Kia Sorento PHEV 2025 review: Is this new plug-in hybrid SUV too expensive for a large family car?
the plug-in hybrid market has slowly been gaining purchase in Australia and Kia has jumped on the bandwagon with the new Sarrento GT line PHEV which is on test for this review my family and I have been seeing whether or not the new powertrain makes this large 7 seat SUV one to look out for there are five grades available for the Sarrento and we’re family testing the flagship PHEV GT line variant this week the new powertrain does make this almost $15,000 more expensive than its flagship petrol and diesel variants which might be hard to justify for some but it does position it as the more affordable option when you compare it to other top grade PHE rivals albeit premium rivals in the Volvo XC90 and the BMW X5 this grade enjoys all of the perks such as heated and ventilated front seats heated rear outboard seats a heated steering wheel wireless phone connectivity a panoramic sunroof and a premium 12 speakeraker Bose sound system you also get a bunch of practical family features that I’ll go into more detail later on in the video but the biggest question that this variant poses is whether or not the price hike for the plug-in hybrid powertrain is worth it the full specs are in my detailed written review at carsguide.com.au u if you need more info the Sarrento looks like an SUV should it’s large enough to earn the class position but it’s not terribly bulky looking this is a wellproportioned and handsome family SUV and I quite like the 19in alloys cuz they complement the car’s size and the really interesting LED lights because they really pop at night head inside and you’re greeted by beautiful big displays as well as physical buttons and dials everything’s easier to find and despite the fact there’s lots happening here when it comes to accent panels and tech it’s a comfortable and not an overwhelming space to be in the finishes are really good in here with quilted napper leather upholstery soft touch points throughout as well as a luxy black suede headliner the cabin looks luxurious but is still very functional the room up front is very generous and the seat comfort is excellent with the extra features wide seat bases and expandable under thigh supports access to this row is quite good because of the wide door apertures and the 176 mm ground clearance there are lots of storage cubbies up front with a large glove box middle console the usual cup holders as well as a dedicated phone cubby underneath the dash the dual 12.3 in displays look great and the touchscreen of the multimedia system is responsive it’s also an easy system to navigate and get used to i like that you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto satnav with overthe-air updates as well as a colored head-up display the digital instrument panel isn’t really customizable and I don’t love the layout but it tells you what you need to know the charging options are good throughout the car with a couple of USBC ports in each row the middle row also gets a 12volt port and up front you get a wireless charging pad as well there’s lots of room in this middle row the headroom is just a little bit compromised because of the sunroof but for my 168 cm height it doesn’t bother me at all i really like that there’s no transmission tunnel in this row so middle seaters get a lot more leg room and this row also has three top tether points and it’s wide enough to fit three child seats side by side i love all the amenities you get back here like directional air vents those USBC ports as well as two mat pockets and device pockets the usual drink bottle holders and my son really loved the retractable sunlines and that the cup holders are well positioned on the door handles i am surprised though that for the grade level that you don’t get climate control back here the third row is definitely a sometimes seat for adults and even a bigger kid you do get a few amenities back there but the biggest plus back there is the fact that you get two additional top tether points and ISOIX mounts which should delight families with the third row up you get a small 175 L of capacity available that was actually okay for the small amount of errands I did this week but if you do pop that third row down that jumps up to a healthier 604 L which is much better for a family SUV you get a full-size spare tire in this and a powered tailgate which is great and I like that it’s a level loading space for larger items much easier to slide them in and out this grade has a plug-in hybrid powertrain which combines a small electric motor and battery with a 1.6 L 4 cylinder turbo petrol engine together they produce up to 195 kW of power and 350 new m of torque this is a part-time all-wheel drive with a smooth six-speed automatic transmission and it does have enough power to move this big body around but you do suffer when it comes to brad towing capacity because it’s almost harved from its diesel sibling at 1,0 kilos which might not appeal to some adventuring families the GT Line PHEV has a WLTP electric only driving range of up to 57 kilometers which isn’t massive but enough for a short daily commute and with its low 1.6 L per 100 km combined fuel cycle usage and 67 L fuel tank expect a long time between