Kia Philippines is introducing the new Sorento Turbo Hybrid tomorrow, February 6. But before that, here’s what you need to know about this stylish, capable, and safe 7-seater family SUV.
What’s under the hood?
For 2025, Kia Philippines made the bold decision to equip its Sorento with one powertrain option and it’s a doozy. It’s an electrified and turbocharged 1.6-liter Smartstream G that makes 235 horsepower and 367 Nm of torque combined. And since the electric motor is mounted in line with the 6-speed torque converter automatic, the Sorento Turbo Hybrid can seamlessly switch over to pure EV mode not just at slow speeds, but whenever it’s most efficient. This could happen at speeds up to 80 km/h. The high-voltage battery itself is also high-tech. With its lithium-ion construction, the 1.49-kWh battery is mounted under the second-row seats and even has its own thermal management.
Based on Kia Philippines’ internal tests, the Sorento Turbo Hybrid can go up to 22 km/L on the highway, and up to 13 km/L in heavy stop-and-go traffic. What’s more, it only requires a diet of 91 octane fuel to run. Unlike other hybrids, there’s no dedicated EV mode, but drivers can manually select the amount of brake regeneration. There’s even a Smart Regeneration mode that uses information gathered by the front camera and sensors as well as vehicle speed and road slope to determine the appropriate amount of energy fed back to the battery.
How many variants are there?
In total, there are three variants for the 2025 Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid: the 1.6 EX, 1.6 SX, and the 1.6 SX+. The first two are front-wheel drive models, while the latter one is equipped with an all-wheel drive system.
Remarkably, the all-wheel drive system used by the Sorento remains a mechanical setup in that there’s a propeller shaft and rear differential. However, Kia did make use of their EV know-how to equip it with a collective set of handling tech known as E-VMC or Electrification-Vehicle Motion Control.
In gist, E-VMC improves both ride comfort and stability. The E-Handling improves tire force when cornering by using the electric motor to counteract body movement by controlling yaw. Motion sickness is also lessened thanks to E-Ride that controls the forward and backward pitching of the car. This reduces occupant head movement and unwanted sensations during braking (diving) and acceleration (squatting). Finally, there’s E-EHA. This E-Evasive Handling Assist quickly stabilizes the vehicle’s posture during abrupt emergency maneuvers (like the Moose Test) allowing drivers to regain control quickly.
What’s new outside?
For 2025, the Sorento Turbo Hybrid adopts the new Kia design language. First seen in the likes of the EV6, EV9, and even the Seltos and Sonet, it stands out with its muscular, yet streamlined form. The entire front-end’s changed with a shorter overhang, taller hood, and more aggressive bumper. Some of the features you’ll see include the vertically-oriented headlights with the 4-cube design, the Star Map DRLs, 19-inch alloy wheels, and even functional (load-bearing) roof rails. At the back, the rear lighting also reflects the Star Map lighting. The tailgate is also power actuated with a proximity function that opens automatically as you approach the Sorento, or closes it as you walk away.
In total, there are four colors available:
- Aurora Black Pearl (all variants)
- Volcanic Sand Brown (1.6 SX+)
- Silky Silver (1.6 SX)
- Snow White Pearl (all variants)
What’s new inside?
The Sorento also gets a dramatic change inside and Kia says its premium look and feel reflects the brand’s aspirations. From a glance, you’ll see the new dual screen setup with two 12.3-inch screens. The climate control switches have been changed too. It now shares the same bank of controls with the infotainment system with a button allowing drivers to switch between modes. Meanwhile, the center touchscreen, now equipped with Kia’s latest infotainment system, comes with both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other new features inside include the 12-speaker Bose sound system, wireless device charger, power front seats with ventilation (the driver gets two memory presets), ambient mood lighting, and a panoramic sunroof.
There’s only one color scheme available for 2025, and that’s this airy, homey gray shade. The Sorento comes with seven seats (2+3+2) and thanks to its monocoque construction, the step-in height is much easier than other ladder-on-frame SUVs. The second row has a one-button Walk-in and Slide mechanism allowing entry into the third row, and the third-row itself has a nifty grip handle molded on the side trim. With the second and third-row seats folded down, it can swallow up to 2,139 liters of cargo.
Is it safe?
Well, yes! The Sorento has scored a 5-star NCAP rating in every global crash test it was evaluated in. Plus, it’s got a standard complement of six SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, and stability control with downhill control and hill-start assist. It also has Kia’s DriveWise advanced driver assist system, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, and a 360-degree camera.
Lots of people don’t talk about this, but for peace of mind during long drives, the Sorento Turbo Hybrid has a physical spare tire (it’s a t-type though), so there’s no need to fiddle around with a tire sealant and inflator. Plus, it comes with a 5-year or 160,000-kilometer bumper-to-bumper warranty and an 8-year battery warranty.
How much is it and can I see the full specs?
Ah. That’s something you’ve got to wait for. Kia Philippines will reveal the line-by-line specs tomorrow at around noon as well as its pricing. So, stay tuned for that. What we can tell you right now though is that it’ll start at a very competitive P 2.2-million. Check the full specs and pricing here.
If you’re curious to see the new Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid in the metal, drop by the Palm Drive Activity Center in Glorietta this February 6 to 9. The display opens to the public at 2 PM on Thursday. After that, it opens as the mall opens (10 AM) and closes when the mall does (10 PM).
South Korea for the win.
ReplyDelete2.2M for a 1.6L turbo hybrid is very competitive indeed.
ReplyDeleteBut however, Sorentos sold in PH before were only offered with diesels, especially since Philippines is a diesel-loving country.
DeleteThe base model undercuts RAV4 LTD, Tucson hybrid and CRV e:HEV so it remains to see which features have been retained and if it is still attractive to buyers. On the other hand, this Sorento will give its main competition headaches (Explorer, CX-9, Santa Fe, etc) as well as truck-based SUVs. It looks poised to succeed so I hope the buyers will agree.
DeleteOh my that’s a headache coming, to many components interacting with each other, that’s a major reliability issue coming. Toyota did that and had so much recalls
ReplyDeleteAsian car manufacturers love product recalls...
DeleteOh my! Why did I not see this first before commenting at the article asking for a minimum octane. Please disregard that sir uly since i cannot delete the comment that needs to get an approval. Thanks!
ReplyDelete