Kia Sorento Review (2020-present)

What is the Kia Sorento?

Kia has embraced hybrid powertrains with the fourth generation Sorento, which was introduced in 2020 and given a midlife facelift in 2024, with revised styling and an upgraded interior. Whereas the third generation of Sorento was diesel-only in the UK, now Kia sees most customers choosing petrol-electric power.

There’s a conventional hybrid, which doesn’t need to be plugged in, but it has limited scope for running on electric power alone. A plug-in hybrid is also part of the line-up and has a combined petrol-electric power output of 261bhp, rendering it the quickest and the most fuel efficient version of the Sorento, but also the most expensive.

The regular hybrid is more affordable. It combines the same 1.6-litre T-GDi petrol engine as the plug-in with an electric motor and a 1.48kWh battery pack for a total power output of 212bhp.

Diesel’s decline in popularity shows no sign of slowing, even among seven-seat SUV buyers, but Kia knows that some customers still prefer it. There are enough diesel diehards to justify a 190bhp 2.2-litre diesel. Kia says private buyers with horseboxes, trailers, or caravans are most likely to prefer diesel for the strength of its pulling power (the diesel Sorento can tow a braked trailer of up to 2,500kg).

How practical is it?

This fourth-generation Kia Sorento SUV is bigger than its predecessor. The latest platform has shorter front and rear overhangs, but more space between the axles and a slight increase in overall length and width, so Kia has been able to make the interior roomier. The first- and second rows have more legroom, while the third row has extra headroom.

Adults might not appreciate being shoehorned into the third-row seats on a lengthy journey, but there’s enough space for short trips and kids should be happy for the long haul. It’s possible to make more legroom by sliding the middle row forwards, which is a feature you see in many large SUVs, but it’s more useful in the Sorento seven-seater, because there’s so much legroom in the second row to start with that passengers won’t mind giving some away. That’s certainly not true of some other seven-seater SUVs, such as the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

So long as the third-row seats are folded away, boot space is very generous. The luggage capacity is 604 litres in the hybrids, and 616 litres in the diesel, so it’s every bit as practical as a Skoda Kodiaq or a Seat Tarraco, if not more so.

This seven-seat SUV’s interior is upmarket as well as roomy. The cabin is well equipped as well as neatly designed, with USB ports and air vents in all three rows. Go back 20 years, and the Sorento may have been a budget 4x4, but there’s no evidence of those cut-price origins anymore. The Sorento isn’t embarrassed by rivals with prestige badges, both in terms of design and finish.

What's it like to drive?

The Sorento is not as rewarding from the driver’s seat as an Audi Q5 or a BMW X3. The driving experience is focused more on comfort than entertainment, although we mean that as an observation rather than a criticism.

The Sorento is at its most comfortable in ‘2’ spec, with smaller 17-inch alloy wheels and squishier higher-profile tyres. There’s a little more fuss and fidget around town in higher-spec models with 19-inch alloy wheels, although the big Kia rides better on A-roads and motorways.

If you choose petrol-electric power, the Sorento comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox, while the diesel engine is matched to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. A manual gearbox isn’t available.

The standard self-charging hybrid will run in electric only mode at very low speeds for short distances, or when coasting, but otherwise the main benefit of its electric motor is a little extra oomph under acceleration.

Go for the plug-in hybrid and not only is it more powerful, but there's also a claimed EV-only range of up to 34 miles to make use of before the petrol engine cuts in. While this was pretty respectable at the time of the car's launch in 2020, by the midlife facelift in 2024 it had started to look lacklustre next to some of its plug-in hybrid rivals.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Every Sorento has a touchscreen display which varies in size depending on the trim level and whether you're looking at a pre- or post-2024 facelift car. Choose a pre-facelift ‘2’ spec car, and it measures eight inches across. There’s also a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in place of conventional dials, a DAB radio, multi-device Bluetooth connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, and a long list of safety kit. The 2 has seven seats and all-wheel drive as standard (although this isn’t a car you'll want to go off-road in regularly), and the Drive Mode Select system so the driver can tailor the way the car handles.

Upgrade to '3' or '4' spec in a pre-facelift model for the 10.25-inch LCD widescreen and Kia’s UVO Connect infotainment system. This can display live traffic information, weather forecasts, points of interest, and details of where to park near your destination. UVO Connect also allows drivers to set a destination via their smartphone before starting a journey, and to remind themselves where their Sorento is parked.

In post-facelift Sorentos all models comes with a 12.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen system that is easy to use, quick to respond, and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. On '2' spec models the dial display is a combination of a 4-inch digital trip computer flanked by fixed digital dials. Upgrade to '3' trim and above and the dials become a 12.3-inch fully configurable display.

In both pre- and post-facelift guises, the top-spec 4 trim level is absolutely packed with gadgets and luxury goodies. It includes Nappa leather upholstery, 10-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, a head-up display, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, and a panoramic sunroof.

Kia Sorento running costs

The plug-in hybrid Sorento should be the most affordable Sorento to run, assuming you can plug it in to charge on a regular basis. However, that must be offset against being the most expensive Sorento to buy.

You might think the regular hybrid would be best of the rest, but in practice there won't be a whole lot between the hybrid and diesel in terms of fuel bills. The 1.6 turbo petrol hybrid has an official combined figure of 38.2-40.9mpg, depending on the specification. The diesel has a slightly better figure of 42.2mpg, so when you consider that unleaded petrol costs less than diesel there really isn't much in it.

The diesel will work out better for regular long journeys, especially on A-roads and motorways, but the hybrid is more efficient around town, when it can top up the batteries more often under braking.

Either way, the Sorento's fuel economy figures are perfectly acceptable when you consider how much energy is needed to shift two tonnes of car, especially as there's no fuel-sipping two-wheel-drive version. If you can live with five- rather than seven seats, an Audi Q5 40 TDI can return 44.8mpg, while a BMW X3 xDrive 20d achieves 41.5-44.8mpg. So these lighter and less practical cars will only be slightly cheaper to fuel.

The first year's car tax is bundled in with the cost of purchase, but for the following five years there's a hefty £325 per year surcharge for vehicles that cost over £40,000. That applies to every Sorento from the 2024 facelift.

Kia Sorento reliability

There's little reliability data so far available on this generation of Sorento, but the previous generation performs pretty well in owner satisfaction and reliability surveys, which bodes well for the latest model. What's more, Kia as a brand has a good reputation for building reliable cars, and finished 8th out of 32 brands in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey.

Kia has a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty that owners can fall back on if any components do go awry. The Hyundai Santa Fe has a warranty that's two years shorter, but with no mileage limit. Audi offers three years' cover for Q5 owners, as does BMW with the X3, so the length of warranty is a definite argument in the Kia's favour if you hang on to your cars for several years. In fact, as the warranty transfers to subsequent owners, it's a plus point even if you trade-in the Sorento after a few years, because it makes the car far more desirable on the used market.

So, there should be no unexpected bills for several years, although there is the cost of regular servicing to consider. Kia offers servicing plans that cover the cost of several services in one payment. It's possible to include the cost of future MOTs, too.