Talk me through this new Hyundai—er, Kia—product.
Hyundai and Kia go together like potato chips and crinkle-cut potato chips. They both use the exact same ingredients and they both taste great, but you’d never mistake one for the other. So when the all-new Santa Fe dropped, we knew the updated Sorento wasn’t far behind. And while both boast a new turbocharged hybrid drivetrain, the packaging on this posh potato chip does more than just set it apart from its Korean cousin.
It’s a much more aggressive-looking thing, with those insectile quad-LED headlights framing that huge tiger-nose grille, which approaches BMW levels of exuberant excess. It’s set on a body that’s equal parts sporty and suave, with cheeky Beyblade-spoke wheels that simply scream “turbo!” Where Hyundai seems to reinvent itself every design cycle, Kia evolves and builds upon its styling legacy in ways that are both inventive and identifiably Kia.
Okay, point taken—but isn’t this just a rebadged Santa Fe, anyway?
No, no, no. Sorento is a town in Italy, and Santa Fe is in New Mexico. Totally different continents.
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But seriously, while these midsize crossovers share a platform, powertrain, and a penchant for place-based nameplates, they are very different cars. For one, at 4,815mm long, 1,900mm wide, and 1,695mm, the Sorento is a scant 15mm shorter in length and 25mm lower—that’s an inch for yon Englishe folke—than the Hyundai. As such, it loses an inch or two of space here and there in the interior, but you’d never know it.
Kia’s interior design is a bit less boxy and bulky, and the center console feels like it takes up much less of your knee space. It’s also brighter and more upscale-feeling, with a mix of restrained brushed-metal chromework and off-white leatherette positively glowing under the light of the panoramic sunroof. And while the extra length over the outgoing model goes toward increasing cargo space and third-row room, it’s still a few sacks of rice lighter than the Hyundai, which is something you can actually feel on the road.
So, does it drive any different?
Well, this may just be a trim thing, given that the Santa Fe Calligraphy Editions we’ve driven come on 20- and 21-inch alloys, but the top-spec Sorento on 19-inch wheels does seem to ride slightly better. And you can feel a little more pep from the 232hp hybrid powertrain—Kia Philippines wants us to remind you that this is a turbo-hybrid—as you scoot down the road, thanks to the smaller wheels and the lower weight.
But the way you interface with that hybrid system is exactly the same, with paddle shifters to adjust regenerative braking in Eco and Normal modes, and to row through the six-speed gearbox in Sport mode. Does Sport mode feel as pointless as in the Hyundai? No. But it’s not something you will be seeking out in normal driving, either, anyway. You get all the expected driving assists—cameras, cameras, cameras, for one, including that side-window camera that opens up on the instrument display when you flick your turn signal on. And then there’s the lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise, all familiar stuff.
Kia is particularly proud of its new E-Vehicle Motion Control (E-VMC), which it showed off on a dirt slalom and by performing its own mini moose test on a rather unprepared concrete roadway. Despite the concrete surface crumbling to dust under the weight of repeated high-speed lane changes, E-VMC certainly curbed any understeer or oversteer pretty well. It feels almost like the active differential control you get on something like a GT-R. It’s also supposed to improve ride quality, much like Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control. While we can’t draw too many conclusions from such a short drive, there’s less a feeling of tippiness here compared to the Santa Fe, so we’ll give it that. It’s also understandably much more agile and secure than a ladder frame truck like the Toyota Fortuner or Ford Everest.
But surely this isn’t a direct competitor to the Everest, right?
Well, yes and no. The Sorento no longer has a diesel engine to entice traditional diesel SUV buyers to cross over, but hybrid motivation and all-wheel drive are sure to be a big draw. And having the entry-level front-wheel-drive—yet still 232hp—variant sit at P2,188,000 puts it right in the mix against seven-seat diesel competitors as well as the five-seat RAV4 and CR-V hybrid. Yes, the entire lineup is hybridized, and even this top-of-the-line SX trim is priced at P2,888,000—not much more than a fully-loaded Fortuner or Everest, and undercutting the only Santa Fe hybrid trim by half a million bucks.
Is it a must-buy, then?
For that price, you’re getting the full package with the SX: panoramic roof, electric front seats (ventilated, natch), leather everywhere, cupholders with spring-loaded fingers in all seat positions, a proximity-sensitive automatic rear tailgate and push-button folding rear seats, a booming 12-speaker Bose sound system, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and multi-mode USB-C charging ports everywhere. Okay, so you don’t get dual wireless charging here—just the one—but otherwise, this is as good as it gets.
But are there downsides?
Well, we do admit after seeing the dual wireless charging pads in the Santa Fe, we were hoping the Sorento would get that, too. And ingress into the third row isn’t all that easy, even with the push-button tumble-forward second row—and it’s a bit fiddly to put back up as well. We also wish there was more differentiation from the Hyundai in terms of the infotainment system. It even features the same canned ambient Muzak that Hyundai EVs and hybrids have. But then again, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Not that the Sorento was ever broke, but the addition of all-wheel drive and hybrid power certainly makes it much more appealing than before, and worth a good, long look if you’re in the market for a new premium seven-seater and want the most tech and convenience for your money.