filling it up especially if you charge it often after my week with it and doing longer highway drives mixed in with some short errands my trip computer has averaged 7.2 L which is pretty good this has a type 2 charging port and on a 3.3 kW AC charger you can charge the 14 kWh battery from 15 to 95% in a reasonable 3 hours and 26 minutes and I really like that Kia throws in an at home charging cable the GT Line PHEV hits most of the beats you would expect it to when it comes to power delivery and its gear changes and it does have enough power that it feels relatively quick for its size there can sometimes be a smidge of confusion as to which system is going to dominate either the engine or the motor but most of the time this powertrain works quite well on the road the suspension is a bit springy and you’ll notice that most in corners where there is a bit of roll so it’s not one that I would go hard in a hairpin turnin but other than that the ride comfort is pretty good you go over the bumps i wouldn’t say it’s floating but it’s definitely softer suspension than what I would prefer in an SUV the steering is responsive enough that it handles itself well in the city for quick city lane changes or things like that but it is on the softer side so if you’re a driver who likes strong feedback from your steering and handling this won’t hit that beat for you but most of the time it’s a very forgiving SUV to drive this has regenerative braking but it’s not super strong you don’t notice it when it really activates and it’s not really customizable i did find that this car is quite heavy to break especially in the city in stop start traffic where it can feel like you’re kind of lurching through your lane the cabin noise is minimal you get a little bit of engine noise when it kicks in but otherwise it’s a very refined cabin to spend time in and easy enough to chat with all three rows it’s really easy to park the Sarrento because it has a clear 360° view camera system and multiple parking sensors but one of the coolest features of this car has to be being able to move it backwards and forwards via the key fob so you don’t even have to be inside the car perfect for when you’re in a tight car space this variant is covered by its siblings maximum five-star air cap safety rating from 2020 it features seven airbags but the third row isn’t covered by curtain airbags which is really disappointing for a family SUV it does come with some great features though which includes a firm favorite of mine the blind spot view monitor which pops a video feed of your blind spots onto your instrument cluster but I also really like that it has emergency call functionality side exit assist and a digital rear view mirror and those annoying beats and alerts that Kia is known for for its traffic sign information can be easily muted now via the steering wheel which makes this much more pleasurable to drive but if you’re after more details check out the full review at carsguide.com.au [Music] the Sarrento is covered by a 7-year unlimited kilometer warranty which is pretty good for the class there’s cap price servicing for 7 years or up to $70,000 km and services average at $764 which is on the expensive side however servicing intervals are spaced at every 12 months or 10,000 kilometers which could get a little bit annoying if you do a lot of travel the Kia Sarrento GT Line PHEV is a sumptuously appointed seven seat SUV that has all of the modern comforts it handles itself maturely on the road but I’m not convinced on the new powertrain as it doesn’t offer a particularly long electric driving range and it comes with a much steeper price tag if you’re after power efficiency and a better break to towing capacity the flagship diesel variant might be the better bet and that’s why it gets a score that’s on your screen now but if you’re after more details check out the full review at carsguide.com.au and I’ll see you next week [Music]
The 2025 Kia Sorento PHEV has arrived in Australian showrooms as yet another powertrain option in the popular large SUV’s line-up. In fact, it is the most expensive option, owing to its plug-in hybrid technology, which commands a significant $11,000-plus premium over the equivalent ‘regular’ hybrid version, let alone the diesel and petrol variants.
The new Sorento PHEV combines a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with an electric motor to produce combined outputs of 195kW of power and 350Nm of torque. Its 14kWh battery pack enables a WLTP-rated electric-only driving range of 57km, which is modest these days.
In this expert review, CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Emily Agar and her family of three spend a week living with the Sorento PHEV’s only grade, the GT-Line flagship, to find out how well it stacks up in the real world in a 2025’s very competitive market.
#Kia #Sorento #Review
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Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
00:20 Pricing and features
01:23 Design
02:11 Practicality
04:36 Under the bonnet
05:14 Efficiency
06:04 Driving
08:00 Safety
08:45 Ownership
09:10 Verdict
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Read Emily’s full review: https://bit.ly/3HPXknf
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