Kia Sorento Hybrid – For the second time in as many weeks I have driven to Melbourne and back. This time in a HEV KIA Sorento.
Now I have taken many a long trip over the years in the Kia Sorento, It’s an excellent long distance cruiser, but this was the first in a hybrid and I was curious to see how it went.
TO LISTEN TO THE Sorento Hybrid RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW
This particular vehicle was a front wheel drive version and as usual for KIA they packed a heap of luxury, comfort and safety features in there. I especially appreciated the heated electric seats with additional lumbar support as the trip was cold and wet and long.
Sorento Hybrid is powered by a 1.6l petrol engine that produces 132kW and 265Nm from 1600rpm. The electric motor adds another 44kW and interestingly 264Nm from 0-1500rpm. That’s instantaneous torque.
The beauty of hybrid engines is that there is no range anxiety, they drive like a normal petrol engine but with better economy. We ran at around 7.9l/100k over the trip which was ok. However long distance trips don’t showcase the hybrids qualities best.
Priced from $66,750 the Kia Sorento HEV GT-Line is good value as a family SUV
This is a Motoring Minute
Im Rob Fraser
What is good? |
What is not so good? |
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Some Other Sorento Articles
- 1- Kia Sorento GT Line PHEV 2022 Motoring Minute Review
- 2 – Kia Sorento Sport Plus AWD SUV 2021 Review
- 3 – Kia Sorento PHEV AWD SUV 2021 Review
- 4 – All-new Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid – PHEV
- 5 – Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid added to model range
- 6 – Kia Sorento GT Line 3.5L Petrol SUV 2021 Review
- 7 – Kia Sorento GT-Line AWD 2021 Review
- 8 – Kia Sorento GT Line 2021 Radio Review
- 9 – Kia Sorento Radio Review
Also Look At
Model |
Kia Sorento Hybrid (HEV) GT Line FWD |
| Model Price | $66,750 MLP* |
| Engine | 1.6L 4 Cyl Hybrid Turbo Petrol |
| Drivetrain | FWD 8 Sp AT |
| Power | 132kW @ 5,500rpm |
| Torque | 265Nm @ 1,500-4,500rpm |
| Safety | 5 Star ANCAP (Tested Aug 2020) |
| CO2 Emissions | 121 g/km Euro 5 |
| Economy ADR/ Capacity | 5.5L/100km / 7.5L/100K on test / 67L |
| 0-100kmh/Top Speed | N/A |
| Servicing | 12 Mths / 10,000km Capped Price (7 years) |
| Warranty | 7yr/ Unlimited km with 7 Yr. conditional roadside assist |
*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)
Overall Rating |
87/100 |
| Behind the Wheel | 9 |
| Comfort | 9 |
| Equipment | 9 |
| Performance | 8 |
| Ride and Handling | 9 |
| Practicality | 9 |
| Fit for Purpose | 9 |
| Style / Design | 9 |
| Technology / connectivity | 8 |
| Value for Money | 8 |
Dimensions |
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| Overall Length | 4810mm |
| Wheelbase | 2815mm |
| Width / Height | 1900mm / 1700mm |
| Unladen ground clearance / wading depth | Up to 176 mm / N/A |
| Approach / RO / Departure | N/A |
| Fuel Tank / Turning Circle | 67 Litres / 11.6mts KTK |
| Boot Space Min / Max | 179L / 1996L |
| Kerb Weight / GVM / GCM / Payload | 1,883kg / 2,580kg / 4230kg / 630kg |
| Towing Capacity / Tow Ball rating | 1650kg / 100kg |
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Kia Sorento Hybrid (HEV) Model Details
Released in April 2022, the Hybrid (HEV) GT-Line FWD and AWD has joined the Sorento range locally. This addition sees Sorento as the only vehicle available in Australia to offer naturally aspirated petrol, diesel, PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid) and HEV variants.
“Sorento already provided one of the most versatile, practical and spacious large SUVs on the market and now in an industry first, it also offers Australian buyers the most diverse powertrain lineup to choose from within a model range,” said Kia’s Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith.
“The addition of PHEV and HEV options to the popular Sorento range is another example of Kia’s progress in vehicle electrification. Along with the recently launched and award winning EV6, and the next-generation Niro range of electric vehicles arriving in the very near future, Kia Australia is offering a variety of choices in its contribution to a greener future.”
Sorento Hybrid engine details
The Sorento Parallel Hybrid System is comprised of a Smartstream 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine offering optimal fuel efficiency with impressive power (132kW) and torque (265Nm).
An electric motor producing 44kW and 264Nm of torque is mounted between the petrol engine and transmission. This arrangement allows the full output of both the petrol engine and/or electric motor to be transferred in parallel through the transmission, with minimal energy loss.
Combined Petrol + Electric output is 169kW and 350Nm.
Combined Fuel Consumption is 5.3L/100km (FWD) and 5.8L/100km (AWD) respectively on the ADR 81/02 combined fuel cycle.Energy storage is managed by a high voltage 1kWh Lithium-Ion polymer battery located under the vehicle floor.
Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Sorento HEV FWD and AWD are available in GT-line specification only and offer a wide array of safety, comfort and convenience features, including an intelligently designed, customisable 12.3” Driver Digital Cluster providing the status of the hybrid charging system. Its high-resolution screen makes it easy to read with a wealth of information at a glance.
Sorento Hybrid Features
Designed to improve visibility for blind spots, the Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM) uses the side cameras so that when you indicate left or right, the cluster will show the view of the road in your blind spot.
The 10.25” Audio Visual Navigation unit displays charging station locations and information. The screen can be split in two for easy access to different apps, vehicle information and multimedia content, and allows the control of the 12-speaker BOSE® premium surround system, which is compatible with wired Android AutoTM and Apple CarPlayTM.
| Features | |
| HEVGT-LINE
FWD & AWD
(1.6 T-GDI Smartstream with 6AT) |
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Kia Sorento Range Pricing
| Body Style | Trim | RRP* | Drive Away* |
| Diesel AWD | S | $50,650 | $53,790 |
| Sport | $53,270 | $56,790 | |
| Sport+ | $57,850 | $61,390 | |
| GT-Line | $65,070 | $68,990 | |
| Petrol FWD | S | $47,650 | $50,790 |
| Sport | $50,270 | $53,790 | |
| Sport+ | $54,850 | $58,390 | |
| GT-Line | $62,070 | $65,990 | |
| PHEV AWD | GT-Line | $80,330 | N/A** |
| HEV FWD | GT-Line | $66,750 | N/A** |
| HEV AWD | GT-Line | $69,750 | N/A** |
*MLP (RRP) Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)
**Due to the complexity of drive away pricing which varies state by state, particularly when it comes to electric vehicles, national drive away pricing is not available on Sorento HEV and PHEV variants. A drive away price estimation, calculated by state, is available on the Kia website.