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New version of Kia’s big SUV is a car of real ambition and new powertrain options

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Apart from a few outliers and van-based exceptions, seven-seat MPVs are pretty much dead and buried in the UK. Instead, large family SUVs like the Kia Sorento have become the acceptable face of seven-seaters.

In a way, the Sorento charts the history of Kia in the UK, evolving from crude Mercedes ML impersonator to bargain-priced tow car and family holdall, and finally to the sharp-styled, practical, capable mainstream tow car and family holdall you see here today.

Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille seems to be getting bigger, just like everyone else’s, but it hasn’t yet reached comedy proportions, and its size suits the front of the Sorento well enough

The fourth generation of the Sorento was launched in 2020 and introduced full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options for the first time. A facelift in 2024 brought a big interior refresh, as well as updated styling that emphasises the Sorento’s family connection to the electric seven-seater in the brand's line-up, the Kia EV9.

The Sorento line-up at a glance

The model range for the fourth-generation Sorento is refreshingly simple, even if the hardware itself is much more complex than was offered on the model before. All versions have mechanical four-wheel drive and two of the three models are hybrids.

The PHEV is comfortably the most powerful – and potentially frugal – model in the line-up, as well as the most expensive. Notably, it retains the third row of seats, despite the need to carry a sizeable battery.

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There’s no need to learn some arcane trim level language. Instead, there is 2, 3 and 4. The higher the number, the posher the trim.

VersionPower
1.6 T-GDI HEV226bhp
2.2 CRDi199bhp
1.6 T-GDI PHEV261bhp

As for transmissions, there's a six-speed automatic for hybrids and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic for the diesel

DESIGN & STYLING

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02 Kia Sorento 2024 review front driving

The Sorento was the first Kia model to use the Hyundai Motor Group’s N3 platform, which enabled it to grow slightly and its proportions to change a little.

Crucially, it also allowed Kia to accommodate the necessary components of both full-hybrid and PHEV versions of the car while keeping a mechanical four-wheel drive system and, in all derivatives, a seven-seat cabin layout. That’s no mean feat since that third row takes up the same space as most hybrid batteries. However, the Sorento’s hybrid battery pack sits underneath the cabin floor. It has 1.5kWh of capacity in the full hybrid and 13.8kWh in the PHEV. The latter is significantly down on what you might find in the new Skoda Kodiaq, although the plug-in version of that comes with only five seats.

Stretching the Sorento’s wheelbase meant pushing the front axle forward and creating a longer bonnet and a bigger ‘premium gap’ between the front axle line and the base of the windscreen

The chassis is made almost exclusively of high-strength steel, although aluminium now crops up in it in a handful of places. Kia also says it’s slightly lighter and stiffer than that of the third-generation Sorento, which, considering the car’s dimensions, is commendable too.

Measuring 4810mm in length, 1695mm in height and 1900mm in width without mirrors, the Sorento continues to sit between mid-sized and full-sized SUVs for outright size. On length, then, it’s between the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Land Rover Discovery, although it’s a slightly closer match for the latter, as its visual presence and bulk now more explicitly than ever suggest.

Whether you opt for Kia’s lighter, aluminium-blocked, 199bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine or its 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol hybrid option, the engine is mounted transversely under the bonnet and drives all four wheels through a hydraulic coupling.

In the case of the hybrids, an electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and the gearbox and makes 59bhp in the full hybrid (for a total of 226bhp) and 90bhp in the plug-in hybrid (for a total of 261bhp).

Whereas the diesel uses a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, both hybrids stick with a six-speed torque-converter automatic.

Suspension for the Sorento is all-independent and there’s hydraulic self-levelling on the rear for more stable towing features on all but the entry-level grade. Ground clearance is a fairly modest 185mm. Although that’s slightly more than before, it’s not as much as some rivals offer. And while Kia has added X-Line versions in other markets with better off-road ability on paper, there’s no plan to include those in the UK range.

Towing capacity has risen to 2500kg for the diesel Sorento, but it’s only 1110kg for the hybrid and 1010kg for the PHEV. 

As for aesthetics, this car certainly catches the eye and, on balance, most testers liked what they saw. Kia’s aim was to create a more ‘technical’ look for the car, intended to better express a sense of precision of build quality and all-round technological sophistication. It’s an effect well practised by the German premium brands but – much as this wouldn’t be the first time Kia has copied their homework – it’s quietly effective.

The 2024 facelift changed the front end to be more in line with Kia’s current design language, which was kicked off with the EV9. At the front, there are more upright LED headlights and a redesigned bumper, while the rear gains new exhaust trims. There is a selection of new alloy wheels and three new colours too.

INTERIOR

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09 Kia Sorento 2024 review head on dash

Inserting 35mm in the Sorento’s wheelbase liberated yet more passenger space, and any concerns we had about head room in the outgoing model have been dispelled. Width is also unusually generous and such is the expanse between the driver and front-row passenger that the car feels distinctly American.

Large families will warm to the seven-seat Sorento especially quickly. One 6ft-tall passenger in the third row can just about sit directly behind another in the second row for short journeys, so kids should be fine, even for longer stretches. The third row also gets its own air vents with electric fan control.

