Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid: Smart Package

Kia is plugging in the Sorento for the first time, and it seems customers are approving: along with the diesel, it accounts for the majority of orders in Germany, leaving the hybrid with a single-digit percentage "left." Officially, it offers up to 57 kilometers of electric range from a 13.8-kWh battery and 265 PS system power. Thanks to incentives for the plug-in hybrid, it’s priced similarly to the all-wheel-drive diesel (202 PS) and the all-wheel-drive hybrid gasoline model without a charging option (230 PS) — at least when the respective engines are to send their power to all fours. We managed to take a first spin.

First of all, we notice that the new Sorento looks even more coherent in person than in the photos. Even if the taillights may remotely remind one of the Ford Mustang, it shows a character all its own. But let's start with a drive and unplug the charger — while keeping in mind that you should always plan for some time to charge, as the Sorento doesn’t draw more than 3.3 kW of electricity. Kia specifies three and a half hours for a full charge at a wallbox and about five hours for a household socket.

Thoughtful package: There are seven seats and hardly any loss in cargo volume

The package is well thought out: Also top-notch: The optional, foldable, and easy-to-use third row of seats is also available for the plug-in, and the payload is still over 500 kilograms for the five-seater and over 600 kilograms for the seven-seater. And for braked towing capacity, there are still 1.5 tons available. The trunk volume shrinks by a bearable 23 liters to a maximum of 2,077 liters. With seven passengers, 175 of those remain, and thanks to the adjustable second row, the cargo volume varies between 693 and 898 liters in the five-seater. Only the fuel tank volume has been reduced to 47 liters.

Complex combustion technology

Considering that the weight, at just under 2.2 tons, is still reasonably manageable for such a large vehicle, the Sorento gets off to a correspondingly agile start. The large 13.8 kWh battery weighs about 100 kilograms more than the 1.49 kWh battery in the "standard hybrid," but since Kia has packed the cells under the front seats, it lowers the center of gravity and costs hardly any space. The combustion engine suffices with a slender 1.6 liters of displacement: this was directly derived from the full hybrid and is also the same turbo four-cylinder with variable CVVD valve control, but "reduced" to 180 PS, plus 91 PS from the electric motor. In terms of engine technology, Kia started a bit lower, meaning: The Sorento can not only change the valve opening time but also the valve opening duration. As a result, the 1.6-liter can operate in different combustion cycles. This brings us to the Atkinson cycle, which is favored and actually fuel-saving, especially in Asia, with long open intake valves that benefit efficiency. When more power is demanded, the Sorento switches to the "opposite" Miller cycle, where the intake valves close very early. This creates a vacuum in the cylinder, and the mixture burns earlier, lowering the exhaust temperature, which again helps performance and efficiency. In practice, this works reasonably well: on our admittedly short drive with high combustion engine involvement, the consumption display hovered between 6.8 and 7.1 l/100 km – which would be quite acceptable for such a large car. Final consumption figures will need to be determined in testing.

The drive is supported by a 67-kW electric motor, which Kia has designed for low revs. Like with the full hybrid, it sits compactly in the 6-speed automatic transmission and offers a lush 304 Newton meters of torque. Together, both drives can send up to 265 PS and 350 Newton-meters to all four wheels. This happens very smoothly, although the four-cylinder is certainly not an acoustic revelation but does a good job. The cooperation between the electric motor and the 1.6 turbo works perfectly – so the driver doesn't notice anything.

Off-road competence with a dial and still 1.5 tons of towing capacity

And because the Sorento, with just under 180 millimeters of ground clearance, is also supposed to offer some off-road capabilities, the Koreans offer many driving modes. With a dial, you can select Eco, Sport, or Smart if driving on solid roads, or Snow, Mud, Sand if driving off-road.

Similar to the 4X models from Jeep, you can also choose the "hybrid" programs here, which means: There is also a button to select whether you want to drive electrically, "hybrid" or in "auto mode." The first is clear, the second prefers the gasoline engine, and the latter, as an "intelligence program," is supposed to find a situation-appropriate mix of hybrid and electric mode. With "Smart" and "Auto," the Kia takes all decisions from you and adjusts quite well. Usually, the vehicle starts electrically and in combination with the navigation system or in sluggish rolling phases, the Sorento always switches off the combustion engine. There is hardly any recuperation because Kia consciously decided to take the rolling energy whenever possible. It cannot maintain the battery level on demand either; however, in hybrid mode, it happily recharges the battery, which is not entirely sensible overall. The Sorento PHEV starts at 53,940 euros (that's around 45,330 euros net) and, after deducting the premium: 47,959 euros, which is about 40,301 euros net.

What does that mean?

If you drive long distances a lot and need towing capacity, you can't get around the diesel. Commuters and those who value locally emission-free driving are better served with the PHEV - provided it is always diligently charged. A commendable aspect is that there are hardly any losses inside: plenty of trunk space and seven seats are also possible here. Only the tank volume and towing capacity have slightly decreased. However, compared to many premium SUVs in the upper mid-range, the Sorento is a more affordable and "light" alternative that should also be reasonably fuel-efficient - and even brings with it a decent off-road capability.