insurance and dealer delivery charges.

That’s a lot of money and it’s because this Grande grade sits at the top of the range. 

The entry-level Kluger GX Hybrid lists for $58,290. That’s $22K less than the Grande. You could buy an entire car for $22,000 - a Hyundai Venue, a Kia Stonic or a Suzuki Swift.

So, why does the Grande cost so much? I don’t know. The features don’t seem to justify the higher price.

All Klugers come standard with alloy wheels, LED headlights, proximity unlocking and push-button start, three-zone climate control, rear privacy glass plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And all have seven seats. 

The GXL adds built-in sat nav and a big 12.3-inch media display, heated and power-adjustable front seats, and an auto tailgate. 

The Grande then adds leather seats (heated and ventilated up front), a wireless phone charger, head-up display, panoramic glass roof, kick-function tailgate, sunshades for the rear windows and an 11-speaker JBL sound system.

Really, the GXL Hybrid is the one to get and it lists for $67,810.  

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.

If you're concerned a hybrid system will have trouble pulling a large SUV around, let me tell you, the Kluger is powerful and has no problems doing the work. This hybrid SUV could well have more grunt than any car you've ever driven.

Okay, so the Kluger Grande we tested was a petrol-electric hybrid variant which combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with three electric motors powered by a battery.

The engine’s output is 142kW and 242Nm while the motors make a combined 184kW. The front two electric motors make 134Nm and 270Nm of torque while the rear motor produces 121Nm.

The continuously variable transmission keeps the motion smooth and sends the drive to all four wheels, so yes, the hybrid is all-wheel drive.

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.

There are plenty of large SUVs with big V6 and V8 petrol engines out there with heaps of power but they use three times the amount of fuel the Kluger Grande Hybrid does. 

I know this first hand. I’ve just tested a V6 powered seven seater SUV which used 20L/100km month in, month out.

I drove the Kluger Grande Hybrid on exactly the same roads every day, doing the same things like school drop offs, the supermarket run, swimming lessons and the work commute and it used 6.6L/100km. I measured this at the fuel pump.

So, 20L/100km for another V6 seven-seater SUV or 6.6L/100km for the Kluger Grande Hybrid? Which would you prefer?

Toyota’s official consumption figure for the Kluger Hybrid is 5.6L/100km (based on a combination of open and urban roads) but mine was mainly suburban and city driving when more fuel is used.

The Kluger Hybrid has a 65-litre fuel tank which means a range of approximately 1160km is technically possible.

The Kluger Grande Hybrid doesn't need plugging in to charge. The battery recharges on the go through regenerative braking.

So, unless you’re a driving enthusiast who loves high-performance or classic cars I’m not sure why you wouldn't choose the hybrid option when it comes to a large SUV. Or a small one.

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.  

Smooth, easy, comfortable. Let’s be honest, the Kluger is the SUV version of the Toyota Camry and like that sedan it’s not trying to be a performance vehicle.

Besides, as a dad of small children, smooth, easy and comfortable is all I want these days. I’m still hurting all over after giving piggybacks down a hill all after yesterday. I think I’ve punctured a lung or something. So yeah, smooth, easy, comfortable please and dull sounds good to me right now.

The hybrid powertrain with the continuously variable transmission means motion is smooth with no jerky gear changes and at lower speeds the Kluger glides in silence under the power of just the motors.

If you've never driven an EV before a hybrid like this is the perfect place to start. There's no plugging in to charge yet at low speeds it operates just like an electric car, moving silently and smoothly through the world.

It's serene and makes traffic far less taxing with no gear changes or idling engine.

The steering is light and accurate, while the visibility is good making the Kluger easy to pilot and park.

The suspension is set up for a composed ride and this is helped more by the big, comfy seats.

The Kluger Grande Hybrid isn’t fast in a straight line, but it isn’t sluggish either. The combination of the torque from the electric motors and petrol engine make it feel just as quick off the mark as some V6-powered SUVs I’ve driven lately.  

The Kluger was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2021 and all grades through the range come with the same high level of safety tech.

So, like all the other grades the Grande has AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, there’s blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, plus front and rear parking sensors.

The rear view camera’s view is wide and the resolution is excellent - vital for reversing out of driveways.

Child seats can be fitted only in the second row with three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts.

You should also know that airbags don't fully cover the third row occupants in the Kluger.

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.

The Kluger Grande Hybrid is covered by Toyota’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. The hybrid battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Servicing is needed annually or every 15,000km and is capped at $265 per service for the first five years.