New Kia Sorento revealed

The new 2020 Kia Sorento has been revealed in full, showing off an angular exterior design that adds a bit of visual machismo to the family hauler.

The fourth-generation seven-seat SUV's chunky design will provide plenty of showroom appeal, as will a seven-year warranty, seven seats, new/updated engines and a high-tech, upmarket interior fit-out.

Designed to take the fight to the likes of the top-selling SUVs in the class, such as the Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Santa Fe, the big new Kia SUV will go on sale in Australia from mid-June starting exclusively with turbo-diesel engines. Petrol engines will follow six months later.

Leaked documents from Korean suggest an updated version of the Kia/Hyundai 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine (147/441Nm) will be in use, potentially paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

However, more likely for Australia is a conventional eight-speed automatic, the same unit fitted to the current Hyundai Santa Fe.

Aussie buyers will be able to get their hands on the petrol-powered Kia Sorento later in the year, but it's not clear whether it will be paired with an upgraded version of the current 3.5-litre V6 (206kW/336Nm) or adopt a more efficient 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine as leaked Korean documents indicated.

If the latter turns out to be correct, the new turbo four – which would be the same size as the Mazda CX-9's engine – will most likely be hooked up to a traditional six-speed automatic transmission.

This 2.5-litre petrol engine may also be offered without a turbo, giving Kia a cut-price entry-level model-grade.

The current Kia Sorento is priced from $43,490 to roughly $60,000 in Australia at present, and pricing is likely to be similar for the new models. Front-wheel drive variants will be offered at a lower price, with all-wheel drive models costing a little more.

There have also been reports of a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain but it may only be offered in left-hand drive markets, meaning the circa-160kW petrol-electric fuel miser would not be available in Australia.

Kia hasn't released details on specific features and equipment just yet, but the new model is tipped to get a number of advanced safety features, including driver aids and passenger safety tech.

Together with a flashy new interior headlines by a big 10.2-inch infotainment screen, there's a trick new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

Kia says the new cabin brings a 'sophisticated next-generation design' to the table and has confirmed metal highlights and leather upholstery will be offered. There's also mention of 'embossed wood-effect surfaces' designed to elevate the interior look and feel, and the Korean brand says customers will see big improvements for in-car tech and connectivity too.

Kia sells three SUVs in Australia at present, covering the small, medium and large categories, in the form of the Seltos, Sportage and Sorento.

The brand has confirmed a fourth SUV will arrive later in 2020, the budget-priced compact-sized Stonic.

The brand is also plotting a very large Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival.