Kia Sorento: Hybrid does the heavy lifting

What is it?

Some sports utility vehicles are just big, others are bold.

The 2024 Sorento PE, for Product Enhancement, taking a lead from the EV9 World Car of the Year, veers to the latter, cementing its place in Kia’s modern pantheon.

The MY24 stays true to the outgoing model, relying on an existing range of four powertrains.

The 3.5-litre petrol front-wheel drive and 2.2-litre diesel all-wheel drive variants are available across the four trim levels – S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line – with the last, also home a Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

The award-winning fourth generation seven-seat Sorento took the large SUV segment by storm when it was launched in 2020 with the enhanced model,” Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith said.

“What was really good is even better now.”

What’s it cost?

The two hybrids sell for $70,330 for the front-wheel drive and $73,330 the all-wheel drive – both before on-road costs.

New Sorento features many refreshed design elements creating a unique appearance, with cues from the EV9 electric car.

It stands boldly with a new headlight graphic and a cleaner radiator grille and front bumper.

Side on, Sorento stands firm and true to the rugged character of a big four-wheel drive wagon.

The simplified rear offers a more modern look, with the rear lights taking their lead from the new signature front lighting design.

Twin 12.3-inch displays dominate the dashboard, with a touchscreen on the left and a digital equipment cluster offering clear, instant readouts for a relaxed driving experience.

Following in the way of the Kia EV9, over-the-air system updates are available across the Sorento range, including GT-Line HEVs.

Bose has come up with premium sound system combining a dozen optimally tuned, high performance speakers and sub-woofer based on the company’s unique sound technology.

As Bose claims, it’s a ‘rich and immersive audio experience’.

Sorento GT-Line Hybrid has earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating in the 2022 testing regimen.

PE upgrades introduce Highway Driving Assist, the next generation of Advanced Driver Assistance System, which operates only on a freeway or motorway.

HDA advances adaptive cruise control with stop/go capability, combining with Lane Following Assist to keep the car centred in the lane even when driving through a curve.

Parking problems are also eased by the addition of Parking Distance Warning (front, side and rear) that will warn the driver when a bump is likely during parking.

Warranty on both is the Kia seven-year, unlimited kilometre, while the Kia Connect is a seven-year complimentary car service providing owner benefits in safety, security, convenience and live services for real-time data such as weather and traffic info.

What’s it go like?

The almost three-metre wheelbase dishes up a cabin with plenty of room for up to seven occupants in three rows of seats adorned with quilted nappa leather.

Up front seating has heating and ventilation, plus 14-way power adjustment for the driver’s side with two-position memory.

The steering wheel also is heated.

A shift-by-wire knob makes for a clean look for the centre console.

Second-row seats offer fore-aft sliding, which means getting into the third row is not difficult.

A single touch of a button and the middle-row seat slides and folds for access to the rear, or adjusts limited third-row leg room for comfort.

Reflecting the ever increasing take up of digital technology, the internal mirror launched in the Kia EV9 displays a sharp electronic image of what is behind the Sorento.

Not instantly accommodating, it does take a second or two to refocus the eyes from the road ahead to what’s behind the vehicle.

A Smartstream 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine works in tandem with an electric motor and the six-speed transmission.

This allows the full output of both petrol engine and/or electric motor to be transferred in parallel through the transmission, with minimal energy loss.

The GT-Line Hybrid makes use of a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine in tandem with a small electric motor, putting out total power of 169kW at 5500 rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1500 rpm.

Unlike many petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, a 1 kWh lithium-polymer battery located under the floor, the HEV requires no external manual charging.

The system fuels itself by using energy lost decelerating, braking, or by picking up excess engine power not used during cruising.

The battery feeds the electric motor that can either run on its own for short stints or shares the load with the petrol engine.

With a small, turbocharged engine and electric motor built into the six-speed automatic transmission, the Sorento HEV sets off under electric power alone, but the petrol engine can’t wait to join in, adding a buzzy note and slight vibration to proceedings.

Fuel consumption of 5.8L/100km on the combined urban/highway cycle is claimed by the maker.

The test vehicle returned 8.0 in the city and 5.5 on the motorway.

As expected, Kia has tuned ride and handling for Australian conditions, resulting in a far from jumpy ride on the road.

Control and comfort go hand in hand.

It has three drive modes – Eco, Sport or Smart – which, according to how the car is driven, monitors the manner and adjusts steering, throttle response, and transmission shifts to suit.

Terrain mode can take the stress out of snow, mud and sand conditions to a certain extent, but there’s no substitute for experience here.

What we like?

• Remains true to rugged four-wheel drive heritage
• No external charging required
• Next generation of advanced driver assistance
• 12-speaker Bose sound

What we don’t like?

• Pricey
• Digital mirror lacks focus
• Heavy fuel consumption around town
• Hybrid available only with top spec model

The bottom line?

The Sorento, we are told, was subjected to an extensive ride and handling program over thousands of kilometres across urban, country and outback roads in Australia.

Without taking too many liberties the GT-Line Hybrid shows these efforts to great advantage.

 

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