2024 Kia Sorento Review

The 2024 Kia Sorento was already a front-runner in a very crowded segment, but it was recently refreshed to make it even more competitive.

For families of four or less with the occasional need for a third row, the Sorento is a well-rounded SUV that puts practicality and style at the forefront. 

Styling: 9/10

An exterior refresh helps the Sorento look bolder and more aggressive, with a big, upright grille and new headlights inspired by the all-electric EV9 projecting strength and capability. The new style makes the Sorento look more rugged and boxy like the popular Telluride and changes the Sorento’s personality dramatically, which makes the look more well suited to the X-Line trim and rugged-ish new X-Pro trim, which gets upgrades to make it more capable.

The X-Line Limited trim tested here gets visual upgrades and blocky black wheels to help it look more rugged, but no performance upgrades like the X-Pro, which gets all-terrain tires and an increased towing capacity of 2,401 kg (4,500 lb) versus the X-Line’s 1,588 kg (3,500 lb).

Power: 8/10

The Sorento is powered by a turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder that outputs a healthy 281 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, which is sent to all wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The powertrain supplies plenty of passing power and it accelerates with confidence even when loaded up with stuff and people.

Driving Feel: 7/10

At speed, the Sorento is smooth, but at lower speeds or when rolling away from a stop, the transmission hesitates and feels like it’s not quite sure what to do. While this is common with some dual-clutch units, it’s enough to put a damper on the driving experience. Especially when combined with the engine stop-start system, it feels rather jerky and unnatural.

The Sorento also rides much more harshly and displays more body movement in corners than it should, and could benefit from more refinement. The suspension doesn’t absorb rough or broken roads as well as some of its competitors, including the Hyundai Santa Fe that’s built on the same platform. However, its size relative to other three-row SUVs makes it much more manageable to manoeuvre. It’s also easy to park and navigate in tight spaces.

Features: 9/10

Even base-level Sorentos come decently equipped with all the necessities, but the X-Line Limited steps it up with features including heated and ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, a 110-volt household outlet, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connections, heated second-row seats, the ability to use a connected smartphone as a key, and more.

Safety: 9/10

The Sorento X-Line Limited comes standard with adaptive cruise control that works in stop-and-go traffic and Kia’s Highway Driving Assist to help with some steering inputs, as well as blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping and following assistance, parking sensors all around, rear occupant alert, surround-view monitoring, front and rear automatic emergency braking, and more. It all works smoothly and doesn’t suffer from being overly sensitive.

Practicality: 9/10

The Sorento’s family-friendliness is one of its key strengths. The cabin is packed with cup holders and useful storage cubbies, and the third row is easy enough to access that a kid could probably do it on their own. 

The trunk holds just 357 L with all three rows in use, but folding the third row flat opens up 1,090 L of space, and with all rows folded there’s a generous 2,139 L of cargo room. The second row can slide forwards to make more room for cargo or third-row passengers, or backwards for more legroom.

Comfort: 7/10

While the Sorento is roomy, the seats in all positions are hard and uncomfortable, and your butt will feel some discomfort, especially after a long drive. Making matters worse is how needlessly harsh the ride quality is. And while the third row is pretty useless, front and second-row passengers get plenty of space to stretch out.
User-Friendliness: 9/10

The Sorento has a straightforward cabin layout that makes sense, except for the touch-capacitive panel that toggles between media and climate controls. This setup isn’t very intuitive and requires too much tapping, which can be distracting while on the move. Besides this, the infotainment menu is clearly laid out and easy to navigate, especially when combined with the shortcuts on the touch-capacitive panel. 

Fuel Economy: 8/10

A hybrid model will join the Sorento lineup for 2025, but this non-hybrid model’s efficiency is already impressive for an SUV of this size. While it’s officially rated to get 11.5 L/100 km in the city, 8.7 on the highway, and 10.3 combined, after about 730 km of mixed testing, the indicated average was sitting at a respectable 9.8 L/100 km.

Value: 8/10

2024 Kia Sorento pricing for the entry-level LX starts at $38,975 before any fees or taxes. Moving up from there, the EX goes for $42,975, and the X-Line is $47,975.

The Sorento X-Line Limited sits on the higher end of the lineup with only the adventure-ready X-Pro above it. The X-Line Limited starts at $50,975 plus the $2,050 destination fee and with the only option being the excellent Wolf Grey paint at an extra $250, the as-tested price tallies up to $53,375. The X-Pro is $52,475.

The Verdict 

While the 2024 Kia Sorento isn’t perfect, it’s still well-rounded enough for me to recommend to families who might occasionally need a third row of seats in their SUV. Its stylish new look and family-friendly practicality are almost good enough to outweigh any of the Sorento’s downsides, and its refresh does a lot to keep it competitive.