Seventh heaven
Kia’s Sorento SUV is big and beautiful
FEW carmakers have done more to prettify what once was a fairly utilitarian line-up than Kia. It started in 2006 when the Korean giant employed Peter Schreyer, who brought much of the magic he developed during his time with Audi and Volkswagen to the party. The latest model to be hit with the beauty stick is the most unlikely of all, the Sorento SUV.
Just this week, it won two major German design awards, the iF and the Red Dot, becoming the 26th Kia model to be awarded the Red Dot since 2009, and the 21st since 2010 in the iF awards. For overall appeal, it won the Golden Steering Wheel award in Germany as the best large SUV, and took the same honours in the Women’s World Car Of The Year 2021. That’s quite the trophy haul.
All well deserved, as it happens, because this really is a gorgeous car, not something I often hear myself saying about large SUVs. It has pretty spectacular presence, managing to be both beefy and elegant at the same time, with a lofty stance that means you’ll never suffer with kerb anxiety when parking nose-first.
The KIA grille get a slightly new treatment, with the chrome detailing also outlining the headlights, emphasising the width at the front. Soft undulating lines run along the side panel, with the glasshouse tapering to a perfectly proportioned point at the C pillar.
AT THE rear, the indentation of the licence plate and tailgate release areas adds an extra 3D effect, while wide twin exhausts expand the width once again, reminding you just how big the car actually is.
It needs to be, because this is a full seven-seat car, and that is where it will really score on the sales front. There are not many options out there in this class for larger families, and this particular Sorento stands alone as the best value plug-in hybrid seven-seater. It is available in two trim levels, with both featuring all-wheel drive. The K3 version has 19-inch alloy wheels, 10.25-inch navigation screen with telematics, rearview camera,12.3-inch TFT monitor, leather upholstery with heated front seats, and charge ports on all three rows of seats.
Standard safety features include blind spot detection, front collision avoidance, lane-keeping assist, lane follow assist, smart cruise control, highway drive assist, and parking sensors front and rear.
The K4 model I drove costs €55,000 and adds a massive panoramic sunroof (it will be perfect when you’re allowed travel outside your county to the mountains of the West and Southwest!), driver and passenger power seats, 12-speaker Bose sound system, rear heated seats, power opening/ adjustable tailgate, blind view monitor, around view monitor, and parking collision avoidance. Little surprise, then, that it also has a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP.
The 13.8kWh lithium-ion battery takes around three hours to charge on a 3kW wallbox, and the range available is billed at 57km in mixed driving and up to 70km in urban areas. Theoretically, the daily commute, the school run, and trips to the shops should be possible using electric power only. Based on average usage, what this means is that you should need only 1.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (or, if you prefer old money, that’s around 147 miles per gallon). If you live in a rural area or have a longer commute, those figures will vary. The good news is that with emissions of just 38g/km, you’ll pay only €140 a year in motor tax, around a third of what you’d pay on a diesel Sorento.
The Sorento PHEV is as comfortable and responsive as many mainstream saloons, with no detectable roll in the corners, and a welcome surefootedness in all conditions thanks to an automatic transmission that adjusts power to two or four wheels depending on the necessity. Like all cars that rely solely or in full on electric power, there is the occasional annoying whine, but it’s tolerable; if I had one quibble, I think it also could do with a little more insulation against outside noise too.
As for the cabin, well, I have no complaints. The electrically adjustable leather seats are very comfortable, and the high driving position leaves you feeling in great command of the road. Topping it all off is one of the best infotainment screens and systems out there, the final finishing touch to what really is a terrific car.