In the case of the hybrid, the engine is ‘sandwiched’ alongside a 59bhp electric motor that contributes to system output peaks of 226bhp and 258lb ft. Whether you opt for Kia’s new lighter, aluminium-blocked, 199bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine or its 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol hybrid option, the engine is mounted transversely under the bonnet and drives all four wheels through a hydraulic coupling. On length, then, it’s between a Land Rover Discovery Sport and a Land Rover Discovery, although a slightly closer match for the latter, as its visual presence and bulk now more explicitly than ever suggests. Now measuring 4810mm in length, 1695mm in height and 1900mm in width without mirrors, the Sorento continues to sit between mid-sized and full-sized SUVs for outright size. Kia also says it’s slightly lighter and stiffer than that of the third-generation Sorento, which, considering the car’s dimensions, is commendable too. The chassis is still made almost exclusively of high-strength steel, although aluminium now crops up in it in a handful of places. That’s no mean feat – and one that plenty of better-established European premium car brands can’t yet equal with their rivals for this car. The Sorento is the first Kia to use the Hyundai-Kia Group’s new N3 model platform, which has enabled it to grow slightly and its proportions to change a little.Ĭrucially, it has also allowed Kia to accommodate the necessary components of both hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the car while keeping both a mechanical four-wheel drive system and, in all derivatives, a seven-seat cabin layout. Notably, it will retain the third row of seats, despite the need to carry a sizeable battery. In due course, a range-topping plug-in hybrid will go on sale and be comfortably the most powerful – and potentially frugal – model in the line-up. All versions have two driven axles and two of the three models are hybrids, including the entry-level Sorento 1.6 T-GDi tested here. Powertrain options for the fourth-generation Sorento are refreshingly simple, even if the hardware itself is much more complex than has been offered on the model before. For now, let’s find out whether the cheaper petrol hybrid can serve this car as well as a diesel engine typically has - and whether it's a great family SUV as a result. Kia Sorento PHEV 1.6 T-GDi 2021 UK first driveīut that’s for another day.Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid 2022 long-term test.
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