Show
Price: The 2023 Kia Sorento starts at $36,590 in EX FWD form. As a luxurious EX-P model, it begins at $42,390. If you want the many virtues of the Kia Sorento midsize SUV but with better fuel economy, we have good news. The Kia Sorento Hybrid has the interior quality, tech features, and sharp styling of the regular Sorento, but it achieves a fuel economy rating of up to 39 mpg city/35 mpg highway. The excellent fuel economy of the Sorento Hybrid is the highlight, but there’s a lot more to love about this SUV. With 227 horsepower, you aren’t compromising on performance, and it actually has more power and torque than the base engine in the non-hybrid Sorento. It’s also well-equipped with standard safety and infotainment tech features. The closest competitors to the Kia Sorento Hybrid are the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Toyota Venza, which are similar in size and price. Still, neither is available with a third row of seats. A couple of bigger 3-row options include the hybrid variants of the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer, but those are both more expensive and less efficient than the Sorento Hybrid. The Kia Sorento is also available as a plug-in hybrid and as a non-hybrid with two different gas engines available. The Sorento Hybrid is a nice middle-ground between the other two Sorento variants in terms of price and efficiency. The standard Kia Sorento and the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid are reviewed separately. 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid PricingThe 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX FWD starts at $36,590. In luxurious SX-P trim, the Sorento Hybrid begins at $42,390. It comes standard with AWD. As you might expect, the Sorento Hybrid is a little more expensive than a similarly equipped, non-hybrid Sorento. As priced, the 2023 Sorento Hybrid is close to the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid. The Toyota Venza, with AWD and standard hybrid powertrain, has a slightly lower starting price. However, you can’t get a Venza or Santa Fe Hybrid with 3-row seating. The bigger Toyota Highlander Hybrid has three rows of seats, but it’s less efficient and more expensive than the Sorento Hybrid, starting at around $40,000. The Ford Explorer Hybrid is another option in hybrid 3-row SUVs, but it’s only available in the expensive Limited trim, and it isn’t as fuel-efficient. Driving the 2023 Kia Sorento HybridThe Kia Sorento Hybrid is engineered in a way that strikes an arguably perfect balance of performance and efficiency. The Ford Explorer Hybrid can tow up to 5,000 pounds but has unimpressive fuel economy. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is pretty efficient, but the performance isn’t as good as the non-hybrid. The Sorento Hybrid is the Goldilocks hybrid SUV that gets it just right. With more than enough power and torque, the Sorento Hybrid has plenty of pep when accelerating from a stop. Getting up to highway speeds doesn’t require much patience, and even passing on the highway isn’t much of a challenge. All the while, you’re getting up to 37 combined mpg. The Sorento Hybrid is also so smooth and quiet that you might forget you’re driving a hybrid. The suspension, steering, and braking are all satisfactory in providing a comfortable driving experience. A pleasant surprise in the Sorento Hybrid drivetrain is a traditional 6-speed automatic transmission. Rather than a gearless continuously variable transmission (CVT) common in hybrids, this 6-speed has decisive shifts that give this hybrid SUV a surprising level of driving engagement. Interior ComfortIf you haven’t been in a Kia in a while, you might be surprised by the level of refinement in the interior of the Sorento Hybrid. It has a pleasing interior design with nice materials and well-placed controls. The SynTex faux leather seating looks and feels nice, and the sizeable 10.25-inch infotainment system is easy to use. Three-row seating for up to six people and second-row captain’s chairs come standard in the Sorento Hybrid. The second row is roomy and comfortable, but the third row is pretty tight. This is a great SUV for drivers who only occasionally need a third row of seats. If you have a big family and need those extra seats regularly, you’ll be better off with a bigger SUV or a minivan. The cargo space behind the third row of seats is a little tight. However, if you can afford to have the third row folded down most of the time, you get pretty good cargo space. Exterior StylingThe Kia Sorento Hybrid is a stylish SUV with a design that isn’t obvious about being a hybrid. It’s almost indistinguishable from the non-hybrid Sorento, which is a good thing. However, the hybrid model doesn’t have the rugged-looking X-Line appearance package that the AWD-equipped, non-hybrid Sorento models can have. Other than fog lights on the EX model, there isn’t much of a visual difference between the two trims of the Sorento Hybrid. They even have the same paint options. As for the size, the Kia Sorento Hybrid has dimensions very similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe (and its hybrid counterpart) and Toyota Venza. The Kia is smaller than other popular 3-row SUVs with hybrid variants like the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer. Favorite FeaturesHYBRID EFFICIENCY STANDARD 2ND-ROW CAPTAIN’S CHAIRS Standard FeaturesThe Kia Sorento Hybrid EX is very well equipped. Standard features include 3-row seating for up to six, SofTex faux leather seats, heated front seats, second-row captain’s chairs, dual-zone automatic climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, LED headlights, a whopping eight USB ports, and the Kia Connect app with remote start and cabin climate control. The standard infotainment system is a large 10.25-inch touchscreen loaded with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM, and navigation. Also standard: a wireless charging pad, a hands-free power liftgate, LED fog lights, and several driver assistance features like the Highway Driving Assist system, adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, and intersection turning assist. Standard Kia Drive Wise safety tech features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, and rear parking sensors. Factory OptionsUpgrading to the SX-P trim brings some excellent premium features to the Sorento Hybrid. These include perforated leather seat trim, a premium Bose stereo, a 115-volt inverter and the Surround View Monitor, which provides a safety-enhancing bird’s eye view that makes driving this Sorento in driveways and parking lots much safer. It also gets you a Blind View Monitor, which makes lane changes much safer by providing a video view of your rear three-quarter blind spot when signaling to change lanes. On both trim levels of the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid, front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional ($1,800) Engine & TransmissionThe Kia Sorento Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 gas engine mated to a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. The total output is 227 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, which are pretty good numbers for an SUV this size. It returns up to 39 city/35 highway mpg with front-wheel drive (FWD), and all-wheel drive (AWD) comes with a slight fuel economy penalty. Every Sorento Hybrid uses a 6-speed automatic transmission. The maximum towing capacity of the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid is only 2,000 pounds. 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 KBB Vehicle Review and Rating MethodologyOur Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability. More About How We Rate Vehicles Are they making a 2023 Kia Sorento?Kia's Sorento mid-size SUV enters the 2023 model year with minor updates to its standard safety tech and a reshuffling of standard equipment. Given Kia redesigned the Sorento for 2021, it's no surprise the relatively fresh design soldiers on unchanged while features and equipment get updated.
Is there a new Kia Sorento coming out?2022 Kia Sorento Features and Specifications
The 2023 Sorento will be the model's fifth generation and will be released in 2023. This redesign aligns with Kia's recent refresh of their entire lineup.
What is replacing the Kia Sorento?It is the Telluride which replaces the Sorento as the flagship SUV at Kia.
Will there be a 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid?The 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX FWD starts at $36,590. In luxurious SX-P trim, the Sorento Hybrid begins at $42,390. It comes standard with AWD.
|
