The Kia Sorento range has been trimmed for 2025 and this popular seven-seat SUV is now only available with a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with GT-Line trim. I was extremely impressed with the Sorento hybrid I previously drove last year, but this plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Sorento has blown it out of the water.
The PHEV utilises the same 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine that’s found in the hybrid Sorento and this works in tandem with the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor that’s mounted on the transmission. The difference being that the Lithium-Ion Polymer battery in the PHEV is larger, at 14kWh and has a higher voltage, at 360 volts. The total combined power also increases to 195kW and the torque is identical to the hybrid Sorento at 350Nm. The braked towing capacity is reduced from 1,650kg to 1,010kg in the PHEV, but the 750kg unbraked towing capacity remains the same.
The Sorento PHEV uses AC Single-Phase Charging with the claimed charge time for a 15-95% recharge using a 3.3kW EVSE Charger being 3 hours 26 minutes. Each night I used the standard AC home charger plug to top up the battery of the Sorento to 100% and this gave me 50km of claimed EV range. The plug is located on the driver’s side of the vehicle at the rear and the light next to the plug flashes orange while charging and goes green when fully charged. The vehicle also says “start charging” when you plug it in and the progress displays on the driver’s dash as well.
The battery also uses regenerative braking to recharge while driving and this would have contributed to me actually besting the already incredible official combined fuel consumption figure of 1.6L/100km for the Sorento PHEV, with my fuel use for the week being just 1.4L/100km! Once and for all this means I can never say that a PHEV’s fuel consumption figure is unachievable. The caveat I would put on that statement is this a Kia PHEV and I have been immensely impressed by Kia’s hybrids and battery electric vehicles for a very long time and even gave them my Eco Car of the Year award for 2024.
You select a gear using the rotary fly by wire controller on the console and once in drive the changes in the 6-speed automatic transmission are smooth and the ride comfortable. There are three on-road driving modes, Eco, Sport, Smart and I spent the week in Eco mode and did not feel that the Sorento was lacking in any way from doing this. In addition, there are three Terrain drive modes, Snow, Mud, and Sand and downhill descent control in this all-wheel drive SUV. There’s also the option to drive in EV mode, hybrid mode, or automatic mode and whichever mode I chose to use the Sorento seamlessly switched between the battery and the internal combustion engine with very little to discern between the two propulsion methods.
The Sorento’s have a single push button keyless entry on the front doors and keyless start, so the key fob can remain in your handbag. But if you do open the doors use the fob you will notice that the ‘Kia’ lights up green, which is a neat little feature. The dash of the Sorento 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 I particularly like the lights in the door trim. 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 nv, 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 is 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 only suited for slim drink bottles.
One thing I don’t like in the cabin though is the gloss black plastic on the centre console, door trims, and steering wheel as it quickly attracts dust and finger marks. I was impressed though that the FM/DAB+ reception in this Kia had improved a lot over previous older Kia models that I have driven. The other media sources include AM radio, Bluetooth, USB music, USB video and Sounds of Nature and the Sorento comes standard with a 12 speaker BOSE premium sound system.
The seats are upholstered with quilted Nappa leather appointed and the driver’s seat has power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, front leg extension and four-way lumbar support with two memory settings. The passenger seat has power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height/tilt for the rear part of the seat only and two-way lumbar support. One feature on the Sorento that I have always liked that the driver can adjust the recline and move the passenger seat forward and back using the buttons on their side of the passenger seat. Both front seats are heated, as is the steering wheel, and the front seats are also cooled, which works about as well as most vehicles that have this feature, but it was quieter when operating than most.
A panoramic sunroof allows light into the whole cabin, but only the front half of the sunroof opens. The second-row seats have 60:40 split for movement with manual adjustment for recline and forward/back and the outer seats are heated. 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. Only downside was I did feel like my knees were up a bit high and that the seats lacked under thigh support.
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. I liked that the flat rear floor has a single mat covering it as this makes it easier for vacuuming out the vehicle.
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 a second cubby 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 child seat restraint points 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 and ANCAP noted that care is needed to correctly install the ISOFix restraints in the third-row seating positions. There is just 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 were 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.
The powered tailgate has an open/close release button under the tailgate, or you can open/close the tailgate using the button on the key fob using the small buttons on the side of the key fob or the button in the cabin. The tailgate wanted to automatically close on me even though I was still loading the groceries into the back, which was a little troublesome.
The third-row seats have 50:50 split fold mechanism and you manually raise and lower them by pulling on straps behind the seats. 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. The charge lead bag has Velcro on it so it doesn’t move around in the boot, which is a thoughtful touch.
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 almost flat space, but you have to manually raise them back up. The full-size spare tyre is located under the rear of the vehicle and this is something many PHEVS do not have.
All MY25 Kia Sorento models, including the Plug-in Hybrid, have a 5-star ANCAP (2020) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 82% and a Child Occupant Protection score of 85%. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard on all variants.
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.
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 Plug-in 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 $5,353.
Prices for the MY25 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid GT-Line AWD start at $84,660 excluding on-road costs and as tested with optional Premium Paint ($700) in Volcanic Sand Brown, this Sorento is $85,360 excluding on-roads. You can Build & Price a new Kia Sorento on-line or visit your preferred Kia dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The impressive powertrain and fuel consumption figures | Gloss black plastic used in the cabin |
| The flat second row floor with a single mat covering it | Only cold air blows from the third-row air vents |
| It has a full-size spare tyre | The tailgate tried to close on me while I was still loading the groceries |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.