Kia Sorento S 2025 Review

The 2025 Kia Sorento S petrol is the cheapest way to enter the range. Although, it no longer starts at less than $50K, with the base version costing $50,680 before on-road costs (ORCs).

Four model grades, comprising S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line complete the line-up. There’s a choice between a petrol V6 and either four-cylinder turbo-diesel or petrol-electric hybrid (HEV) propulsion. Depending on the engine, both front- and all-wheel drive is available.

Prices for all variants have increased by between $3000 and $3500 since the update and the GT-Line HEV bookends the range at $84,660 plus ORCs.

Kia’s above average seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty applies to the Sorento S, while it also attracts eight years of roadside assist if you take your car to a Kia-certified dealer.

Servicing is due every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) with seven years of capped-price services costing $3754 – or an average of $536 each visit. This makes it slightly cheaper than the turbo-diesel ($542), but significantly less than the HEV ($654).

Family-friendly rivals for the Kia Sorento include parent company Hyundai’s Santa Fe, Ford’s popular Everest and Toyota’s hybrid-only Kluger.

Exterior design was a strong suit of the fourth generation and the updated 2025 Kia Sorento S only builds on that base.

It gains a not-so-subtle style influence from the EV9, especially in terms of the lighting, while the Tiger Nose grille has been modernised, too.

Elsewhere the base S gains 17-inch alloys wrapped in chubby Continental tyres, LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, and halogen taillights.

Inside there’s cloth interior trim, manual seat adjustment, manual climate control and a faux-leather wrapped steering wheel. Even the base model gains the new shift-by-wire rotary gear selector, too, as well as keyless entry and push-button start.

Our Kia Sorento S is painted in rental-car spec Clear White, which is a no-cost option, while metallic paint adds $695 to the bill if selected.

Carried over from the pre-facelifted fourth generation, the 2025 Kia Sorento S petrol is covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating attained in 2020.

It’s fitted with seven airbags and has a total of five ISOFIX points and five top-tether anchorages.

Active systems include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with junction and pedestrian detection, adaptive radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring with collision avoidance, lane departure warning, active lane keeping, cross traffic alert, speed sign recognition, driver attention detection, parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Yes, the audible warning for the speed signs can grate – especially given the zero-tolerance mentality and the fact you need to disarm it every startup. That process is initiated via a steering-wheel mounted shortcut, but it then requires further fiddling within the infotainment screen.

The lane departure and lane keeping systems are easier to switch off, but also aren’t as intrusive on the overall driving experience.

Benefiting most from the lifecycle update is the interior tech found in the 2025 Kia Sorento S.

It might be the lowest rung on the tree, yet you’re still greeted with an oversized curved display sitting proudly within the dash. It’s somewhat smoke and mirrors in the S grade given that the instrument cluster is largely housed within a 4.0-inch digital display while the infotainment gains the full 12.3-inch touch-screen.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have made their way into the Sorento, too, with other features like DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth, voice activation and four USB-C ports. Sadly, there’s no native sat-nav for those who still rely on an inbuilt system.

A wireless charging pad and a second 12.3-inch digital display for the instrument cluster is available on higher grades. However, it’s great to see that even the S gains Kia’s Connected Services, which is handy for remote access to the car and control of certain features as well as over-the-air (OTA) updates.

In an era of EV this, hybrid that, a petrol-drinking 3.5-litre V6 could be viewed as being out of touch. Added to this is the reality that the vast majority of sales go to the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

And yet, the characterful Smartstream V6 soldiers on with purpose. It generates 200kW and 332Nm, with those figures being sent to the front wheels alone through a smooth-shifting eight-speed torque-converter automatic (with steering-wheel-mounted paddles).

It does need revs on board to really get up and go, but it isn’t bereft of torque. There’s meaningful acceleration when needed, matched with pulling power that makes the on-road experience a little more effortless. It even sounds charismatic and fruity under load, too.

For all its abovementioned qualities, the sticking point is fuel efficiency – or lack thereof. The 2025 Kia Sorento S V6 likes a drink, a point highlighted by the two alternative powertrains within the line-up.

Officially, the petrol V6 consumes an average of 9.8L/100km. That figure is almost impossible to match. After a week of city, urban, highway and road-test driving conditions, we managed a combined average of 12.0L/100km.

