Kia Australia has introduced hybrid powertrains across a number of their most popular models and the results have been very impressive. This is the second time I have reviewed the seven-seat Sorento Hybrid GT-Line AWD and I was keen to see how fuel efficient the Sorento could be on this occasion.
The Sorento Hybrid is a very calm SUV to drive and this feeling begins before you even enter the vehicle thanks to the new soft-feel key fob that provides keyless entry and keyless start. With the key fob safely kept in your handbag, you press the start button and the Sorento starts silently in EV mode. Select drive using the beautifully designed Shift-By-Wire dial gear selector and the Sorento quietly glides away.
The petrol engine engages and disengages seamlessly so you don’t even realise that it is doing so and the gear changes are smooth and the ride is comfortable. The 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine works in tandem with the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor that’s mounted on the 6-speed transmission. This allows the full 169kW power / 350Nm torque combined output of both petrol engine and/or electric motor that’s transferred in parallel through the transmission, with minimal energy loss. The Lithium-Ion Polymer battery uses regenerative braking to recharge and I never saw the battery fully depleted for the week I spent with the Sorento.
There are three on-road driving mode, Eco, Sport, and Smart and this time in the Sorento I remained in Eco mode the entire time. Kia quotes 5.7L/100km for the combined fuel consumption of the All-wheel-drive hybrid model and I used 7.4L/100km. On my last drive of the Sorento Hybrid AWD I spent the week in Smart drive mode and used 7.9L/100km, but these amounts are both considerably less than my 2018 petrol Sorento figure of 11.8L/100km. The Active AWD (Part-Time with Lock Mode) also offers three Terrain modes Snow, Mud, and Sand and the Sorento has downhill decent control.
The GT-Line is the only spec available in the Sorento Hybrid and it offers a high-level of appointment for all occupants. The quilted Nappa leather appointed seats are heated in cooled in the front and heated only for the second-row outer seats and even the premium steering wheel is heated. The front seat heating and cooling worked well and the operation of the cooled seats is quiet, which is something of a rarity for vehicles that have this feature, even the expensive ones.
Both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, and seat height front and rear. The passenger seat has 2-way lumbar support and no memory positions and you can also adjust recline and forward/back from buttons on the driver’s side of the passenger seat and I find this handy when my elderly mother is in the car. The driver’s seat also gets powered front leg extension, 4-way lumbar support, and two memory positions.
In addition to the premium seats the Sorento also comes with a Suede interior lining on the roof and a panoramic sunroof, which opens for the front half only. The dash is dominated by the integrated display comprising the 12.3″ digital driver cluster and 12.3″ touch screen infotainment with a colour head-up display. There are up to 64 different interior mood lighting colours and to really set the relaxing scene I recommend green with Lively Forest Sounds of Nature playing on the 12 speaker BOSE premium sound system.
Wireless and wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard and the former connected quickly and easily to the infotainment system and Bluetooth for me. The voice control system uses AI Voice Commands with Natural Voice Recognition and worked well for me for setting a destination on the sat nav, making phone calls, and changing the radio station. I liked the ‘Blob’ that appears on the screen when you enter the voice commands as well. Full functionality of the voice commands are only available once Kia Connect is activated. Kia Connect is a connected car service, providing customers with remote vehicle control, vehicle status monitoring and more. Kia Connect is complimentary for seven years after which fees and charges may apply.
The Sorento cabin has some other clever design solutions including the switchable control panel on the dash that displays either the climate control settings or the main menu for the infotainment system. Under the arm rest is a storage cubby large enough for a soft handbag and at the front of the centre console under flip up cover there is a wireless charge pad for compatible devices and two USB-C ports. The square-shaped cup holders in the centre console have a removable rubber base to make cleaning up spills easier, but the drink bottle storage in front door cubby is awkwardly shaped and not suited for larger drink bottles. I also don’t like the gloss black plastic on the centre console and door pulls as it attracts dust and finger marks.
The second row seats have 60:40 split for movement with manual adjustment for recline and forward/back. There’s a good amount of headroom and when the third row seats are not is use there is plenty of legroom, but with the third row seats in use there is just enough leg room for adults to sit comfortably in the second row. For younger passengers there are two ISOfix/three rear tether child seat restraint points and manual sunshades on the rear windows, but they made me feel like I had a blind spot when I looked over my shoulder. There are two rear floor mats, but no mat over the transmission tunnel even though it is quite low.