The knurled rotary gear selector, another subtle attempt to move upmarket, is nicely textured and a cut above what you would expect in terms of solidity and action

The Kia offers considerable versatility, should you need it: the second row of seats can be slid fore and aft and can also recline, even if the 60:40 split doesn’t give you quite as much flexibility as it might with a 40:20:40 configuration. However, the Sorento does feature usefully ‘premium’ electric switches in the boot, which make the process of folding down the second-row seats hassle-free.

In design terms, where the old Sorento was doggedly conventional, this reinterpretation feels much more modern, although it does more to superficially mimic premium brands than actually recreate what they offer. The broad digital displays and prominent air vents are Mercedes-Benz-esque, while the textured ‘metal’ is very Audi.

Possibly the biggest change for the 2024 facelift has come on the inside. The chunky centre stack of the outgoing car has been ditched for a sleeker but less distinctive curved screen that incorporates the infotainment and gauge cluster, while underneath is a touch bar that can be switched between climate controls and infotainment shortcuts, like on the EV6 and Sportage.

Entry-level 2 grade also swaps the old black and grey cloth seats for a lighter fabric-leatherette combo, both of which are made from recycled plastic. It makes the Sorento’s cabin nice and airy but does give off a bit of that unpleasant vinyl smell.

Kia Sorento infotainment and sat-nav

A revamped infotainment system rounds off the facelift changes. On the original version, 2 trim got a smaller screen, but from 2024, all versions have the same wide curved screen with updated software.

The interface works quickly and mostly intuitive, with most functions easy to find. It helps that the climate controls are not in the screen, but the switchable touch bar is not a perfect solution either because you can bet that when you want to use one of the infotainment shortcuts, you will have left it in climate control mode.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have always been standard on this generation of Sorento, but it took Kia until 2024 to add wireless functionality. There’s a wireless phone charger from 3 grade upwards, but the car has a generous provision of USB ports in any case.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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19 Kia Sorento 2024 review engine

Kia's implementation of a hybrid powertrain in this latest Sorento comes across as a slightly hollow gesture. This is entirely down to its underwhelming electric performance.

It’s quick enough when you floor it – it hit 60mph in 8.5sec when we road tested it in 2021 – but it just lacks the effortless mid-range grunt you want in a big, relaxed family hauler.

The Americans must find us comically twee over here in Britain, with the ‘huge’ Sorento. They get the V6-engined Kia Telluride, whose wheelbase is 86mm longer and whose presence on the road really is absolutely monstrous.

With more than two tonnes worth of metal to shift, the Sorento’s 59bhp electric motor simply doesn’t have the muscle required to move the SUV off from a standstill with any alacrity, let alone bring it up to speed.

As a result, the 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder tends to kick in by default from around 25-30mph, and any time you ask for any acceleration at all. It’s quite a coarse and noisy engine that sounds strained.

It’s better to view it as a glorified mild hybrid, but even then, the Sorento’s powertrain is easily outclassed by the Skoda Kodiaq’s, whose mild-hybrid 1.5 is much quieter, and gives more consistent accelerator response. The Skoda has only front-wheel drive, but then not everyone needs four-wheel drive.

Things are improved in the PHEV, which has a more powerful, 90bhp electric motor and a much larger, 13.8kWh battery. Around town, performance in EV mode feels quite sufficient, and it doesn't feel especially lacking when you hit faster stretches. And don’t fret: if you’ve locked it into EV mode (done via a button) but suddenly need a burst of serious acceleration, the engine will jump in to help.

The Sorento is now the only car in Kia’s line-up offered with a diesel engine – in this case a 2.2-litre four-cylinder unit that makes 190bhp. And rather than being on the brink of being elbowed out, it still pulls its weight, outselling the plug-in hybrid by quite a margin. That’s because if you need a tow vehicle, a four-wheel-drive SUV is just the ticket, and the diesel Sorento’s 2500kg pulling capacity actually exceeds that of the Kodiaq (2400kg for the 4x4, less for other versions), never mind the hybrid and plug-in hybrid Sorento. It’s a relatively refined engine that yields more consistent performance than the hybrids, although its eight-speed dual-clutch automatic is not the smoothest or most alert.

RIDE & HANDLING

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20 Kia Sorento 2024 review front cornering

Kia has struck an appreciably sensible handling balance with the latest Sorento. It doesn’t attempt to change direction with the heightened sense of agility or responsiveness you find in the likes of the Mercedes GLB or even the Seat Tarraco.

Instead, it matches a laxer attitude to body control with a medium-paced steering rack that builds resistance in a manner that feels well matched to its lateral roll rates. The steering is a touch vague and the weighting in Sport mode comes across as contrived, but in everyday motoring, the Sorento just goes where you point it.

It’s primarily a soft, comfort-led set-up, so it doesn’t take much for its nose to veer away from the apex on damp roads, but it remains predictable and stable

It’s not a car to try to hustle because it doesn’t generate huge amounts of mechanical grip. On damp stretches of road, its nose will begin to push into understeer relatively easily, but such transgressions are calmly and quickly corrected by its ESC system.

