I’m on an electrified binge drive lately. After driving the BYD Shark 6 DMO, I spent time with a trio of Honda e:HEVs, and now, I’m with the Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid AWD. The Sorento is more of a midsized crossover, but like a teenager being told by their parents on what course to take, Kia is placing this in the thick of the midsized SUV battle. Yes, they want to pit it against the likes of the Montero Sport and Fortuner. Oh, and yes, it also has to go against the CR-V e:HEV too.
This top-of-the-line Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid AWD is priced at P 2,888,000—a higher sum than its rivals. But, can the Sorento justify its price point? Here are my thoughts after driving it from Quezon City to Baguio and back.
It’s easy to like the Sorento. Initial impressions are positive simply because of how gorgeous it is from all angles.
As you step inside, you’re enveloped in a cabin with equally classy looks and appointments. We have a high-rise center console with a rotary shifter and another rotary knob for the drive and terrain modes There are also soft-touch buttons, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charger, twin screens for the gauges and infotainment, and a Bose sound system.
Taking in learnings from the Carnival and also the EV6, Kia’s given the Sorento some genius solutions to reduce button clutter. Here, we see it in the dual function controls for the infotainment and climate. It has a row of touch functions and two knobs on both ends to control things depending if you switch from infotainment or climate mode. The only upgrade I could think of would be to make the function button itself tactile and place it nearer the driver’s side.
The seats are mostly comfortable even for long drives. The first row has good bolstering, accompanied by heating and cooling functions. The front passenger seat also has power adjustment buttons on the left side of the backrest so the rear occupants can control its position easily. There are also USB-C ports on both inner sides of the driver’s and passenger’s seat as well.
The second row has the same cushy quarters as the first and cleverly includes cupholders on the door armrests. If anything, the only thing lacking here is the placement of the air vents. Because it’s located behind the center console, by your knees, it has a hard time cooling the headspace. This is more problematic if there’s a passenger seated at the center since the cool draft will all be pointed on his family jewels.
Entering the third row is easy and can be done in two ways. First is via the lever on the outer side of the seat, and second is via the button on the seat shoulders, so third row occupants can move it on their own. Once you get in there, you’ll find that the accommodations are more adequate than luxurious. The seats themselves are thinly cushioned, and there’s little foot room to go around too. If anything, third row occupants will have a better AC experience because at least they have air vents on both sides, together with their own fan control.
Despite the small setbacks, the Sorento happens to present a pleasant experience. Some see the low ground clearance as a disadvantage, but to kids and aging motoring journalists, it’s a huge relief. Going in and out of the car is easy. The cabin is quiet, and the NVH is controlled. Add to that the space it has, and you could say that it can put up a fight against the “big boys” of the SUV realm.
The Sorento Turbo Hybrid also has small touches of genius when it comes to tech. Activating the turn signal will show you a circular view of the respective side on the instrument cluster, courtesy of side cameras mounted in the side mirror. The adaptive Smart Cruise Control system also feels more human-like in the way it accelerates or brakes when activated. And being a hybrid, there are three levels of regen braking so you can find out that suits your driving style.
When it comes to its powertrain, the Turbo Hybrid moniker makes itself apparent once on uphill roads. The system consists of a 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine complemented by an electric motor. The combined output—at 235 horsepower and 367 Nm—are higher than the CR-V e:HEV (207 horsepower and 335 Nm), plus it can send power to all four wheels.
I find that the electric motor assist so well-tuned that despite the relatively small engine, it doesn’t struggle during the climb up Baguio. Given our girths, our onboard load is equal to five people, and even then, it doesn’t need to rev too high to keep decent pace going. During overtaking, sure, the engine does become louder, but it isn’t obnoxiously loud. And this was all in Eco mode; goes to show to you just how much grunt it’s got to haul the family.
We also went to Lubo Lake in Benguet, a good 55 kilometers from The Manor in Camp John Hay. Going there consisted of up hills, winding roads, and the inconsistent paved-unpaved roads once you’re near the lake. I already knew the Sorento can handle the twisty roads but what was surprising is how composed it was on the unpaved paths. The ride was firm, but controlled. Fancy tech reduced head movement, reducing motion sickness. The 360-degree camera was helpful too since at some points, we were driving a branch’s distance away from a deep ravine.
For all the Sorento’s strengths, there are some weaknesses. First up, it hates the highways as a battery electric vehicle would. Because EV mode’s engaged only during low speeds, descents, and acceleration, once you hit a constant rhythm on the highway, it’s the combustion engine that does the work. At times, it was frustrating to see the battery charged more than half, and yet you couldn’t utilize any of that electrical energy. At 90 to 100 km/h, efficiency drops to just 15 km/L.
Another thing Kia could improve is the regen braking. It’s fine on flat roads that you can even resort to using one pedal when on the highway but it’s a different story on descents. What we experienced was once the battery is full; it will stop using regenerative braking since there’s nothing else to charge. That means using the brakes again during downhills on a mountain pass. Want to use engine braking? You need to engage Sport mode and engage the paddle shifters. And even then, the engine braking provided by the combustion engine’s not enough to hold back the 7-seater’s mass. You’ll end up just frustrated and go back to Normal mode and manually step on the brake just make sure you let go after each corner or else it will overheat.
While it’s a good thing that the batteries are charged quickly via regenerative braking, Kia should make a way to retain engine braking after the batteries are fully charged. They should allow for a function that allows the engine motor to do engine braking duties regardless of the battery’s status.
Despite my lengthy rant about the hybrid system, it must be noted that the majority of this drive happened on the mountains and highways cruising at the speed limit. It remains to be seen if the Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid is more amenable to city driving given its strong regenerative braking, quick charging, and bias to low-speed applications.
The hybrid plays a big part in giving the Kia Sorento a much-needed personality, but it still doesn’t remove the fact that it still ones up similarly-priced competition like the CR-V e:HEV by being a 7-seater. Moreover, it has enough amenities to impress and is equipped to keep you safe. It may be a bit pricey, but Kia justifies that by offering an electrified premium experience.
Words and Photos by Vincent Villa.
for now it's the only Kia model that I like with the vertical stacked headlamps......the others just looks polarizing...
ReplyDeleteThat base EX hybrid is a solid value if you're looking for a hybrid 7 seater
ReplyDeleteKia has been silently killing it lately with these offerings. The prices are expected due to inflation, but the features that Kia offers to its vehicles are top-notch. Plus, they have been really good with reliability (i.e. JD Powers study). Personally, I find their cars a bit pricey, but looking at their contemporaries, they still offer good value. Kudos, Kia!
ReplyDeleteWould a turbocharged hybrid be too complicated to maintain/service/fix?
ReplyDeleteEither the pricing calibration is off, or the base trim was priced artificially low to attract interest. The price differences are 400k between EX and SX, and 300k from SX to SX+, but you'd be hard pressed to find meaningful justification in terms of content, IMHO.
ReplyDelete