Kia Sorento 2024 Review

The 2024 Kia Sorento Sport+ 2.2L Diesel AWD has been bumped in price by $3380 to $61,230 plus on-road costs.

It sits near the top of a familiar four-model/two-engine Sorento line-up that progresses through S, Sport, Sport+ and flagship GT-Line grades. Each equipment level also continues with the choice of a V6 petrol front-wheel drive and $3000 more expensive turbo-diesel all-wheel drive.

Pricing for the range starts at $50,680 plus ORCs for the S petrol V6 (up $3030) and tops out at $68,590 for the GT-Line diesel AWD (up $3520).

About 80 per cent of Sorento sales volume is diesel, while the GT-Line is expected to be the biggest-selling badge, claiming about 30 per cent of customers.

The updated Sorento arrives at a time of flux in the light-duty end of the large seven-seat family SUV segment. Both the Mazda CX-8 and CX-9 have been killed off and there are new generations of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Skoda Kodiaq coming soon.

However, the Toyota Kluger continues and the expensive Nissan Pathfinder struggles on.

In reality, these days it’s the heavy-duty diesel 4x4 seven-seaters that command more buyer interest – vehicles such as the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and soon-to-be-overhauled Toyota Prado.

The 2024 Kia Sorento line-up comes with a revised exterior design highlighted by vertical LED headlights reminiscent of the Kia EV9 electric SUV, a boxier front-end and black ‘tiger grille’.

More subtly at the rear, the brake lights are now linked and there’s a new skid plate.

Looking at the Sport+ specifically, the 19-inch alloy wheel size carries over but the design is new, as is the swap from Goodyear to Continental rubber. A full-size spare remains standard, while tyre pressure monitoring is added.

Much else remains the same. Externally there are roof rails and a power tailgate. Access to the interior is via a smart key and start-up is push-button.

Seats are leather-appointed and the driver gets 10-way power adjust including two-way lumbar. The front passenger has six-way power with height adjusted manually. Front seats are heated and so is the steering wheel.

The dual-zone climate control system includes second-row vents and third-row vents and fan control.

One new feature is second-row sunshades. Privacy glass is already standard.

There are nine paint colours, eight of which cost an extra $650 for being metallic or pearl. Only clear white escapes the impost.

The new Sorento continues to be backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and up to eight years’ roadside assist if you service at a Kia dealer.

Service intervals for the Sorento are every 12 months or 15,000km. Kia offers a capped-price service scheme that averages out at $541 per service over seven visits (up about $40 per service over the old model).

There are USB-C points mounted up front and in the sides of the front seats, one in the second-row centre console and two in row three. There are 12V outlets in row one and three.

The 2024 Kia Sorento has retained its predecessor’s five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2020 protocols.

The latest update adds junction turning assist to Sorento’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system – which already included car, pedestrian and cyclist detection – and upgrades the adaptive cruise control with Kia’s version of stop-and-go, which it calls Highway Driving Assist.

The Sport+ suite of driver assist systems also includes lane keep and following assist, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross traffic avoidance assist, driver monitoring and intelligent speed limit assists.

It’s the last item that annoyingly comes on every time the Sorento is started and noisily monitors over-speeding. It is switchable, but even using the shortcut button to shrink the steps involved it’s still a pain.

Lane keeping, which is moderately intrusive, is more easily switched off with a single button press at the steering wheel.

The Sorento comes with the latest version of the Kia Connect smartphone app that includes safety and emergency-related functions such as automatic collision notification, emergency call via SOS and stolen vehicle notification.

The Sorento airbag package includes front, front side, front centre and curtains that cover only the first two seating rows.

The Sorento Sport+ also comes with a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, an electrochromatic mirror, safe exit warning, door open warning, rear occupant alert and headlights with high beam assist and dusk sensing.

There are five child seat top tethers and four ISOFIX restraints fitted across rows two and three.

The 2024 Kia Sorento goes through a fundamental upgrade when it comes to infotainment. That’s obvious when you climb inside to be confronted by the curved integrated display spread across the dashboard.

