It’s dangerous to stand still in Australia’s hotly competitive SUV market, but Kia certainly can’t be accused of doing so.
After launching here in 2020, the fourth-generation Kia Sorento received a substantial mid-life update in 2024, receiving the brand’s new corporate face as well as a thoroughly overhauled interior.
Kia’s not done either, with an update due later this year set to bring improved Lane Following Assist 2 with steering wheel grip detection, plus Kia Digital Key 2 that allows your smartphone to be used as a key fob.
Undoubtedly Kia wants to stay on top of the large SUV segment. And there’s nothing else with the variety the Sorento offers – petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, plus a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
It’s arguably among the better lookers in the segment too, with the facelift giving it an even more handsome, premium look than before. Those turned off by the polarising Hyundai Santa Fe may find this a soothing balm.
Watch: Paul’s video review of the Sorento HEV AWD
To the end of August, the Sorento is sitting above even the Toyota Kluger and Subaru Outback in the sales race, while its Hyundai Santa Fe platform-mate is further back in the rear-view mirror if gaining speed.
The Sorento has managed to fend off its corporate cousin despite the Santa Fe recently receiving a comprehensive redesign, and offering a much wider range of hybrid variants.
In increasingly hybrid-hungry Australia, that’s a key advantage to have. Kia says more hybrid Sorentos are coming, but for now it has just front- and all-wheel drive GT-Line Hybrids, with neither in great supply.
That’s why during the first half of this year, Hyundai sold almost five times as many Santa Fe Hybrids as Kia did of its Sorento Hybrid. So, is it worth waiting for an electrified Sorento?
How much does the Kia Sorento cost?
In the mid-size SUV segment, hybrids abound. In the large SUV segment, they’re much less common.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| 2026 Kia Sorento S V6 FWD | $51,380 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento Sport V6 FWD | $54,000 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento S Diesel AWD | $54,380 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento Sport Diesel AWD | $57,000 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento Sport+ V6 FWD | $58,930 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento Sport+ Diesel AWD | $61,930 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento GT-Line V6 FWD | $66,290 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento GT-Line Diesel AWD | $69,290 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid FWD | $70,330 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid AWD | $73,330 |
| 2026 Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV AWD | $84,660 |
The Sorento takes on not only its Santa Fe corporate cousin, but also the Toyota Kluger and… well, that’s pretty much it, unless you expand your consideration list to include mild-hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
You can get the Sorento Hybrid only in GT-Line trim for now, albeit with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
Hyundai will only offer a base Santa Fe Hybrid with front-wheel drive, while all Toyota Klugers are all-wheel drive, so there’s not a direct equivalent to our GT-Line front-wheel drive tester in either lineup.
At $70,330 before on-road costs, it’s priced almost directly between all-wheel drive Elite and Calligraphy variants of the Santa Fe Hybrid, and just below the mid-spec Kluger GXL. It’s also almost exactly $1000 more than a Sorento GT-Line diesel, which comes with all-wheel drive and very similar fuel economy.
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
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What is the Kia Sorento like on the inside?
The pre-facelift Sorento had a bit of an American flavour to its cabin, which has been replaced with a more uniform application of the Kia corporate look.
It’s arguably a more elegant cabin than before, but it’s not without its flaws.
A lot of these are centred around the centre console. The sides of this, where you may rest your knee, are hard. They also creak when you press them.
The centre console bin lid is creaky too, while the drive mode selector is a bit wobbly. These are disappointing build quality flaws in a cabin otherwise free of them.
There are pleasant touch points like the soft dash top and doors (although the soft driver’s armrest flexes a bit), or the suede headliner that’s so soft you feel as though you could take a nap on it.
The controls, drive mode selector aside, are also lovely to use. That includes the rotary shifter dial and the various physical buttons and switches on the leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The climate control panel, shared with the Sportage, represents an acceptable balance between the analogue and digital worlds. It has proper knobs, but is otherwise touch-capacitive. This allows the array to be used for adjusting the climate control and, with the press of a button, the sound system.
This also allowed Kia designers to pen a cleanly styled centre stack, without going to the extremes of Chinese brands that bury many of these controls in touchscreen menus.
The touchscreen itself is easy to navigate with crisp, modern graphics, and complements an equally appealing digital instrument cluster. A head-up display allows you to keep your eyes on the road.
Step into the second row and there’s plenty of space in every direction, though centre-seat occupants will find the centre console intrudes somewhat on their leg room.
