SPY PICS: Facelifted Kia Sorento almost ready

Fresh from exposing prototypes of the closely related new Hyundai Santa Fe and Genesis GV80, our spy photographers have spotted a facelifted Kia Sorento development vehicle wrapped in dense camouflage undergoing testing in the northern hemisphere.

Already confirmed for release in the second half of this year, the updated Kia Sorento is anticipated to adopt a new aesthetic inspired directly by the bigger but US-only Kia Telluride and Kia’s looming EV9 flagship electric SUV.

Poking through the black camo we can see a new set of vertically oriented headlights akin to those on the aforementioned SUVs, while the rear-end is rumoured to flaunt a new full-width lighting signature and mildly tweaked bumper design.

Refreshed alloy wheel designs will also be par for the course, along with an updated – read blockier – front bumper to match the new headlights.

Such a move would prove Kia is trying to make its large products more uniform in their resemblance to one another, before the arrival of the first Kia ute in 2025.

Changes will also be made within the Sorento’s cabin, more than likely headed by a transition to the new curved dual-screen infotainment array as seen on the Kia EV6 and smaller Sportage, along with updated graphics, operating systems and trim finishes.

None of these changes can be seen in the supplied spy images due to a large black covering on the dash and cockpit, but with similar changes being made to almost every other Kia SUV, it was really only a matter of time before the Sorento followed suit.

Like its next-gen Santa Fe cousin, no major changes will be made to any of the Sorento’s (3.5L V6) petrol, (2.2L four-cylinder) turbo-diesel or (1.6L turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid) electrified powertrains – save for the obligatory refinement and efficiency tweaks.

If Kia can deliver on its previously nominated 2023 timeline, the updated Sorento will arrive Down Under a couple of months ahead of the ‘new-generation’ Hyundai Santa Fe, which carsales understands to be earmarked for a first quarter launch next year.

It’s worth noting though that while the Santa Fe will be sold here as a new-generation offering, it and the facelifted Sorento will continue to be closely related cousins, with the Hyundai not due to move to a new platform until its next ‘mid-lifecycle’ update in a few years.

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