Kia Sorento PHEV just weeks away
New plug-in hybrid variant could help address severe supply shortage for award-winning large SUVKia Australia hopes it can partially address ongoing supply issues for the carsales Car of the Year-winning Kia Sorento with the impending arrival of the first plug-in hybrid version.
Unveiled in the US overnight, the new Kia Sorento PHEV, remains on track for Australian release in late September or early October, says Kia, with the first shipment currently enroute Down Under.
Local pricing and specification details for the 190kW/350Nm petrol-electric seven-seat SUV, which is said to deliver an EV range of 57km, are due to be released in the coming week.
Kia dealers will be eagerly awaiting the first plug-in version of Kia’s flagship SUV, with waiting times for the diesel-powered Sorento stretching out to six months or more following a perfect storm of COVID-related manufacturing shutdowns and rampant global demand.
It is not yet known exactly how many Sorento PHEVs are bound for Australia in the first shipment.
Kia Australia corporate communications manager Alyson MacDonald confirmed the diesel-powered Sorento GT-Line in particular was currently subject to a lengthy delay.
“Lower-grade trims of the Sorento are more readily available, but a six-month wait applies to the GT-Line, possibly more if you are after specific colour and trim combinations,” MacDonald said.
“Ordering a vehicle today means you would be into next year for delivery.”
Some customers are reporting a 12-month wait for GT-Line versions of the Sorento, but more immediate deliveries of the V6 petrol equivalent. Kia Australia wouldn’t be drawn on whether that was the case.
One dealer contacted by carsales declined to give any concrete timeline for delivery of new Sorento stock, since there were so many variables at play.
Teaming a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a 67kW electric motor and 13.8kWh battery pack, the Sorento plug-in hybrid is expected to claim fuel usage of only 1.6L/100km combined.
That’s well below the fuel consumption of the existing 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (6.1L/100km) and 3.5-litre petrol V6 (9.7L/100km) Sorento models sold in Australia.
However, the all-paw Kia Sorento PHEV uses a conventional six-speed automatic transmission – instead of an eight-speed auto – and loses 500kg in towing capacity at 1500kg braked.
A conventional (non-plug-in) hybrid version is expected to follow the PHEV on sale in February and the hybrid powertrains will provide Kia Australia with another compelling selling point for the Sorento in the face of the popular Toyota Kluger Hybrid.
What remains a mystery is the pricing of either Sorento hybrid model. Some are predicting a circa-$4000 premium for the latter over equivalent diesel models, which are currently priced between $49,850 and $64,070.
That would place them lineball with Toyota’s hybrid Kluger line-up ($54,150-$75,400), and we expect the closely related new Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid will be in a similar ballpark when it arrives around the end of this year.
The non-plug-in Kia and Hyundai hybrids are both powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine augmented by an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery for a combined output of 169kW.
The all-wheel drive Toyota Kluger Hybrid, meantime, comes with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, three electric motors and a nickel-metal hydride battery for a combined output of 184kW.
Kia’s plug-in hybrid Sorento, for which Toyota and Hyundai will have no answer, is expected to be positioned further upstream of all three hybrid SUVs.
Related: Toyota Kluger v Kia Sorento 2021 Comparison
Related: Best Family SUV named for 2021
Related: Kia Sorento named 2020 carsales Car of the Year
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