If the centre seat is not in use, it can be folded down as an arm rest with two rigid cup holders in it. There are another two drink bottle holders in each door that would suit medium sized bottles with one on the arm rest and the second below. The USB-C port locations for the rear seat passengers are cleverly located on the side of each of the front seats and this would reduce risk of children from tripping on the cords. The two central air vents have individual direction and on/off controls and below the vents there is one 12V socket.
To access third row, you press the button on the shoulder of either second row seat and slide the seat forward. This functionality would require you to think about location of car seats on the second-row seats as non-booster seats may prevent the seat from moving sufficiently. Both third-row seats have ISOfix/rear tether and I think it would be easier enough to reach in and do the car seat belts up, but if children were smaller and required to be lifted in this may be difficult to do. There is enough room for two adults, just and only for a short trip as my head touched the roof, my legs touched rear of second row seats and my knees are up high.
Third row passengers get rigid drink holder and smart phone cubby moulded into the wheel arches with one USB-C port on each side and a single carpet floor mat. There is one air vent on each side with the air speed control for them located on the driver’s side or you can control the air speed from the front climate controls. The major issue with these vents is they only blow out cold air, something I always thought was nonsensical.
The powered tailgate has an open/close release button under the tailgate with a sticker to show you where it is and even then, I went for the lip above the number plate on a number of occasions. Or you can open/close the tailgate using the button on the key fob and in the cabin. When the third row is in place there’s enough room in the boot for four school bags even though the cargo cover needs to be stored on the top of the floor in a dedicated position so it can’t move around. I like that the cargo cover ends are covered with carpet like material so you don’t scratch the plastic when you get it in and out.
The third-row seats have 50:50 split fold mechanism and you manually raise and lower them by pulling on straps behind the seats. With third row seats laid flat the boot is large with four plastic tie down points, two hooks near the front of the boot, one 12V socket, and one light. You can also lower the second-row seats using button in the boot to create one large storage space, but have to manually raise them back up. The full-size spare tyre is located under the rear of the vehicle.
All MY24 Kia Sorento models, including the Hybrid, have a 5-star ANCAP (2020) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 82% (31.23 out of 38) and a Child Occupant Protection score of 85% (42.09 out of 49). Passengers are protected by front driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, front centre side airbag, and curtain airbags for the first and second rows only.
The Kia Sorento is fitted as standard with a range of safety assist features including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a lane support system (LSS) with lane keep assist/lane following assist and emergency lane keeping functionality. ANCAP tests of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system showed GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in all test scenarios. Overall, effectiveness of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system performance was rated as GOOD. ANCAP tests of LSS functionality showed GOOD performance, with the system intervening in some of the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios. Overall performance of the safety Assist systems was classified as GOOD with a score of 89%.
Other standard active safety features include Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Blind Spot View Monitor that’s displayed on the driver’s dash, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, and Parking Collision Avoidance Assist – Reverse, which I tested out when my dog walked behind the Sorento, don’t worry she wasn’t hurt as the Sorento stopped automatically.
For convenience you also get automatic headlights with high beam assist and rain-sensing wipers and I like that it displays on driver’s dash when you change your selection for these. Another must have safety feature is the 360-degree view reversing camera combined with multiple selectable views with front, side, and rear parking sensors.
All new Kias come with a 7-Year Unlimited Kilometre Warranty and one year of complimentary Roadside Assist. Kia Australia provides a 7-year/150,000km warranty, whichever occurs first, against defects arising in materials or manufacture for High Voltage Electrical Vehicle Systems Components which include but are not limited to: On Board Charger, Traction Motor, Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU & HPCU), and the High Voltage (HV) Battery System.
Owners can renew their Roadside Assistance package yearly, for up to eight years, by simply returning their vehicle to an Authorised Kia Dealer for its annual scheduled services. For the Sorento Hybrid, service intervals are once a year or 10,000km, whichever comes first, and the total service costs for the first seven services is at capped at $4,581.
Prices for the Kia Sorento Hybrid GT-Line AWD now start at $73,330 excluding on-road costs and as tested with optional Premium Paint ($695) in Cityscape Green, this Sorento is $74,025 excluding on-roads. You can Build & Order a new Kia Sorento on-line or visit your preferred Kia dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| Quiet and smooth powertrain | Gloss black plastic trim and centre console |
| Ease of use of the Wireless Android Auto | Rear sunshades create a blind spot for the driver |
| The cooled seats are quiet to operate | Cold air only blows from third row vents |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.