Kia Sorento PHEV price shock
Plug-in hybrid version of Kia’s Sorento large SUV is the Korean brand’s most expensive vehicle everKia Australia has released pricing and specification details for the long-awaited Kia Sorento PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), which is confirmed as being the most expensive model ever offered by the Korean brand in Australia.
The first electrified version of the car-maker’s popular seven-seat large SUV will start at $79,330 plus on-road costs for the 2021 Kia Sorento PHEV AWD GT-Line, which marks a hefty $15,260 premium over the current diesel AWD GT-Line flagship.
Taking into account Kia’s current drive-away pricing offer, the Sorento PHEV is listed at $81,990 while the flagship diesel GT-Line stands at $67,290 – essentially paring back the premium to $14,700.
For now, Kia officials say they have been limited to a solitary top-spec variant due to ongoing production delays that have separately imposed a wait time of six months or more for the Kia Sorento, which was recently named carsales’ Best Family SUV 2021 after taking out Car of the Year in 2020.
“Supply limitations impacting the automotive industry as a whole, combined with Sorento’s global popularity, has steered us to offering the Sorento PHEV in only the top-of-the-range GT-Line for now,” said Kia Australia product planning general manager Roland Rivero.
He added that further grades remained under consideration.
Teaming a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a 67kW electric motor and 13.8kWh battery pack, the Sorento PHEV offers total outputs of 195kW and 350Nm.
Kia claims a combined-cycle fuel economy figure of 1.6L/100km on the WLTP cycle, while the plug-in also boasts a claimed electric-only range of up to 68km.
For reference, the fuel claim is well below the official consumption figures for the existing 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (6.1L/100km) and 3.5-litre V6 petrol (9.7L/100km) Sorento models sold in Australia – at least on paper.
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.
Adding it up
The Kia Sorento PHEV GT-Line gets plenty of kit for the price, including 19-inch alloy wheels (with full-size alloy spare), quilted Nappa leather-appointed upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats (the driver’s seat with 14-way power adjustment), heating for outer seats in the second row, a heated steering wheel, head-up display, parking sensors, reversing camera and 360-degree camera, dual-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof.
There’s also clever convenience features such as second-row sun shades, power-operated second-row seats to access the third row, passenger talk speaker system for the driver to communicate with rear occupants, and a hands-free ‘smart’ power tailgate.
Infotainment comprises a 10.25-inch centre touch-screen display, matched by a separate 12.3-inch TFI digital instrument cluster display, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 12-speaker Bose audio system, sat-nav, wireless phone charging and eight USB ports dotted through its three rows.
On the safety front, the Kia Sorento PHEV carries over an existing five-star ANCAP safety rating (2020), thanks to technology including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian protection and oncoming vehicle detection that applies the brakes when making a turn at a junction if oncoming traffic is detected.
Other tech includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, rear cross traffic alert, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, safe exit assist, driver attention warning and blind spot view monitors within the instrument cluster that display the vehicle’s blind spots when the indicator is activated.
The Sorento PHEV features airbag coverage in all three rows, however coverage in the bleachers only covers around the glasshouse area.
The plug-in hybrid comes standard with a Type 2 AC charger and one-stage regenerative braking.
The Kia Sorento PHEV is backed by Kia’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals are spaced every 12 months/10,000km, the latter slightly shorter than other Sorento models.
According to Kia, the first seven years’ worth of servicing will set buyers back $4903 (indicative pricing). That compares with $3463 for the diesel equivalent.
Click here for our review of the new Kia Sorento PHEV
How much does the 2021 Kia Sorento cost?
S petrol – $46,850
S diesel – $49,850
Sport petrol – $49,470
Sport diesel – $52,470
Sport+ petrol – $53,850
Sport+ diesel – $56,850
GT-Line petrol – $61,070
GT-Line diesel – $64,070
GT-Line PHEV – $79,330
* Prices exclude on-road costs
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