Kia Sorento 2022 review: PHEV

Kia’s first hybrid Sorento is not cheap. Far from it, actually. Only available in the top-spec GT-Line trim, the Sorento PHEV offers all the bells and whistles, but also packs a 14kWh battery pack good for nearly 70km of purely electric driving range.

While that’s pretty impressive for a car this big, it also adds over $15,000 to the price compared to the next grade down, the 2.2 diesel AWD, bringing the total MSRP to $79,330. That’s close to premium car territory. Ouch.

Standard gear at the GT-Line grade is great, including a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital dash, 8.0-inch head-up display, quilted Nappa leather interior trim, full electrical adjust for the front seats with heating and ventilation, dual-zone climate control, heated rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, keyless entry with push-start ignition, ambient interior lighting, a 360-degree parking suite, and a motorised tailgate.

Standard gear at the GT-Line grade is great, including a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen. (Image: Tom White)

There are only a few subtle differences for the PHEV over other GT-Lines, including a slightly extended use of piano-black trims, and 19-inch instead of 20-inch alloy wheels.

It’s worth noting Kia only bundles the Sorento PHEV with a wall socket to Type 2 cable for charging, you’ll need to bring your own Type 2 to Type 2 cable to make the most of public charging opportunities.

It’s challenging price tag puts it well above rivals like the Toyota Kluger (Grande hybrid AWD - $75,400), Mazda CX-9 (Azami 2.5 Turbo AWD - $73,751), or Hyundai Santa Fe (Highlander 2.2 diesel AWD - $65,200) although that last one will have a more direct ‘self-charging’ hybrid version launch next year.

The GT-Line grade includes LED headlights. (Image: Tom White)

Still, there’s no avoiding how expensive this car is. Kia says it’s chosen to go with a top trim, as it expects an initially limited number of sales to customers who understand what they’re getting into with a PHEV – like all brands, it is facing supply shortages globally at the time of writing.

The Sorento’s interior does more than look good. It’s a breeze to use too, with many little practicality tricks and extra features which are often forgotten in rivals.

In the front the seating position feels fantastic, a sort of alchemy has gone on here to let you sit low enough to give the Sorento a slightly sporty feel, whilst also making the dash cladding itself feel low and out of the way so that it’s easy to peer down on the road.

There’s also healthy storage options for front passengers, with big bottle holders in the doors and in the centre, a huge console armrest box, and a large bay up front which houses the USB ports and a wireless charger.

The second row is excellent for space, which should come as no surprise given the length of the Sorento. (Image: Tom White)

Both front seats are electrically adjustable, with the passenger seat scoring adjusting buttons on the side so the driver and second-row passengers can easily move it if need be.

The second row is excellent for space, which should come as no surprise given the length of the Sorento, and there plenty of amenities on offer from two full-size bottle holders in the doors, heated outboard rear seats, dual adjustable air vents, a plethora of USB outlets for charging, a drop-down armrest with more bottle holders, and dual-layered pockets on the backs of the front seats.

As for the third row, I’m pleased to report you can legitimately fit an adult my 182cm (6'0") tall size back there, if you move the second row forward to a position which still fits me in relative comfort.

The impressive quilted leather trim continues back there, with my only gripe being the tight headroom on offer. I had plenty of room for my knees and feet, which is particularly impressive given there’s meant to be a huge battery under the floor somewhere.

The rear row also offers decent amenities, with adjustable air vents with an independent fan controller, a large storage tray, and a full size bottle holder. There’s also a USB port on either side.

As for the third row, I’m pleased to report you can legitimately fit an adult my 182cm (6'0") tall size back there. (Image: Tom White)

Both the outboard seats in the second row, and both seats in the third row offer ISOFIX child-seat mounting points, and somewhat unbelievably there’s a full-size alloy spare mounted on the outside under the rear of the car.

Boot space is down compared to the V6 and diesel variants, but by less than 30L in each configuration – virtually unnoticeable.

This leaves 1988-litres (VDA) with the second and third rows folded, 604L with just the second row folded, or 175L with all seats up. I was impressed to find the smallest CarsGuide luggage case still managed to fit with all the seats up.

Kia’s solution here is a little different, and will surprise prior hybrid buyers used to a Toyota 'self-charging' hybrid, for example.

The Sorento pairs a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, producing 132kW/265Nm, with an electric motor mounted inside the transmission, producing 67kW/304Nm.

Kia says the two have a combined output of 195kW/350Nm, which is very close to the output of the front-drive only V6 variant.

The Sorento pairs a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor mounted inside the transmission. (Image: Tom White)

On that topic, the PHEV variant is the only way you can select petrol and all-wheel drive in the Sorento range.

The Sorento PHEV backs its electric motor with a relatively large 14kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is located under the second row.

It is charged via a European-standard Type 2 charging socket, which is the most common kind in Australia. Unfortunately, it charges at a rate of 3.3kW, which is only slightly faster than the maximum speed available from a wall socket.

AC charging can go from wall-socket speed (2.7kW) to 22kW depending on a car’s inverter, but with the Sorento’s charging speed it seems best suited to charging overnight in a garage, rather than relying on convenience charging at a public location.

It is charged via a European-standard Type 2 charging socket, which is the most common kind in Australia. (Image: Tom White)

With that mild inconvenience out of the way, the official combined consumption for the Sorento PHEV is claimed to be as low as 1.9L/100km. This, of course, will vary greatly depending on how you use it.

Given it is possible to drive this car nearly 70km in electric mode, you may score even lower, as the engine doesn’t seem to need to turn on for any reason at most speeds.

During my week of testing, I used some pure EV mode, but mostly used the very good hybrid mode as this helped me preserve my battery for the life of the review.

My average score by the end was 5.0L/100km, which is still excellent for an SUV this large. The Sorento can run on entry-level 91RON fuel and has an unchanged 67L fuel tank from other variants. Theoretically this can allow for over 1000km of combined range.

Kia is well known for its pioneering seven-year and unlimited kilometre warranty. It’s still amongst the best in the market, although some challenger brands seem to be closing the gap.

Regardless, the PHEV is also covered by a seven-year capped price servicing regimen. While CarsGuide has only seen preliminary pricing for the servicing thus far, the PHEV version does carry a premium over the V6 and diesel variants.

Kia is well known for its pioneering seven-year and unlimited kilometre warranty. (Image: Tom White)

The PHEV variant needs to visit a Kia workshop once every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.