Autotoday test drove the KIA Sorento, which will be available in 2023. The car’s history dates back to 2002, when the Kia Sorento was launched. The first generation model designation was BL and was produced in South Korea, Malaysia and Russia.

The second generation was launched as the Sorento XM in 2009. Production of the second generation also expanded to the United States and Kazakhstan.

The third generation since 2014 of the KIA Sorento is the UM, of which the KIA Sorento we are now testing represents the fourth generation.

A newer model has already been released to follow this generation and will be launched on the Finnish market at the beginning of next year

The KIA Sorento is available as a base diesel, a petrol hybrid without external charging, and with a plug-in charging option. We test drove the plug-in hybrid model.

Go to the test drive

Personally, this was also my first experience behind the wheel of a Korean car, so when I sat in the car, I first tried to sense the general feeling created by the interior. The interior is partly bursting with South Korean “pagoda-like” angular architecture.

The whole thing seemed quite simple, futuristic but quite practical. The layout of the controls was fairly standard, perhaps a little condensed around the steering wheel, but all the controls are within easy reach of the driver even while driving.

After a good initial reconnaissance, the car’s trip computer proved to be quite a mystery. The user interface is very different from that of other car brands.

There are certainly enough apps available, but to better explore them or use them to improve driving comfort would have required a manual and a look at the ‘youtube videos’. That is not the purpose of this test drive and will have to be left to the actual car owner to figure out.

The challenge of this deviating interface was encountered numerous times during the test drive. With reasonable effort, I could not find the driving computer and the mobile phone. The traditional radio also caused exceptional operating problems.

When the car was parked, getting the radio to turn on was exceptionally challenging, the car had to be “half started” to get the radio to work. This may have something to do with ensuring battery life.

When driving on the road, radio channels were sometimes limited and it took some time to find them. These are certainly partly a matter of habit, and certainly partly usability will be improved by changing the settings.

Other car equipment

If you forget the trip computer, the other controls work perfectly. The range of equipment for a basic model is striking. The car comes with a 150km or 7-year warranty, which is a big bonus for a hybrid. In addition, the business-equipped base model comes with adaptive dual LED headlights, lane-centre assist, cruise/collision control, electrically adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support.

In addition, by choosing the equipment package of the “Business Premium” or “Business Luxury” model, the range is further enhanced. In European and Japanese cars, you have to buy similar equipment separately, often picking several optional packages from the menu, to achieve the same result.

This is one of the competitive advantages of South Korean, Chinese and Indian cars, which offer long warranty periods and a wide range of equipment as standard. This certainly makes business sense in part as the cars can be produced on more or less the same batch of production lines, making production more efficient and simplified.

Is this also the start of a future car market, at least this is starting to happen in China and South Korea.

There is plenty of space at KIA

KIA clearly stands out among car brands in its size class with the abundance of interior space available in other competing car brands. The rear seats move lengthways significantly, providing considerably more legroom for rear-seat passengers when needed.

Similarly, the typical pain of a middle-seat occupant’s leg positioning is reasonable and three people can comfortably travel side by side in the back.

The Sorento can be had with either a three-row 7-seat seating configuration or the more traditional 5-seat 2-row solution.

There’s plenty of space for both front and rear passengers, but without compromising on boot space.

The boot space is adequate compared to typically similar plug-in hybrids, where the size of the boot is often compromised by the placement of the battery below the boot.

The KIA Sorento, with its spacious and practical solutions, is a good family car, slightly cheaper than most of its competitors’ plug-in hybrids. On the other hand, this is no longer a cheap option for the average Finnish family. If you are looking for a really affordable family plug-in hybrid, you won’t get a pricey winner here.

Test drive performance on the road

We completed a total of 780 kilometres of test driving in very varied conditions. City driving, motorway driving, traditional Finnish road driving and also off-road driving on gravel roads.

The automatic system offers three different driving programmes (ECO) (SPORT) (SMART) and, by selecting the “TERRAIN” option as the chassis layout, weather-appropriate (SNOW) (MUD) (SAND) options are available.

You can also select the (EV = electric vehicle or HEV = hybrid electric vehicle) options to optimise either electric driving, or to save battery power for later driving.