Replacing a separate instrument panel and touch-screen, it is a similar design to what’s already been seen in the EV6 electric car and the latest Sportage medium SUV.

The screens signal the arrival of the ccNC infotainment platform recently launched in Kia EV9. This system brings with it – finally – wireless connection (in addition to wired) for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Kia Connect smartphone app is also upgraded to include over-the air (OTA) updates for software, navigation maps and the like.

In the Sport+ the infotainment display is the full-fat 12.3 inches, while the instrument panel includes a fixed digital speedo and tacho either side of a central 4.0-inch readout that rotates through different menus including trip computer and vehicle settings.

The GT-Line is the only model to get a 12.3-inch instrument panel with a retunable face rather than just colour changes.

The Sorento has also moved away from separate climate and audio controls to a capacitive-touch digital system that flips between the two with the aid of a reduced number of physical buttons.

The Kia Connect app introduces new futures such as weather, traffic information, a valet mode, remote engine start/window opening and voice commands above and beyond those available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Other Sorento Sport+ tech and entertainment features include FM/AM and digital radio bands, an in-car intercom, Bluetooth phone and media streaming and a selection of soothing ‘sounds of nature’ (perfect for your nearest elevator).

There’s a 12-speaker Bose audio system to broadcast all this. It is added to the Sport+ model for this upgrade.

The 2024 Kia Sorento Sport+ 2.2L Diesel AWD is powered by a carryover ‘Smartstream’ 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that drives all four wheels via an on-demand 4WD system.

The outputs are unchanged at 148kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm between 1750-2750rpm.

Gear changes are made via a shift-by-wire dial on the centre console rather than the old T-bar lever, or by new flappy paddles on the steering wheel. Both dial and paddles were previously restricted to the GT-Line.

A mode dial flipping the drivetrain, steering and other functions between Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart drive modes is also contained on the centre console. There are also off-road Snow, Mud and Sand modes.

The 2024 Kia Sorento Sport+ Diesel AWD claims a 6.0L/100km fuel consumption average, which is pretty decent for a wagon that measures 4.815m long, 1.9m wide, 1.7m high and weighs in at 1974kg (tare).

In the real world our average came out at 7.8L/100km. That’s not just based on the 160km launch drive, but nearly 1000km completed driving a Sport+ for a week in Tassie (more on that coming in a later story).

The fuel tank in the Sorento holds 67 litres, which means a comfortable touring range of 800km.

While there’s no change for the 2024 Kia Sorento when it comes to powertrain, the tradition of tuning the chassis for local conditions continues.

The work has been pretty comprehensive, with a swap to more sophisticated new ZF Sachs SDC3 ‘selective damping control’ shock absorbers first used by Kia with the EV6.

Overall, there are now six local tunes for the MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension – two for S and Sport diesel and petrol, two for Sport+ and GT-Line diesel and petrol and one each for the updated hybrid and plug-in hybrid models that arrive in a couple of months.

There has also been retuning of the electric-assist steering via new firmware and maps.

The objective of all this is to make the Sorento feel similar whichever tyre, engine or model you choose. The underpinning target was a ride improvement without impinging on handling surety.

The overall result is an improved driving experience provided by a vehicle we at carsales already rate highly.

There’s a solidity and certainty to the Sorento that imbues confidence. It’s as close to being at home on lumpy, bumpy Aussie bitumen and skatey, loose gravel as just about any big and heavy SUV on-sale today. The local tuning Kia does has got to have something to do with it.

There’s a reassuring certainty to the ride. The spring and damper combination deals with all but the biggest hits in one decisive motion. Only when the going gets truly ugly is there any unruliness.

Leave the drivetrain in Normal mode and there’s a relaxed, meandering feel about progress. The transmission slurs quietly through changes and the Sorento lopes along.

However, the dial selector can be an impediment when you’re rushing – say when going from drive to reverse when you want to get on the move. In one frustrating episode in a car park, it took three goes to make the shift while the bloke in the other car became clearly agitated as I just sat there revving. The vehicle will also occasionally roll forward after you’ve selected reverse.