Kia Sorento comfort and isolation

On smooth roads and motorways, the Sorento behaves in a largely composed and comfortable fashion. Its softer suspension set-up allows its body to rise and settle again in time with long-wave inputs and provides a welcome level of pliancy.

Its cabin is impressively hushed at motorway speeds too. At a 70mph cruise, our microphone returned a reading of 66dB – the same result that we got in the Aston Martin DBX. Add to all of this a lofty driving position that affords excellent visibility and comfortable proximity to the car’s primary controls, and the Sorento makes a very competent companion over distance.

But outside of these sorts of long-haul, low-stress driving environments, its approach to ride comfort isn’t always quite as assured. That aforementioned long-wave softness can cause it to feel heavy, spongy and poorly controlled over particularly uneven surfaces but, worse, this then combines with a firm, leaden-feeling secondary ride over sharper edges. Even on those balloon-like tyres, it can thump quite noisily and forcefully over expansion joints and drain covers.

This leaves the Sorento open to inadvertently painting itself as an at times cumbersome and awkward SUV – one that doesn’t always know quite how to react when it’s taken out of its immediate comfort zone. And it is arguably this slightly imbalanced disposition that most starkly differentiates the Kia from the more polished, upmarket family SUVs that reside north of £50,000.

Assisted driving notes

Kia and Hyundai’s assisted driving systems have proven themselves to be some of the more bothersome in the industry. The adaptive cruise control is quite easily spooked, and you first need to dive into the settings to turn off the Highway Driving Assist system, which incorporates the poorly functioning lane centring and speed limit adaptation. Thankfully, you have to do this only once, since the settings persist.

Of course, the lane keep assist and overspeed warning, neither of which works well in the Sorento, have to come back on by law every time you start the car. The lane keep assist has its own dedicated button on the steering wheel, but the rather loud overspeed warning is hidden behind a few menus.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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01 Kia Sorento 2024 review front driving lead

Whether the Sorento is good value depends very strongly on which version you pick. The diesel is the cheapest, at £41,995, and if you are after a tow car with a powerful diesel engine and four-wheel drive, it represents outstanding value. Most rival car makers have abandoned this class, putting you at the mercy of the premium car makers. To get a Skoda Kodiaq with four-wheel drive, you need to step up to an expensive trim level, and the Mazda CX-60 is a step up in price too. We’ve not spent enough time in a diesel Sorento to get an accurate reading on its fuel economy.

The full hybrid costs £1000 more, and although the standard four-wheel drive and seven seats may be a bonus for some, it won’t be for others. A 1.5-litre mild-hybrid Skoda Kodiaq is significantly cheaper and offers buyers a choice of five- or seven-seat layouts. It will also return better fuel economy. The Sorento will achieve mpg in the mid- to high-30s in mixed driving and returned 43.3mpg on our 70mph touring test.

Kia’s cars are no longer depreciation magnets: the Sorento beats the Skoda Kodiaq and almost matches the Land Rover Discovery Sport

The Sorento is quite unusual in combining seven seats with a plug-in hybrid option. However, for that, its 13.8kWh battery is significantly smaller than the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV’s and is rated for only 34 miles of electric range. The good news is that in our testing it proved capable of that range in the real world. Thereafter, you’ll get similar to a standard hybrid. Those 34 miles of range qualify it for 12% company car tax, which isn’t anything special these days.

Trim levels have come and gone, but for most of the Sorento’s life they’ve been extremely logical: you can choose between 2, 3 or 4. The higher the number, the posher the trim. Entry grade it may be, but 2 is hardly short of equipment: heated seats, sat-nav and adaptive cruise control are all standard. The main reasons to upgrade to 3 are to get the electric seats (which have more adjustment options and are more comfortable), the upgraded hi-fi and the bigger wheels.

VERDICT

22 Kia Sorento 2024 review front static

The Sorento may look like a car that’s at last ready to take on premium SUV opponents, but it still doesn’t quite drive like one.

Its hybrid powertrain’s extremely limited capacity for emissions-free running frustrates, as do the limited gains in efficiency that its tepid electric motor affords. The plug-in hybrid is better resolved, and the combination of plug-in power and seven seats is still a rare one. The pick of the range is the diesel, particularly if you plan to do any long-distance towing.

It lacks polish, but abundant utility appeal and value shine through

Although the Sorento handles in a sure-footed and confident fashion, you don’t have to look too hard to find a road surface capable of shining an unflattering light on the less savoury aspects of its ride.

What the Sorento still lacks in dynamic finesse, however, it makes up for in sheer usefulness. It is a spacious, well-made, well-equipped and impressively versatile seven-seat SUV that’s handsomely formed and strategically priced. In that sense, it builds on Kia's traditional strengths very well indeed.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As part of Autocar’s road test team, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews, comparison tests, as well as the odd feature and news story. 

Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s eight-page road tests, which are the most rigorous in the business thanks to independent performance, fuel consumption and noise figures.

Kia Sorento First drives