2022 Kia Sorento review: S diesel all-wheel-drive

The Kia Sorento quietly worked its way into Australian driveways, often in the shadow of the Hyundai Santa Fe’s blinding success.

It used to be a bit dreary-looking but delivered on value, space and comfort if not particularly appealing in terms of style or driving experience.

All that changed a couple of years back when the current generation landed with an astonishingly modern new look, brilliant interior and a whole new attitude. It wasn’t content with living in the Santa Fe’s shadow anymore and was taking on its sister model on its own terms.

That did come with price rises, but the idea of delivering value for money never went away; it’s just that it didn’t have to be boring anymore. Nearly three years after launch, is it still in the hunt, especially with a diesel engine?

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

The base model diesel Sorento kicks off at $50,650 before on-road costs – $3000 more than the V6 petrol – which is a pretty decent number in these trying times of seemingly constant price rises. Despite being an entry-level model, it’s fairly well-equipped.

This Sorento has the smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen found in various entry-level Kias and the poor thing is a bit lost in a dash structure designed for the larger 10.25-inch touchscreen (that comes with better software).

Although the software in this lower version is bitty looking, it works fine. Plug in your Android or iOS phone and you won’t have to worry about it.

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How do rivals compare on value?

The Kia Sorento's main rivals include Santa Fe, Kluger, CX-9.

Let’s start with the Sorento’s twin under the skin, the Hyundai Santa Fe Active diesel. The mechanical package is basically identical, with Hyundai applying its own suspension and specification to a slightly more aggressive-looking package. For $53,750 before on-road costs, it’s a close-run thing, but it does have a shorter warranty.

Toyota’s Kluger doesn’t come in diesel but you can have the hybrid GX eFour for $54,150 plus on-road costs (if you can wait more than six months, that is). It won’t be quite as well-appointed and for some reason runs on premium unleaded. Servicing is cheap, though.

Mazda’s effortlessly lovely CX-9 Sport comes in neither hybrid nor diesel but with an impressive 2.5-litre turbo-petrol that runs on standard unleaded. It has a beautiful – if dark – interior at this price point, and all-wheel drive for $51,250. If you can stretch to the $58,850 Touring, the spec will be closer to the Sorento’s (both prices before on-road costs).

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Interior comfort, space and storage

The Sorento is big and has a cabin to match.

Starting at the boot with all seven seats in place, you have 187 litres. I'm not going to pretend that’s a lot, but it’s not bad and is enough to sling some gear or shopping.

A stowed third row liberates 616 litres of cargo area which, I think you’ll agree, is a lot so there’s no pretending here. It’s a nice flat floor, too and has a not-too-high loading lip, partly because the spare is slung underneath the floor and accessible without emptying the boot.

With both rows folded away, you have 2011 litres. My wife’s recovery from a particularly nasty bout of COVID has gathered pace and the big Kia got very familiar with the Bunnings car park, so that huge space got a workout.

Put the middle row back in play and you have a very comfortable rear seat. With cup holders in the armrest and three USB ports, everyone will be hydrated and entertained, with refills from the bottle holders in the doors.

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Accessing the third row is reasonably easy, spending too much time there as an adult, not so much. They are – obviously – occasional seats, although not as occasional as the Outlander’s 5+2 arrangement for example. You also have cup holders and two USB ports in the third row.

Jump forward to the front and you have very comfortable seats, an excellent view out and a well-designed dash in front of you. The centre console takes a pair of cups or you can slot the retractable cup holders away for a tray that will take large phones.

Underneath the air-conditioning controls is another good spot for phones as well as three USB ports and a 12-volt outlet. The doors each take a bottle and the centre console bin is quite hefty.

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What is it like to drive?

The Sorento diesel has quite possibly one of the best drivelines in the business.

Diesel may not be your thing, but your alternative is the petrol V6 that only drives the front wheels while sucking down a fair bit of juice into the bargain. The hybrid versions are a long way up the price list.

Not only is the diesel more economical, but the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that made its debut in this model is also brilliant. It very rarely feels like a dual-clutch, going without rollbacks or getting itself confused with sketchy throttle inputs.

Power and torque are in abundance, too, with 148kW and 440Nm to move things along at a fairly brisk pace. When you’ve got two tonnes to haul, torque is key and so is an engine that is happy to rev, egged on by the excellent transmission.

It’s quiet, too, not just for a diesel, but full stop. The quietness is also helped by high-profile tyres wrapped around 17-inch wheels that look too small for such a big car, but you do get a break from the tyre noise typical of bigger-wheeled cars and a more cosseting ride into the bargain.

Every time I drive the Sorento, I am absolutely blown away by what a good cruiser it is

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Of course, the taller tyres do put a small dent in the way it steers, which is a little woollier than the other Sorentos. But most people genuinely won’t care about this because it’s not really a big deal, just something I happen to notice.

Every time I drive the Sorento, I am absolutely blown away by what a good cruiser it is. Barely ticking over in eighth gear, it streaks along just as well as expensive Germans and I would cheerfully cross the Nullabor in one of these without a second’s hesitation, even in this entry-level form.

Body control is tight, which sometimes means the occasional bump and thump over particularly rough surfaces. The tyres on this basic car aren’t as grippy, either, so you’ll occasionally hear a bit of squeal around tight roundabouts, a source of endless amusement to me.

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How is the Kia Sorento diesel with fuel consumption?

Kia’s official combined-cycle figure came out at 6.1L/100km, which looks a little ambitious for a tall box on wheels weighing two tonnes.

My week with the Sorento delivered 8.2L/100km, which is good going given it spent most of the week in the 'burbs.

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How safe is it?

The Sorento scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2020.

An important note for the Sorento is that the curtain airbags do not reach to the third row. The MY22 cars are fitted with a front centre airbag to avoid head clashes in a side impact.

There’s an enormous amount of safety gear on this car, which is reason enough to recommend it to a family, particularly those with kids or older kids learning to drive. All it’s missing is a 360-degree view camera, the blind-spot cameras you get in digital dashboard-equipped Sorentos and parking collision avoidance (which helps stop you from bumping walls, cars and people at very low speeds).

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Warranty and running costs

Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty is beaten only by Mitsubishi’s 10 years or 200,000km, at least when it comes to duration.

A capped-price servicing program covers the first seven years of maintenance, with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km. You’ll be paying somewhere between $335 and $729 for a service, with the total package costing $3463 or just under $500 per year on average.

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VERDICT

With a long warranty and a huge safety equipment list, the value is undisputed

The entry-level Sorento is hardly basic and has all a family needs from a seven-seat SUV (or a really roomy five-seater with a huge boot). It can tow, it rides well, is reasonably priced and reasonably cheap to own and run.

With a long warranty and a huge safety equipment list, though, the value is undisputed. Diesel is not the fuel of the future and a sharply-priced hybrid would go absolutely perfectly at this level, but if you’re willing to live with the frothy oil for a few years to come, the Sorento S is a ripper.

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2022 Kia Sorento S diesel AWD specifications

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