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Kia’s long-awaited plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Sorento SUV is headed for Australian showrooms shortly, with the top-spec variant boasting a new price and a new look.
Priced at $84,660, before on-road costs according to Redbook, the Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV AWD represents a price increase of $3580, which was priced at $81,080, before on-road costs.
That’s about $2000 more than the plugless hybrid Toyota Kluger Grande AWD, and $9460 more than the top-spec non-plug-in hybrid Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy.
It's about $11,000 more than the regular hybrid GT-Line and about $16,000 more than the diesel GT-Line option.
It doesn’t receive any significant powertrain upgrades for the price increase, though, with the GT-Line PHEV retaining the same 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine as the standard hybrid variant, which is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Together with a more powerful electric motor, the Sorento GT-Line PHEV is capable of delivering a range-topping 195kW/350Nm.
It's 13.8kWh battery can be charged at a rate of up to 3.3kW with charging time from 15 to 95 per cent estimated to take 3 hours and 25 minutes through a standard, type 2 AC charging port. Pure-electric driving range is accredited at 57km by the WLTP.
As with the rest of the lineup, the face-lifted GT-Line PHEV introduces a new front-end that mirrors Kia’s trend-setting EV9 exterior. It also gets a new rear bumper and redesigned LED tail light housing.
Inside, all variants come standard with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s cluster that is paired with an equal size multimedia touchscreen. It is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible through a wired or wireless connection, depending on how high up the spec list you go.
Combined fuel consumption for the PHEV variant is rated at a class-leading 1.6L/100km, considerably higher than discorthe regular GT-Line AWD hybrid’s 5.7L/100km.
A full list of specifications is currently unavailable, but expect it to build on the standard AWD GT-Line hybrid’s long list of standard features.
Those are highlighted by 19-inch alloy wheels, a Bose Premium 12-speaker audio system, Nappa leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, ambient interior lighting, a suede headliner, a digital rear view mirror and a 360-degree surround view monitor.
Safety highlights on the GT-Line PHEV include blind spot monitoring, parking collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic collision assist and front, rear and side parking sensors.
The Sorento is one of the more popular large SUVs in Australia, occupying an 8 per cent market share of the highly competitive segment, with 7053 sales so far this year, representing an increase of 12.2 per cent.
The 2024 Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV is expected in showrooms by the end of this September.
Kia Sorento 2024 pricing:
All prices are at before on-road costs
Variant | Price |
Sorento S 2WD | $50,680 |
Sorento Sport 2WD | $53,300 |
Sorento Sport+ 2WD | $58,230 |
Sorento GT-Line 2WD | $65,590 |
Sorento S Diesel AWD | $53,680 |
Sorento Sport Diesel AWD | $56,300 |
Sorento Sport+ Diesel AWD | $61,230 |
Sorento GT-Line Diesel AWD | $68,590 |
Sorento HEV GT-Line FWD | $70,330 |
Sorento HEV GT-Line AWD | $73,330 |
Sorento PHEV GT-Line AWD | $84,660 (+$3580) |
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