Kia Sorento (2015 – 2022) Review

If you’re after a big SUV to carry seven people, tow a trailer or travel in comfort, the Kia Sorento is a sound bet. It has four-wheel drive as standard and most models are very well equipped. It’s not the sharpest family SUV to drive – the SEAT Ateca and its VW Group stablemate, the Skoda Kodiaq, both have the edge here – but the South Korean contender is refined. Read on for our full Kia Sorento review.

The Kia Sorento has a very spacious, comfortable cabin with space for seven. The middle row of seats is more than capable of seating three adults and, while the two flip-up seats in the third row are best suited to children, they can accommodate adults at a push.

The same can’t be said for many seven-seat vehicles – so the Kia Sorento is a great used car choice for a large family.

With the rear row of seats folded down, there is a flat, wide load floor that offers plenty of room – but the load deck itself is quite high up, which means getting heavy items in and out might prove challenging.

There is an underfloor storage bin for small items and for stowing the load cover when the rearmost seats are in use, or when the middle row is folded flat.

Up front the Kia Sorento is plush, well-made and comfortable, with a good driving position. On the road it’s relaxed, quiet and refined, whether fitted with the manual or automatic transmission.

For long distance or countryside roads it’s ideal, but it does feel somewhat unwieldy in tight urban areas or multi-storey car parks in a way the Ford Edge doesn't.

All Kia Sorento models have all-wheel drive as standard, giving impressive off-road ability and poor weather capability.

This isn’t a fully-fledged, hardcore off-road machine with selectable low range and locking differentials, but for towing trailers up muddy tracks or coping with slippery, slushy roads, it’s perfectly fine.

Just one engine is available. It’s a 2.2-litre diesel with 200PS and 440Nm of torque, giving official economy of 49.5mpg and emissions of 149g/km in the manual version with 17-inch wheels under the previous testing regime.

Opting for larger wheels pushes emissions up, while choosing the smooth automatic transmissions increases them further, to 177g/km.

If you’re happy to have a Kia badge on your car – and these days there’s no reason not to be – then the previous-generation Kia Sorento is a great choice of large SUV.

It offers excellent value for money with no real compromise when it comes to quality, plus gives owners peace of mind thanks to a long warranty.

You can read our review of the latest Kia Sorento here.

All models have all-wheel drive as standard, and it’s a capable system for dirt tracks or slippery surfaces.

While it lacks selectable low range or locking differentials for proper off-road use, for occasional adventures across fields, it’s perfectly decent. It also provides added peace-of-mind on the road in poor weather.

The Kia Sorento performs very well on tarmac. It’s refined, with little noise intruding into the cabin, save for a bit of engine grumbling when accelerating hard. The ride quality isn’t too bad, although it is slightly on the firm side over the very worst surfaces.

Thankfully that does mean body roll is kept at bay through bends for the most part, unless pushing on hard.

There’s a reassuring amount of traction in corners, so the Kia Sorento is capable as well as easy-to-drive. Manual cars have a smooth gearchange and a light clutch, but the automatic is smoother and easier still.

It does comes at the expense of increased emissions, reduced economy and a lower tow-weight rating though, which might put some buyers off.

The Kia Sorento is available with just one engine choice – a 2.2-litre diesel.

It’s powerful, producing 200PS and 440Nm of torque with emissions of 149g/km and economy of 49.6mpg in the KX-1 (when it was facelifted in 2018).

That’s thanks to this model’s smaller 17-inch wheels – opting for larger 18 or 19-inch wheels reduces economy to 46.3mpg and increases emissions to 161g/km, while the automatic produces 177g/km and is capable of 42.2mpg.

The engine allows the Kia Sorento to cover off the 0-62mph dash in 8.7 seconds (with the manual gearbox) or 9.1 seconds with the auto.

Neither is brisk by class standards, but the engine has plenty of low and mid-rev urge for easy cruising thanks to 441Nm at 1750rpm.

The Kia Sorento scored five stars in Euro NCAP safety tests when it was new, although this rating has since expired as test methods have advanced.

However, the car remains a very secure place to put your family.

All models have six airbags, ABS brakes, traction control and two Isofix child seat mounts in the outer two middle row seats.

However, you have to look to the higher trim levels if you want lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot assist and a speed limiter.

These upper versions also come with a useful 360-degree surround view parking camera.

The Kia Sorento has a braked trailer rating of 2500kg for the manual or 2000kg for the automatic.

All but basic KX-1 models can be specified with optional self-levelling suspension, which alters the rear ride height depending on load. This is particularly useful for people who tow trailers and caravans, but it’s also beneficial to those who regularly drive a fully-laden car.

The Kia Sorento also has Trailer Assist fitted that uses the car’s traction control to maintain safe progress when towing.

The Kia Sorento looks big from the outside, so it’s no surprise its cabin is spacious.

There are seven seats as standard and the rearmost pair are generous enough – at a push – for adults, although children will be more comfortable in them, particularly on long journeys. The middle row is fine even for taller occupants.

