Kia Sorento SUV - Interior & comfort
You'll be wanting for little in the lavishly equipped Kia Sorento, but all that kit doesn’t come cheap
The Kia Sorento has been given a technology and design overhaul inside versus the previous-generation model, with numerous new features and a fresh look for the brand. Some aspects work better than others, with the silver trim for the air vents looking slightly cheap, but everything else appears and feels more upmarket than in the old car.
Kia Sorento dashboard
The digital instrument cluster and central display now sweep across from behind the steering wheel, in a style similar to that seen in recent Mercedes models. It perches above a thin dashboard, which still houses physical controls for the climate controls, along with prominent air vents.
Other design touches include soft-touch leather across the upper dashboard, a 'rotary' selector for the automatic gearbox and ambient lighting that illuminates the dashboard and door panels.
Equipment
As of 2022, Kia has streamlined the Sorento range to combat supply issues caused by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. There is now only one specification available: the lavishly-equipped Kia Sorento Edition – something unlikely to change before the end of 2023.
While that means prices are quite high – the Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Santa Fe represent better value for money for those wanting a cheaper entry price or monthly PCP payment – the Sorento Edition comes with all the kit you could possibly hope for on a family SUV. Based on the previous range-topping ‘4’ trim, the Edition comes with LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled Nappa leather seats, a head-up display, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, a powered bootlid, plus the aforementioned 10.25-inch infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.
Kia claims it addresses a trend for higher-spec models, but there’s no avoiding the fact that a list price of almost £50k even for the 2.2-litre diesel, might alienate traditional Kia buyers looking for an affordable family car. That said, residual values are very strong, with the plug-in hybrid said to retain over 56% of its value after three years or 36,000 miles.
All Sorento models also get a heap of safety equipment including a 360-degree camera, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, hill start assist, parking-collision-avoidance assist and speed limit assist. The nifty Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM) projects a live video feed into the left or right side of the driver’s display when indicating to change lanes, and shows a clear video of any vehicles hidden in the Sorento’s blind spot.
Options
Buyers are faced with very few choices when buying a new Kia Sorento; there are currently three different paint colours to choose from: White Pearl, Graphite or Midnight Black. Something else to be aware of is that diesel Sorentos come with 20-inch gloss black alloy wheels, while the hybrids both sit on more efficient 19-inch alloys and deeper-profile tyres.