There are the requisite amenities – air vents, map pockets, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, and a pair of USB-C outlets. These are located on the sides of the front seatbacks, making them somewhat easier to reach than rivals’ outlets.
We also love the placement of cupholders on the doors, meaning if you’re travelling three-up in the second row there’s still a place for people to pop their drinks.
Comparing the Sorento and Santa Fe back-to-back though, it’s the Hyundai that’s better packaged.
There seems to be more third-row legroom in the Kia, but headroom is worse – at 180cm tall, I couldn’t sit up straight without my head brushing the roof.
And any deficiency the Hyundai has in leg room can be resolved by simply sliding the second row forward slightly, as you can do in the Kia.
The Sorento’s steeply raked rear-quarter glass may make the SUV look a bit more athletic, but it ends up making the third row feel quite dark. Santa Fe occupants, in contrast, get much more natural light.
They also get curtain airbag coverage, something the Kia only offers for the front two rows. Third-row occupants do, however, get vents, a pair of USB outlets, two cupholders, and fan controls.
If you’re transporting small children, you’ll find top-tether child seat anchor points for all seats in the second and third rows, plus four ISOFIX points. That’s not always a given with three-row SUVs.
Also, serious kudos to Kia for still fitting a full-size alloy spare. We’re seeing an increasing number of brands choose not to offer even a space-saver spare, with tyre repair kits abounding. We know which we’d rather have if we had a puncture on a rural road…
| Dimensions | Kia Sorento |
|---|---|
| Length | 4815mm |
| Width | 1900mm |
| Height | 1700mm |
| Wheelbase | 2815mm |
| Cargo capacity | 179L (third row up) 608L (third row folded) 1996L (second and third rows folded) |
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
The Kia Sorento is the only vehicle in its segment to offer a choice of petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power.
| Specifications | Kia Sorento Hybrid |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.6L turbo 4cyl |
| Engine outputs | 132kW / 265Nm |
| Electric motor outputs | 44kW / 264Nm |
| System outputs | 169kW / 350Nm |
| Battery | 1kWh lithium-ion |
| Transmission | 6-speed auto |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1909kg |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 5.4L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 6.2L/100km (inner-city, suburban and highway loop) 7.1L/100km (over the course of a week) |
| Fuel tank capacity | 67L |
| Fuel requirement | 91-octane regular unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 122g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 5 |
| Braked tow capacity | 1650kg |
The Sorento Hybrid’s observed fuel economy of 6.2L/100km was quite good, given when I took a smaller Hyundai Tucson Hybrid – which uses the same basic powertrain – across an identical inner-city, suburban and highway loop, it used 6.1L/100km.
Consumption increased to 7.1L/100km over the course of a week, against an official claim of 5.4L/100km. It’s worth noting the more affordable diesel uses 6.0L/100km. CO2 emissions are 122g/km in the hybrid and 158g/km in the diesel.
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the Kia Sorento drive?
So we know the Kia Sorento Hybrid is economical, but what’s it feel like to drive?
When you take off, the petrol engine kicks in almost right away, though it engages smoothly.
It has a very different feel than, say, a Toyota hybrid. A lot of that is due to the use of a six-speed automatic transmission instead of a CVT, so you can feel gear changes.
Some of these feel a bit slurred, particularly at low speeds, but ultimately the Sorento feels – for better or worse – more like a conventional petrol-powered car with some electrical assistance rather than a traditional hybrid.
You may think a 1.6-litre engine in a car this large would have the Sorento feeling underdone but, while it’s no rocketship, it has enough grunt off the line.
It sounds a bit raspy but the cabin is generally quiet, with engine, road and wind noise kept at bay – in particular, the combustion engine sounds like it’s working away somewhere off in the distance.
The Sorento feels more SUV-like to drive than its Santa Fe corporate cousin, and there’s a bit more rebound over bumps and ruts and more head toss.
The 19-inch wheels in the Sorento also have a bit of an impact on ride quality. It proved generally comfortable even over regional roads, but on some urban pavement the Sorento had a tendency to clomp somewhat over bumps.
If you value driving engagement, the Sorento disappoints. The brake pedal feels wooden and the steering has little feel, so you kind of punt it into a corner and hang on.
Sport mode adds a little weight, but it can’t address the lack of feel, and it sees the Sorento hold gears for longer.
The lane-keep assist is also quite assertive, so you may want to turn that off on winding roads.
So, it’s not all that satisfying to drive in a hurry, but in fairness there’s not a lot of excitement to be found in this segment.