When not in use, the rear two seats fold flat into the boot floor, providing a large 605-litre load volume. Folding and unfolding them is very easy, thanks to simple pulls on the seat backs.

They can be tugged up from the boot floor and locked in place with one hand, so if you’re carrying a load of bags or a crying child, there’s no faffing around.

Conveniently there is a space under the boot floor to store the load cover.

The boot is large enough for big, bulky items, but it does have a high load deck which can make life difficult when loading heavy objects.

It might pose problems for dog owners, too, since older or less brave pets will struggle to leap in.

On the plus side, folding the middle row of seats frees up a huge 1662 litres, which is enough to accommodate awkward flat packs and other bulky items.

Up front, the Kia Sorento creates the impression of being a high-quality car.

Most of the materials feel plush and luxurious, plus there are lots of big cubby holes and storage bins for drinks and other odds and ends.

Even rear-seat passengers get USB connections and air-conditioning controls, while up front there is plenty of technology to make life easier.

Entry-level Kia Sorento KX-1 models missed out on a touchscreen system, but they still have Bluetooth for phone and audio streaming. There are also reversing sensors and alloy wheels, but we’d go for a higher equipment grade.

Kia Sorento KX-2 models offer a good blend of price and equipment, gaining a touchscreen system with navigation, cruise control and leather upholstery.

The best equipment comes with the top trim Kia Sorento KX-4 model, which gets a 360-degree around-view monitor to help with reversing or manoeuvring in tight spaces. It also comes with adaptive cruise control that maintains a safe distance to the car in front, blind spot warning and smart parking assistance, which can park the car automatically.

The KX-1, KX-2 and KX-3 gained Apple CarPlay and Android Auto when the Kia Sorento was facelifted for 2018.

Move to the higher trims and you get an eight-inch touchscreen that also doubles as the monitor for the reversing camera.

To park a three-year old Kia Sorento on your drive with average miles for its age will cost around £30,000.

The good news here is it will also still have more than half of its seven-year, new car warranty left to run to provide peace of mind.

An older pre-facelift Kia Sorento that’s now eight years old will cost from about £14,000 for one with 75,000 to its name and in KX-2 trim.

As a large, seven-seat SUV, the Kia Sorento is never going to be a car you run on spare change.

You’ll be reminded of this every time you fill up with diesel, which is the only type of engine used in this model, as the most efficient version has a claimed official combined economy of 49.9mpg.

This was achieved under the previous testing method and our Real MPG shows it’s more likely to be 35mpg with the manual gearbox and 32.5mpg with the auto.

With carbon dioxide emissions of between 149 and 177g/km for the Kia Sorento, you’ll have to factor in road tax of at least £180 for cars registered after 1 April 2017.

Any Kia Sorento registered before that date is subject to a sliding scale of road tax costs that goes from £200 all the way up to £320 per year.

Some relief comes via Kia’s reasonably priced dealer servicing, with the Kia Sorento needing a routine check-up every 12 months or 20,000 miles.

Insurance shouldn’t trouble you unduly either, as the Kia Sorento sits in groups 24 to 28 depending on trim level.

The model was launched with a range of trims that started with the Kia Sorento KX-1. This included 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, tinted glass, LED running lights, wiper de-icers, air-conditioning and steering-wheel mounted controls.

There were also front and rear electric windows, cruise control with a speed limiter, a six-speaker audio system with DAB, USB and Aux inputs, Bluetooth and reversing sensors.

After the 2018 facelift, the Kia Sorento KX-1 gained Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Move to the Kia Sorento KX-2 and it added larger 18-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, leather upholstery, heated front and outer middle-row seats, dual-zone climate control and an electric parking brake (auto only).

There was also a seven-inch touchscreen with navigation (switching to an eight-inch screen with the 2018 facelift), a reversing camera, plus optional self-levelling suspension.

The Kia Sorento KX-3 had a panoramic glass roof, xenon headlights, adaptive front light system, LED tail-lights, power adjustable driver’s seat, keyless entry and start and electric tailgate.

Buyers also enjoyed a premium audio system, eight-inch touchscreen system with navigation, seven-inch TFT instrument cluster screen and a lane departure warning, speed limiter.

The Kia Sorento GT-Line was added in 2018, which provided owners with keyless entry and ignition, eight-way electrically adjusted front seats and improved safety kit.

The Kia Sorento GT-Line S went further with ventilated front seats, 10-way driver’s seat electric adjustment, solar glass, panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon stereo with 10 speakers, and an even longer roster of safety kit.

The Kia Sorento GT-Line and Kia Sorento GT-Line S replaced the Kia Sorento KX-4 as the top level models in the range.

The Kia Sorento KX-4 was the top trim level up to the end of 2017 and came with 19-inch alloy wheels, grey or black leather upholstery, 10-way adjustable driver’s seat with four way electrically operated lumbar support, eight-way adjustable front passenger seat and ventilated front seats.

Also included were rear side window blinds, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree around view monitor, smart park assist, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert.