Kia Australia has launched the next step of its journey to electrification in the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV. Sitting atop the local Sorento range, the PHEV mates a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine to a 14kWh lithium-ion battery pack for an all-electric driving range of up to 68km and a claimed combined fuel consumption (if you’re charging it regularly) of just 1.6L/100km. Due in Australian Kia dealerships soon, the Sorento PHEV is priced from $81,990 drive away – $14,700 more than the diesel all-wheel drive Sorento that sits directly below it.
“The Sorento PHEV promises to push boundaries as one of the most versatile, practical and spacious plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market, and with the Sorento being an award-winning package, I couldn’t think of a better time to introduce the PHEV into the line-up,” said Kia’s Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith.
“Along with Niro range, the Sorento PHEV is another stride in the right direction towards a greener future. With the introduction of Sorento HEV and the highly anticipated EV6 next year, Kia will be lifting the electric vehicle benchmark to an all-time high.”
What’s under the bonnet?
Under the bonnet of the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV is a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine that’s mated to a 67kW/304Nm electric motor for a total output of 195kW of power and 350Nm of torque. The electric motor draws its power from a 14kWh lithium-ion battery that’s located under the middle row of seating. With a 3.3kW charger, the Sorento’s battery can be recharged fully in around 3.5 hours.
For reference, the regular petrol 3.5-litre V6 Sorento produces 200kW/332Nm and the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel makes 148kW/440Nm. Both those are mated to an eight-speed automatic, while the PHEV uses a six-speed automatic. The petrol V6 Sorento is front-wheel drive and the diesel and PHEV are both all-wheel drive.
Does the PHEV drivetrain impede the Sorento?
Weighing in at 2,056kg (tare mass), the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV weighs 148kg more than the equivalent Sorento GT-Line diesel all-wheel drive and the battery doesn’t impede much on space either – its 175L/604L/1,988L bootspace (all seats erect/just the middle row/all seats folded) is only 13L/12L/23L smaller than the regular Sorento.
Impressively, the PHEV still features a 67-litre fuel tank and a full-size alloy spare wheel.
What equipment is standard?
The 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV is only offered in top-spec GT-Line spec for now, and as such, its standard equipment list is long. Standard kit includes all-LED lighting, auto lights and wipers, Nappa leather upholstery, electric front seats (14-way driver, 10-way passenger) with driver’s memory functionality, heated and cooled front seats, heated middle row seating, a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, an electric tailgate with kick-to-open functionality, heated and auto-folding mirrors with auto-dropping for parking and third row fan speed adjustment.
Safety kit is also extensive with seven airbags (including a centre front unit), auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, lane keep assist with lane follow assist lane centring, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a blind-spot camera feed, a heads-up display, auto high beam, an auto-dimming rear mirror, auto rear braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, driver attention alert, speed sign recognition, safe exit alert, a 360-degree parking camera, front and rear parking and an alarm.
The PHEV’s 19-inch wheels are an inch smaller than the GT-Line petrol and diesel, while the remote parking feature on the GT-Line doesn’t feature on the PHEV.
As for colours, ’Clear White’ is the only no-cost option while ‘Silky Silver’, ‘Steel Grey’, ‘Mineral Blue’, ‘Aurora Black’, ‘Gravity Blue’ and ‘Snow White Pearl’ are $695 extra. Black is the only interior colour option in Australia.
2022 Kia Sorento pricing (drive away):
- S V6 2WD: $49,290
- S diesel AWD: $52,290
- Sport V6 2WD: $52,290
- Sport diesel AWD: $55,290
- Sport+ V6 2WD: $56,690
- Sport+ diesel AWD: $59,690
- GT-Line V6 2WD: $64,290
- GT-Line diesel AWD: $67,290
- GT-Line PHEV AWD: $81,990
Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto for the latest automotive news and reviews.
Leave a Reply