What’s more important for a large family SUV is refinement, and here the Sorento delivers. It also gets power down to the ground smoothly, with torque steer well-managed and only the occasional chirp from the tyres in more spirited driving.
That assertive lane-keep assist helps you from straying into another lane, with the Lane Following Assist keeping you neatly centred within one and taking some of the strain out of highway driving.
Hyundai Motor Group vehicles used to punish you for turning off the speed limit alert, but now you can turn off this annoying chime and yet still have road signs appear within the instrument cluster.
A digital rear-view mirror is a welcome inclusion. You may find it distracting as I do, but it can be switched back to a regular mirror and is extremely welcome when you’ve got people or items blocking your view out the rear window.
The Hyundai Motor Group’s Blind Spot View Monitor is also a handy feature, displaying footage from your blind spot in the instrument cluster when you’re indicating.
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
The Sorento Hybrid is offered only in GT-Line grade, the top trim level in the wider Sorento lineup.
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2025 Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid equipment highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Full-size alloy spare
- Automatic LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- LED front fog lights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Hands-free power tailgate
- Panoramic sunroof
- Rear privacy glass
- Eco, Sport, Smart drive modes
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- Remote Smart Parking Assist
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- DAB digital radio
- Satellite navigation
- Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Head-up display
- 12-speaker Bose sound system
- Nappa leather upholstery
- 14-way power driver’s seat
- 4-way lumbar support
- Cushion extension
- 2-person memory
- Heating
- Ventilation
- 10-way power passenger seat
- 2-way lumbar support
- Heating
- Ventilation
- Second-row three-person bench
- Reclining
- 60:40 split/flat folding
- Heating (for outboard seats)
- Third-row two-person bench
- Dual-zone climate control
- Heated ‘premium’ steering wheel
- Tilt and telescopic steering column adjustment
- Digital rear-view mirror
- 64-colour ambient lighting
- 6 x USB outlets (2 in each row)
- Alloy scuff plates
- Alloy pedals
- Suede headliner
- 7-year Kia Connect subscription
- Remote vehicle tracking, status checking
- Remote control of locks, climate control
- SOS emergency call function
- Voice assistant
- Real-time traffic updates
- Valet parking mode
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Is the Kia Sorento safe?
The Kia Sorento has a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2020, and this rating applies to petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.
| Category | Kia Sorento |
|---|---|
| Adult occupant protection | 82 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 85 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 63 per cent |
| Safety assist | 89 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian, vehicle and cyclist detection
- Junction assist
- Reverse AEB
- Blind-spot assist
- Blind Spot View Monitor
- Driver attention alert
- Intelligent Speed Limit Assist
- Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear occupant alert
- Safe Exit Assist
- Surround-view camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Front, front-side and front-centre airbags
- Curtain airbags (1st and 2nd rows)
Unlike many rivals with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit warning systems that simply sound a chime or flash a light, the Kia has blind-spot, rear cross-traffic, and safe exit assist features which will actively intervene.
For example, Safe Exit Assist will stop an occupant from opening the rear doors if it detects they’re about to exit the vehicle into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Likewise, the Sorento’s blind-spot assist and rear cross-traffic assist features will apply the brakes if they detect an imminent collision.
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the Kia Sorento cost to run?
The Kia may have a longer standard warranty than its Hyundai cousin (seven years versus five), but the latter is more affordable to service and can extend warranty coverage to seven years if you service within the Hyundai network.
| Servicing and Warranty | Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 7 years, unlimited kilometres – vehicle 7 years, 150,000km – high-voltage components |
| Roadside assistance | 8 years (service-activated) |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 7 years |
| Average annual service cost | $650 |
| Total capped-price service cost | $4552 |
To see how the Kia Sorento lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid
We’re looking forward to a wider range of Kia Sorento Hybrids in Australia, because fundamentally this is a good SUV.
As expected of a Hyundai Motor Group vehicle, there’s plenty of slick technology.
Design is subjective, but we don’t think we’re courting controversy by saying the Kia Sorento is the most attractive large hybrid SUV on the market, and that seven-year warranty can’t be beaten in this part of the market.
However, we’d steer you towards a Santa Fe Hybrid, if you can stomach the styling. It’s better-packaged, has more safety kit, and is slightly better to drive, and it’s in much greater supply in Australia.
If your spouse vetoes the polarising Santa Fe, however, and you manage to actually get your hands on a Sorento Hybrid, you’re still getting most of the goodness just in a more conventional wrapper.
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