The lower battery limit is a fixed 15%, after which driving with electricity is restricted. This limitation may be related to improving the durability of the batteries and also as one of the reasons for the possibility to give the car a factory warranty of up to 7 years.

During the test drive, we experimented with driving setting changes on a gravel road, causing the chassis to stiffen and react more rigidly to uneven road surfaces. Otherwise, the car’s suspension is quite sensitive and I reacted quite strongly to road irregularities.

The average fuel consumption during the test drive was 6.1 l/100km. The car was charged four times, reflecting the varying types of driving experience for a hybrid car. The actual driving range with electricity was practically 40 km, but I suppose you can optimise that a little with different driving styles if you want.

Although the equipment and the overall design of the car are quite good, the KIA is also practical and functional.

On the other hand, there was room for improvement. The car reacts with a slight, but somewhat disturbing delay when pressing the accelerator, and similarly when braking. The driving feel is like that of a ‘traditional diesel car’, where the car takes a moment to think before it wants to react.

The interior noise proved to be quite high, especially when driving on the motorway. This can be explained by looking at the car’s bodywork. The car has less weight and the thickness of the doors is lighter than in similar cars. In heavy rain, the roof also crackled, like a tin roof in a summer cottage. This may partly explain the better interior space, and the lighter construction also reduces average consumption. Compared to its size, the car has a lower mass.

Technically, the car’s acceleration is slightly slower than other brands on the market. However, the performance is adequate, allowing comfortable overtaking when needed.

The automatic transmission makes driving easier

The automatic cruise control, which makes driving easier, works, but the adaptive headlights, for example, between high beam and low beam, were occasionally “guesswork” when driving around bends, as well as uphill and at intersections. The lights were changed several times before the choice settled.

The lane-centre is a functional and nice accessory, but it feels rather harsh to an unaccustomed driver. Especially on the motorway at 120 km/h, the automatic corrective manoeuvring in bends could momentarily scare the driver and passengers alike, with oversteer, but you certainly get used to this and confidence in the system grows.

The Kia Sorento is a big car in its class

Overall, the Sorento is quite a large car in terms of exterior dimensions, and this is also noticeable in the parking areas. The turning radius is quite large, and fitting the car into parking spaces can be more challenging, especially in older small-space car parks, even with the radar and reversing camera. Once the car is in the grid, it’s worth checking that the doors can be opened.

The interior space is a virtue. The front seats can accommodate people of different sizes, but at the same time the lateral support is limited. In bends and faster lateral movement, both driver and co-driver slide sideways in the seat in line with the car’s movements a little more than normal.

This is typical, especially in older, larger American cars and perhaps there is a bit of an impression here of American-style larger cars.

All in all, the KIA offers a good, decent solution for the Finnish driving environment. And with the new model range, we can expect quite a lot of improvements and developments in the version that will be launched in Finland at the end of next year. So already quite good, and even better to come if we wait a few months.

KIA Sorento 1.6 T-GDI AWD Business 5P

• Combined engine power: 195 kW (265 hp). Electric motor power contribution: 66.9 kWh (91 hp)
• Internal combustion engine power displacement: 1598 cm3
• Maximum engine torque: 350 Nm.
• Transmission: 6-speed automatic
• Acceleration: 8.7 seconds (0-100 km/h) and top speed 193 km/h
• Manufacturer’s combined fuel consumption: 1.6 l/100km (CO2 emissions 38g).
• Fuel tank capacity: 47 litres
• Electric range: 57 km
• Maximum charging power / (AC) : 11 kW plus DC fast charging.
• Net weight: 2055 kg.
• Cargo space: 693 (898) l.
• Traction: four-wheel drive
• Ground clearance: 174 mm
• Length: 4810 mm, width: 1900 mm and height 1695 mm
• Towing capacity: 750 kg without brakes (2000 kg with brakes)
• Model price from: EUR 51 066 (not as hybrid at this price)
• Test drive price: €62,318

It is worth noting that the car was only available in Pearl colour (€900) and leather upholstery (€850), as opposed to the standard equipment

Test drive and text by Juha Remes.