New Kia Sorento takes shape

Fresh images of the all-new 2020 Kia Sorento have emerged, shedding more light on the high-riding family wagon's sharp new design.

With an edgy, tough new look that hides the large SUV's increased size – taking the fight to the Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Kluger – the new Kia Sorento also gets a sleek new premium interior fitout.

The sketches show a high-def widescreen infotainment set-up, digital instrument panel and simplified controls spearheaded by a rotary gear selector.

While the design will be toned back for the production vehicle, as evidenced by leaked photos, the fourth-generation Kia Sorento will nonetheless offer significantly improved optics ahead of its global premiere next week in Korea, followed by its public debut at the 2020 Geneva motor show in March.

The 2020 Kia Sorento will go on sale in Australia from mid-June, starting with turbo-diesel models, followed by petrol versions later in the year.

Exact details of those engines are not known but it's understood they'll be advancements on the current offerings – if not completely new engines – with similar capacities to the current 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (147/441Nm) and 3.5-litre petrol (206kW/336Nm) powerplants.

There's also talk of hybrid powertrains for the family-friendly SUV.

It will remain a seven-seat proposition in Australia and price rises may come as a result of the advanced safety technologies added to the vehicle.

Current pricing for the entry-level 2WD petrol Sorento is $43,490, rising to around $60,000 for range-topping AWD turbo-diesel Sorento GT-Line model grades.

First media drives of the new Kia Sorento will take place next month in Korea, so stay tuned for our evaluation drives then.

The new SUV migrates to a new platform that will bring a host of new luxury and tech features to the table, and will be shared with the next-gen Kia Carnival people-mover, which will come to Australia in late 2020.

Kia Australia has already completed bespoke chassis and steering calibrations for the Aussie Sorento coming mid-year, and a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty will continue to apply.

The new model is expected to keep Kia Australia's sales strong in 2020, despite a sluggish overall market. Along with the Sorento, Kia will launch another SUV late in 2020, with the compact Stonic adding another feather to its SUV cap.