A slight saving grace is the open-road economy, which we saw dip to around 7.9L/100km. Plus, the Sorento S accepts cheaper 91 RON and has a 67-litre tank for a theoretical average trip distance of 684km.

Both the turbo-diesel and HEV achieve greater efficiency at a claimed 6.0L/100km and 5.7L/100km respectively. Although, they’re more expensive to purchase.

The original Sorento started life as a body-on-frame SUV. Hence, dynamics were an afterthought. That isn’t the case with the 2025 Kia Sorento S.

Its foundations lie with the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform, which is a monocoque configuration. Adding to this is Kia’s Australianised suspension and steering tune, which was developed for our market on the back of extensive dynamic assessment.

Hence, much like other full-bodied Kias, the Sorento handles far better than you expect it to – and certainly more proficiently than most buyers will ever require. The suspension errs on the firmer side of the comfort divide, but it never becomes crashy or too unruly.

In fact, the way in which the Sorento controls its body movements and changes direction is impressive for an SUV weighing in at 1.9 tonnes. All occupants will appreciate the damper control and the way it settles after smooth undulations – hopefully easing car sickness on a holiday jaunt.

Traction remains a bit of an issue in wet conditions with the front-wheel-drive layout. And there is slight torque steer under heavy throttle applications (feels like slight tugging of the steering wheel). Admittedly both minor issues are aided by the fact Kia now fits the Sorento with higher-quality Continental tyres, offering far more purchase.

You can flick between Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart driving modes, but sticking to the first two is the ideal. Sport only really adds artificial weight to the steering, which isn’t required as the normal setup offers the best feedback.

Overall, the Sorento might be classified as a large SUV, but its confidence-inspiring handling helps to theoretically shrink its dimensions. It never feels daunting to place on the road or in city traffic.

If you’re wondering, the Sorento S could go off tarmac and it does have hill-descent control, but ground clearance is limited to 176mm and drive only goes to the front axle. The braked towing capacity is 2000kg.

Have we mentioned the 2025 Kia Sorento S is the base model? Well, if you hadn’t picked up on that, the cabin is the final clue.

However, that’s selling the interior short. Despite the cloth upholstery, some scratchy plastics and rudimentary climate controls, the Sorento S enjoys solid build quality and a healthy spec list. It also boasts the latest Kia design language, too.

Overall, this is a perfectly serviceable cabin for families. General ergonomics are sound, the tech is easy to navigate and there’s ample storage for general paraphernalia. The shift-by-wire gear selector is a bit of a faff and the manual climate controls seem at odds with the slick capacitive touchscreen its housed in.

Middle-row occupants are treated to ample head, toe and legroom with amenities such as USB-C ports, air vents, map pockets, door bins and even extra bottle holders atop the door cards. The seats slide forward and aft, as well as recline and easily fold for access to the third row.

If you’re after true seven-seat capability, take the plunge into the land of the MPV with the eight-seat Carnival. This is more a 5+2 arrangement, with the rearmost pews being best used for occasional seating when helping other parents on the school run.

Plus, there’s only 179 litres of cargo capacity in this configuration and you won’t find any dedicated climate controls/air vents or USB-C charging ports for the third row. On the flipside, having an extra pair of ISOFIX points and top-tethers is a boon.

Use the Sorento S as a five-seater and the luggage capacity grows exponentially to 702 litres. This van-like capacity is made more practical thanks to the flat floor and the fact the spare is located underneath the vehicle.

Aside from the monetary advantage at purchase, it’s hard to vouch for the 2025 Kia Sorento S in petrol V6 form given its penchant for fuel.

The diesel makes more sense in a lot of ways, but it’s worth noting you’ll need to cover a fair chunk of ground to make up the $3000 difference on initial price. Plus, it costs slightly more to maintain. Although, if that bothers you, then opting for the HEV only widens the servicing monetary gap.

If you can stomach the Sorento S’s thirst, it makes a lot of sense as an affordable seven-seat SUV. In the face of strong competition, Kia’s large SUV still proves a worthwhile proposition.

2025 Kia Sorento S at a glance:
Price: $50,680 (before on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol
Output: 200kW/332Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.8L/100km
CO2: 222g/km
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)

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