New Kia Sorento set to receive mid-life update

Kia will give its flagship Sorento seven-seat SUV a refresh inside and out

The expansion of Kia’s all-electric range of SUVs with the EV6 and upcoming EV9 and EV4 has been making waves, but the Korean firm hasn’t forgotten about its internal-combustion engined cars – evidenced here by our first images of the facelifted Kia Sorento. 

The current generation Sorento was launched in 2020 and since then we’ve seen the new Sportage hit the roads. We expect the Sorento will be influenced by its smaller sibling in the changes to its design. 

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Although the camouflage on this test car doesn’t give much away, we can see a new headlight cluster will be incorporated with a more vertical shape. This could make room for a larger grille – similar to that on the Sportage. 

Kia will keep the Sorento’s overall boxy proportions, which will lineup nicely against its new range-topping electric SUV – the EV9. We can just make out the rear lights which look unchanged from the outgoing model, however expect a new light signature design here. 

The Sorento interior should borrow elements from the Sportage to give off a cleaner, minimal look. We expect the touch sensitive climate control bar to feature in the facelifted Sorento and Kia has already said all new and updated models will gain its latest Kia Connect infotainment. We should also see the same dual 12.3-inch screens from the Sportage and EV6 make their way over to the Sorento, replacing a 10.25 central touchscreen. 

Currently, the Sorento is offered with a 2.2-litre diesel with 190bhp, a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid with 226bhp and a plug-in hybrid with the same engine but mated to a 13.8kWh battery for 261bhp. We’re likely to see a similar lineup with the facelift, although the electric motors for the hybrid models might be revised for better efficiency and performance. The Sorento sits on Hyundai/Kia’s N3 platform so no pure-electric model will arrive. 

The Sorento will continue to be offered only with four-wheel drive, plus some driving modes such as ‘Mud’, ‘Snow’ and ‘Sand’ for extra off-road capability. 

There’s just one ‘Edition’ trim level to choose in the Sorento range currently, starting from £49,495. This is a relatively well-equipped model so the newly facelifted car may undercut this price with more basic versions when it goes on sale in 2024. 

Now read our list of the best seven-seater cars…

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