New Kia Sorento to be pricier

Australian pricing and specs for the 2021 Kia Sorento have been announced ahead of the all-new seven-seat family SUV’s arrival here in September.

The good news is the handsome new Kia Sorento will bring improved design, safety and first-in-class technology; the bad news is prices will increase by up to $3880.

The fourth-generation Kia Sorento will continue to be offered with petrol and diesel engines (there will be no hybrid powertrain option), with diesel-powered Sorentos due to hit showrooms first, in early September, followed within months by petrol variants.

The new Sorento line-up will be trimmed from 10 to eight variants, following the axing of the Black Edition, with S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line model grades (replacing the existing Si, Sport, SLi and GT-Line variant names) again available in front-wheel drive petrol and all-wheel drive diesel forms.

The latter will command a $3000 price premium across the range and all models will come with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.

Engines are carried over from the current line-up and include a 200kW/332Nm 3.5-litre petrol V6 (front-wheel drive only) and a 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder CRDI turbo-diesel (all-wheel drive).

While full pricing and specs are yet to be announced, Kia says the new range will start from $45,850 (before on-road costs) for the base S petrol grade, while the same vehicle with an AWD diesel powertrain will cost $48,850 plus ORCs – both up $2160 on the models they replace.

Top-spec GT-Line variants have also been priced at $60,070 (petrol) and $63,070 (diesel) – up $3880 on their predecessors.

Updates to the large seven-seat SUV’s safety equipment includes a new Front Centre Side Airbag (between the driver and passenger) for all grades, as well as a larger 10.25-inch infotainment touch-screen (with Apple Carplay, Android Auto and Multi Connection Bluetooth) from the Sport grade upwards and two extra rear USB outlets from the Sport+.

Top-spec Sorento GT-Line variants will come with remote smart parking assist and first-in-class features like Kia’s new blind-spot view camera, a large 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and shift-by-wire dial instead of a traditional gear lever.

Of course, all models will come with Kia’s generous seven-year warranty with capped price service and roadside assist program.

“The outgoing Sorento was a game-changer in the Australian market with previously untapped safety and convenience levels in the segment and the all-new model continues to take that story forward,” said Kia Motors Australia COO Damien Meredith.

“Across the four trim levels we believe the Sorento will meet the needs, and exceed the expectations, of anyone shopping in the seven-seat SUV market.”

Stay tuned for full details on the 2021 Kia Sorento in the coming weeks.

How much does the 2021 Kia Sorento cost?
S petrol – $45,850
GT-Line petrol – $60,070
S diesel – $48,850
GT-Line diesel – $63,070
* Prices exclude on-road costs