New look and upgraded tech for Kia’s seven seat SUV, which was previewed online earlier in the year.
Kia has officially pulled the wraps off of its facelifted Kia Sorento SUV at the LA Auto Show, after previewing the changes in a social media post back in July.
The external changes are limited to a more modern light treatment, taking the lead from Kia’s new EV9 and featuring bold T-shaped LED daytime running lights and hidden, stacked LED headlights. The front grille is larger and bolder, while the bumpers have been reprofiled with a wider skid plate.
The rear changes are more subtle, but feature a more minimalist light clusters, very much in tune with the Star Map theme at the front featuring thin, vertical LEDs. The Sorento badge has also been repositioned with more bumper reprofiling.
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Inside, there’s been a major tech upgrade with more than a hint of the popular, smaller Sportage model and, again, the EV9. A panoramic curved display with twin 12.3-inch displays features Kia’s latest operating system which promises more features and faster reactions. Over the air updates now feature, while you can also use your Smartphone as a digital key. The three-row, seven-seat layout inside remains the same as before.
Expect the hybrid engine line-up to continue in the new Sorento, with a 226bhp 1.6-litre HEV, and a 261bhp PHEV that pairs that same engine with a 13.8kWh battery and electric motor. Four-wheel drive features on all cars, but it’s likely that the current diesel option could disappear from UK price lists.
Kia has been slimming down the Sorento range in advance of the facelifted car’s arrival, but expect the line-up to broadly mirror the rest of Kia’s range with GT-line and GT-line S models likely to make up the bulk of sales.
The new model is expected to arrive in UK showrooms towards the middle of next year, with prices starting at around the £40,000 mark. That proposed figure should see Kia bring back the cheaper entry-level cars that’ve been missing from the outgoing line-up for some time.