New Kia Sorento 2024 Colors, Interior, Price – To differentiate the 2024 Kia Sorento from the Hyundai Santa Fe and other popular family wagons like the Ford Explorer and Lexus RX, Kia added a tiny third-row seat to the model. The usually excellent Sorento performs better in five-seat mode thanks to the economical hybrid powertrain in lower-priced variants.
2024 Kia Sorento Redesign
This year sees the introduction of a plug-in hybrid engine for the 2024 Kia Sorento. The X-Line add-ons are now available on more models, and the 10.3-inch touchscreen is now standard on most models. Our initial reaction to the new Sorento’s design was more astonishment than curiosity. In the past, it donned SUV cues that were generally appealing; now, it wears metallic fillips and a razor-mesh grille to get noticed. We see you, but the road-to-nowhere details and the cluttered, gaming-influenced dashboard and buttons confuse us. The Sorento’s steering is more engaging, but its standard 191-hp, 4-cylinder engine isn’t make much of a splash. It has a 281-horsepower turbo-4, but the increased loudness from the engine comes at the expense of quickness.
The 227-horsepower hybrid powertrain, on the other hand, is both efficient and speedy enough to earn our recommendation. We’re eager to test-drive the new plug-in hybrid, which claims to save money on gas while delivering a higher level of performance. The Sorento has room for four people with no problem at all. Seven seats are available in this vehicle, but anybody who sits in the middle row will understand why those seats are best reserved for special events. All models have a lot of cargo space and various storage options, including USB connections built into some variants’ front seatbacks.
Interior
The Kia Sorento claims seating for seven passengers. Four of them may be made full-size, while the others can be medium or smaller. Good seats and enough load capacity earn it an 8 for comfort and practicality ratings from the ANCAP. With a wheelbase of 110.8 inches and a length of 189.4 inches, the standard Sorento is equipped with three rows of cloth-covered seats. Sorentos with a power driver’s seat, synthetic or genuine leather and a motorized front passenger seat are available above the LX model. In our experience, the front seats of the Sorentos we’ve driven are well-padded and supportive, with a comfortable driving posture and lumbar support.
There are 41.1 inches of legroom in the front seats and enough headroom, so most people will sit comfortably, surrounded by large storage bins in the console and the door panels. A sliding bench seat or a pair of captain’s chairs in row two provide 6 foot tall passengers with enough leg room, with nearby net pockets and USB connections for their carry-on luggage. The third row is just 29.6 inches long and has a low-mounted seat bottom when the third row button is pressed. It’s best suited for small groups and short vacations. With its 12.6 cubic feet of space, a fold-down seat may increase that to 45.0 cubic feet behind the back seats or 75.5 cubic feet behind the front row. This time around, Kia hasn’t improved the Sorento’s quality. Even on the most expensive models, the inside is dominated by hard plastic, and the drivetrains are noisier. Earlier iterations had a more solid and opulent feel about them.
Engine
We haven’t had a chance to test the standard 191-hp inline-4, which accounts for a large portion of its sales. We’d recommend any of the three other options based on the performance of that powerplant in similar models. The 2.5-liter turbo-4 on board the Sorento is capable of accelerating from a standstill with authority, provided the drive mode option is set to Sport. Low-speed misunderstanding interferes with the turbo-4’s communication with the dual-clutch gearbox in normal mode. It’s sluggish and 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.
This is even though the Sorento’s turbo-4 engine is working hard to keep its weight down. All-wheel drive torque vectoring and calorie-laden luxury options like 20-inch wheels may make the Sorento heavier than it needs to be. More in keeping with the efficient-family theme is the Sorento Hybrid. In addition to being quieter and smoother than the more powerful Sorento, it also has a 1.6-liter turbo-4, electric motors, a battery pack, and an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. During our test drives, we were able to achieve city fuel efficiency values in the low 40s. Hence, our excitement about the plug-in hybrid, which has a 66.9-kW electric engine and a 13.8-kWh battery that offers 32 miles of all-electric driving, compared to the hybrid alone.
2024 Kia Sorento Release Date and Price
Three rows of seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — the Kia Sorento LX costs $30,665. With wireless smartphone charging, a panoramic sunroof, and all-wheel drive, the Sorento EX hybrid is our favorite. Don’t spend more than $55,000 on your vacation.