Select Sport mode and the powertrain comes alive, sharpening the gearbox and throttle and giving the entire Sorento drive experience a livelier edge. It makes a winding road a more engaging experience. Shifting manually via the paddles adds even more involvement.

The heavier steering that comes with it is not especially helpful though. In Normal mode it’s weighting is about right, along with its accuracy.

As unfashionable as diesels are becoming, there is ample evidence of why they are so helpful in vehicles like this. The low-down torque makes getting off the line so much easier and there are less holes in the range than the petrol V6 – and therefore less gearbox hunting – when accelerating out of corners or up hills.

The diesel experience is also made more palatable by some proficient noise shielding and an engine not overly prone to vibration.

Like all these vehicles it’s a big unit to get around town. Really, all Sorentos should come with a 360-degree camera and not just the top-spec GT-Line.

In fact, the GT-Line is a bloody hog. It alone gets a head-up display, the upper-spec instrument panel, a digital rear-view mirror and even wireless phone charging.

The 2024 Kia Sorento is an off-roader in the same way any of those light duty all-wheel drive high-rise wagons are – not very much, in other words.

It’s great for gravel roads and tracks and you could even contemplate a reasonable Outback run thanks to its good diesel economy. But limited 176mm ground clearance, no low-range and highway-biased stock tyres tell you all you need to know.

Of course, diesels are also the preferred choice of many who use their vehicle to tow. The Sorento lags in this regard with a carryover 2.0-tonne braked rating.

The interior changes to the 2024 Kia Sorento Sport+ 2.2L Diesel AWD are obvious but incremental.

The fundamental layout of the seven-seat interior, the seating, the amount of space allocated to each row of passengers and the high-quality materials and assembly does not change.

All of which means the sliding second row will happily fit two 180cm-plus adults. Forget about the middle seat unless you really do need it, because it’s high, hard and uncomfortable.

Row three is for kids, not only because of the space provided back there but also the level of contortion required to access and exit. Look, it’s doable for adults, but not desirable. The good news is the seats are very easy to set up and fold down thanks to tethers on their backrests.

The driving position is also very much recognisable. The steering wheel adjusts manually for reach and rake, the power seat provides a full range of adjustments and there is a left footrest, albeit angled a little oddly.

For 2024, digital instruments replace analogue dials. They are simple and legible and access to other information in the centre readout is easily accessible.

The infotainment screen is also quite straightforward once you learn what is where. Drill down and there is an enormous amount of adjustment and information available.

With a more powerful new chip set helping out, you can move icons on the screen around just as you would on a smartphone. But it still can’t match Apple CarPlay for familiar ease of use.

There are plenty of storage options in all three rows, including door bins, cup holders, a centre lidded bin, a glove box and a very secure smartphone charging-pad-that-isn’t in row one.

Further astern, there are door bins and door cup holders, double seatback pockets and a fold-down arm rest with cup holders in row two, and cup holders and storage bins in row three.

The boot is sizeable, starting at 179 litres as a seven-seater, expanding to 608 litres as a five-seater and 1996 litres as a two-seater with row two split-folded pretty-much flat.

In the boot there are hooks, under-floor storage and a security blind, but no nets or bins.

This update has ensured the 2024 Kia Sorento remains our favourite large family SUV – at least for now.

Yes, prices are up, but there is evidence here that the vehicle is improved and not just a victim of inflation.

The Sorento Sport+ 2.2L Diesel AWD will appeal to anyone who desires the ease of use this drivetrain provides, but who can do without the extra features Kia has chosen to reserve for the GT-Line.

Of course, it’s also got a few more luxuries than the S or Sport and it’s also easy to see them appealing to anyone on a tighter budget.

Still, even at the entry level, the Sorento is a hefty ask, especially when lots of people are doing it tough.

Anyway, that’s the here and now. In a few months we’ll have a whole new generation of rival SUVs to consider and it will be fascinating to see how well the Sorento stands up.

But undoubtedly, Kia has given the forthcoming opposition a quality target to aim at.

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