Key Takeaways
- The Kia Sorento PHEV is a great choice for people who mostly drive short distances and can charge at home.
- The Sorento offers all-electric assistance, seven seats, and intuitive tech, making it perfect for families.
- The plug-in version has ample space and modern features to enhance driving experience.
Korean automakers are consistently upping their game and the latest Kia Sorento, alongside the similarly impressive Kia EV9 and EV6, is a perfect example of that trend. It’s a lofty, all-wheel drive SUV with the added benefit of seven proper seats. Alongside petrol hybrid and diesel variants, Kia is offering a plug-in model, which comes with a six-speed auto transmission and the potential to be extremely frugal if home charging is your thing.
Another Korean offering, the latest Hyundai Sante Fe is impressive, both to look at and drive. But I think I prefer the Sorento for its easy-to-live with persona and plug-in appeal. As someone who mainly charges at home and who does a lot of around town-style journeys, I can see it fitting into my needs with ease. It’s also a little more interesting and offers more cargo space than something like the smaller Nissan X-Trail.
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Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento PHEV will suit drivers who can charge it at home, and, while the all-electric range is a fairly meager 34 miles or so, it works perfectly for short journeys. Out on the highway, the new Sorento feels solid, safe, and very comfortable with an in-car selection of tech that is quick and easy to use. With the benefit of seven seats, it’s perfect for families.
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Price, specs, and availability
I didn’t get at all bamboozled by the trim options that are on offer with the new Sorento. There are three clear-as-day tiers — 2, 3, and 4 — while the powertrain choices are diesel, petrol hybrid or, in my case, plug-in hybrid. Prices in the UK start from £41,995 (around $55,000) and even base level cars come with an excellent array of tech as standard. Of course, spend a little more, and you’ll get a real treat from the posher trims.
Design and build
Distinctive curves and angles
The 2025 Sorento follows a similar theme to other models in Kia’s current range. What that means is a lot of cool angles, particularly around the front and rear end. Viewed from the front, it’s easy to see how this SUV is related to the big and beefy EV9. I think the angular headlights and bumper flourishes make the Sorento look distinctive but not garish.
Things look just as good at the back, with a more angular treatment for the taillights, topped with a cool spoiler that hangs out over the back window. Along the sides, the Sorento sports a sleek look that’s made more effective by the darkened glass and trim embellishments. This is most notable around the rear pillar, but the bottom of the doors is set off nicely by chrome trim as well. Icing on the cake comes from eye-catching alloys.
Along the sides, the Sorento sports a sleek look that’s made more effective by the darkened glass and trim embellishments.
The Sorento being a heavy hauler, I was a little bit concerned that seven seats over three rows might mean the trunk was going to be limited. Thankfully, the seats are easily reworked to take the base 175 liters of space and turn it into a much more capacious area. In fact, drop both rows of seats and the figure of 809 liters with the third row down turns into 1988 liters.
A refreshing interior
Quality look and feel
Central to the appeal of the new Kia Sorento is its interior, which has generous levels of space to be found throughout. I really like the styling of the seat coverings, and they’re all comfortable too, even when I squeezed into the third row to check how things are back there.
My test car was tastefully finished and while it was dripping with all of the extra touches you get from the higher trim cars, the Sorento doesn’t feel at all ostentatious.
If you’ve got a family, then chances are the kids will love their high-up riding position while there’s still plenty of charging ports and storage to keep those smiles coming too.
Considering this is an SUV aimed at families, I was very impressed by the choice of interior materials. My test car was tastefully finished and while it was dripping with all of the extra touches you get from the higher trim cars, the Sorento doesn’t feel at all ostentatious.
In fact, that makes me think it’s going to be an even more attractive proposition for families, thanks to a choice of finishes that are both durable and easy to clean.
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The technology breakdown
A great level of tech on all models
Another highlight, as it so often the case with modern Korean cars, is the level of technology that’s to be found inside the 2025 Sorento. The dashboard area is the main point of interest, with a long landscape screen setup that’s very similar to the one found in the EV9. Having recently driven a few Kia models, the features and functions were much the same. Generally, everything is easy to figure out, but if you’re a newcomer to the array of controls, the learning curve might be a little steeper.
Another highlight, as it so often the case with modern Korean cars, is the level of technology that’s to be found inside the 2025 Sorento.
Sensibly, particularly for folks who are likely dealing with children, key controls for climate and the like remain as physical fingertip touch buttons. Equally, though, I had no problem setting up Apple CarPlay and taking a deep dive into the app icons that sit across the central 12.3-inch area of the touchscreen and can be scrolled through with a swift swipe. It’s all very nicely done. Another excellent feature as found in other models in the Hyundai and Kia range, is the great blind spot camera view that appears on the instrument cluster when indicating.
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Battery, range, and performance
Plenty of plug-in appeal
The Kia Sorento is a lovely thing to drive, with the plug-in model offering the benefit of smooth and quiet all-electric assistance for parts of any journey. This feels like an SUV with plenty of power too, aided by a seamless six-speed automatic transmission. Naturally, there’s some extra weight added due to its bulkiness, but armed with a relatively small 13.8kWh battery pack, the PHEV offers up to 34 miles of electric range.
For US highways, I’m sure the Sorento will feel just right.
While I know that figure isn’t exactly huge, I tend to do a lot of short journeys, which is where the whole plug-in adventure works best. Aside from the benefit of increased gas mileage and reduced emissions, the Sorento is supple enough on roads, with a ride that feels a little spongy at times. That said, it works brilliantly in the UK with all the potholes littering our roads.
For US highways, I’m sure the Sorento will feel just right. There’s the high-up feeling of being in an SUV, with plenty of ground clearance to boot. Throw this hefty SUV around turns or take it to places with less space and the Sorento will quickly remind you of its size and weight. Aside from that though, the Sorento is an easy thing to live with on the driving front.
Should you buy the Kia Sorento?
I’m sold on the plug-in version of the Kia Sorento. I think it’s got plenty going for it, from the acres of space found inside, to the comfort, and then there’s the benefit of electric power when I’m doing short hops. Kia’s fit and finish is as good as ever, and it feels like a very contemporary car, which should hopefully still look just as factory fresh in a few years from now. A quality update.
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