Kia Sorento 2024 Concept, Specs, Engine – Kia hopes that the Sorento’s modest third-row seat will set it apart from its Hyundai Santa Fe platform-mate and some of the most popular family wagons on the market today. There’s little doubt the 2024 Kia Sorento has more room, but it works even better in five-seat mode thanks to the more efficient hybrid powertrain found on lower-priced variants.
2024 Kia Sorento Redesign
A plug-in hybrid engine will be available for the 2024 Kia Sorento this year. More X-Line accessories may be added to more models, and the 10.3-inch touchscreen is now standard on nearly all of them. Our initial reaction to the new Sorento’s design was more astonishment than curiosity. Instead of sporting essential SUV characteristics, it now sports metallic fillips and a razor-mesh grille as a marketing tactic designed to attract people’s attention. There are a few things about this car that we’re not sure about, such as the cluttered dashboard and controls and the road-to-nowhere details.
However, the Sorento’s 191-hp, 4-cylinder engine isn’t exciting you much when it comes to steering and handling. Although it has a 281-horsepower turbo-4, it comes with a higher engine noise level. The 227 hp hybrid earns our approval since it is both efficient and quick enough. As soon as the plug-in hybrid goes on sale, we’ll go behind the wheel to see if it lives up to the hype.
The Sorento has enough room for four adults comfortably. Seven seats are available on this vehicle, but anybody who sits in the middle row will understand why those seats are best reserved for special events. On some models, USB ports have been built into the front seatbacks of the second row, which slide fore and aft on tracks and provide about the same amount of support as the spacious bucket seats upfront. All Sorentos offer plenty of cargo space and several small-item storage options.
Interior
The Kia Sorento claims seating for seven passengers. If you choose, you may make four of them full-size and the others medium or smaller. Good seats and enough load capacity earn it an 8 for comfort and practicality ratings from the ANCAP. The Sorento, which is 189.4 inches long and has a wheelbase of 110.8 inches, comes standard with three rows of cloth-covered seats. All models above the Sorento LX have a motorized driver’s seat, as well as synthetic or genuine leather upholstery.
There is a decent mix between strong bolsters and long-distance comfort in the seats of the Sorentos we’ve tested, with a solid driving position and adequate lumbar cushioning. With 41.1 inches of legroom in front and plenty of headroom, most people will fit comfortably in the front, surrounded by large storage bins in the console and the doors. 40.7 inches of legroom and a sliding bench seat or two captain’s chairs let six-foot-tall individuals sit next to each other comfortably, with net pouches and USB plugs nearby to keep their carry-ons safe and organized.
There’s just 29.6 inches of legroom in the third row, thanks to a low-mounted seat bottom and a button that unlocks it. It’s just good for a few individuals and short journeys. To maximize the crossover’s 12.6 cubic feet of storage space, fold it down to increase the rear seats’ storage capacity to 45.0 cubic feet or 75.5 cubic feet behind the front row. This time around, Kia hasn’t improved the Sorento’s fit and finish. Even on the most expensive models, you’ll find hard plastic and noisier drivetrains. Past editions have been more full and rich.
Engine
However, we haven’t tested the 191-hp inline-4 that makes up the majority of the vehicle’s output, despite the fact that it accounts for a significant portion of sales. We’d rather you go with one of the other three options based on how well that engine performs in goods like yours. When the drive-mode selection is set to Sport, the Sorento’s 281-engine, 2.5-liter turbo-4 has plenty of grunt to get things moving. Low-speed uncertainty envelops the turbo-4’s relationship with its dual-clutch gearbox when run in Normal mode. It’s sluggish, and it’s slow to respond when you ask it to transmit power. Sport mode clears up any lingering uncertainties in the engine’s gearbox and allows it to retain lower ratios for longer.
Even though the turbo-4 works hard, all-wheel-drive torque vectoring and luxury options like 20-inch wheels may cause the Sorento’s starting weight to go up from 3,979 pounds to 4,065 pounds. More in keeping with the efficient-family theme is the Sorento Hybrid. Both are quieter and smoother than the Sorento’s 227 net horsepower from its 1.6-liter turbo-4, electric motors, battery pack, and 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. As far as city fuel efficiency goes, we’ve been able to match the low 40s on test drives. Due to its 66.9-kilowatt electric motor and 13.8-kilowatt-hour battery, the plug-in hybrid should accelerate faster than the hybrid alone can while also promising 32 miles of all-electric driving.
2024 Kia Sorento Release Date and Price
The $30,665 Sorento LX has cloth upholstery, three rows of seats, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Sorento EX Hybrid: $36,465 with all-wheel drive and wireless smartphone charging; panoramic sunroof Spending more than $55,000 is an option, but it’s not recommended.