Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV Reviews | Overview

KIA is relocating speedily in the direction of new power cars, which is why the range of electrified models  in its portfolio has elevated substantially. From family SUVs, this kind of as the Sorento GT-Line PHEV examined in this article, to the forthcoming and remarkable EV6, the Korean brand will before long offer you a little something for anyone Kia has promised to democratise its EV array – and that target is practically in arrive at.

 

Properly, it is shut, but not fairly there just yet… For the time remaining, Kia’s plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powered variants catch the attention of a distinct top quality above their combustion-engined counterparts. Circumstance in issue, the Sorento GT-Line PHEV, which at $81,900 travel-absent is $14,700 dearer than its turbo-diesel-driven – and otherwise identically specified – sibling.

 

And even though the higher-pricing craze for plug-in hybrid electrical cars (PHEVs) and battery-electric powered autos (BEVs) isn’t unique to Kia – every single company calls for a high quality for its similar new electrical power variants – it is a single that raises the price question for potential buyers. Moreover the feel-fantastic element that will come from “saving the planet”, there are number of other incentives to make the transfer to an electrified model, even when it is one particular that is as very good as the Sorento GT-Line PHEV.

 

The further cost of the Sorento GT-Line PHEV comes entirely from its driveline. The featuring brings together a (132kW/265Nm) 1.6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol motor with a 67kW/304Nm electric motor to give a peak procedure outputs 195kW and 350Nm. The combo is paired with a 6-speed epicyclic automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

 

Electric powered electrical power is drawn from a 14kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, which can present up to 68km (NEDC) or 57km (WLTP) of all-electric driving assortment, and which contributes to an ADR blended-cycle gas use determine of just 1.6 litres for every 100km (and 36g/km of CO2 emissions). Kia suggests the Sorento GT-Line PHEV’s battery pack can be billed at a price of up to 3.3kW, which will get it from 15 to 95 per cent ability in a few hrs and 25 minutes.

 

The South Korean brand’s significant SUV model was created from the outset to home a battery pack and of its affiliated mechanical objects beneath the ground, which usually means there is minor unfavorable influence on cabin or cargo house when in comparison to petrol- or diesel-run variants.

 

The seven-seater provides 604 litres of cargo house in 5-seat method when compared with the diesel model’s 616 litres, and towing capability drops to 1350kg (braked) against the ICE-only variant’s 2000kg.

 

Like the “regular” Sorento GT-Line, the PHEV variant scores all the luxuries and tech options one particular expects at its selling price issue.

 

Quilted Nappa leather upholstery, heated and ventilated entrance seats, a 10.25-inch infotainment array, Apple CarPlay and Android Automobile connectivity, 12-speaker Bose audio procedure, LED ambient cabin lighting, a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, Terrain Choose multi-method all-wheel generate process, panoramic sunroof, LED head- and tail-lights, and design-unique 19-inch alloy wheels with complete-size spare.

 

Currently, the only direct rival to the Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV is the Toyota Kluger Grande eFour (which is a sequence hybrid and not a plug-in) with a proposed retail cost of $75,700 (in addition on-road prices). Unlike the Toyota, Kia’s plug-in hybrid Sorento is not accessible in reduce trim grades.

 

All Kia passenger versions are protected by a seven-yr/unrestricted warranty, which consists of roadside support and capped-selling price servicing. Support intervals are set at 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes initially) and servicing costs about five decades quantity to $2388.

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