All you need to know about the 2020 Kia Sorento
The car in our photo is the 2020 Kia Sorento and is dramatically different from the model before. The original Sorento was a budget family workhorse. However, the modern one is a premium large SUV. Here’s what you need to know.
The first thing you’ll notice about this car is that it has a very different look from the previous Sorento or any other Kia sold in Europe for that matter. The angular styling of the 2020 model is likely to be a reflection of its greater sales status in the US rather than Europe. It’s currently available with the choice of ten paint finishes and the option of 17, 18, 19 and for the very first time in the line-up 20 inch alloy wheels. As well as the strikingly refreshed exterior design the Sorento is based on all new underpinnings meaning it should be both better to drive and more spacious than before. Its proportions have been altered with the aim of making it look longer. However, the dimensions haven’t actually changed all that much. In fact, it’s just 3.5 centimetres longer than the outgoing car.
Interior space promises to be significantly increased most noticeably in the second row of seats where knee-room is said to be up by 9 centimetres. As with the outgoing model UK cars will be sold with seven seats as standard and middle row seats that both slide and recline. With the rear most seats folded away you’ll get 821 litres of space available in the boot which is vastly more than its closest rivals. Therefore, you can expect the 2020 Sorento to be able to fit lots in!
The Sorento also features a 10.2 inch infotainment system touchscreen which itself is linked to an all-new 12.3 inch digital instrument panel. It’s very much similar to the interiors you now see in the latest cars from Mercedes. Fortunately, for usability, the climate controls are adjusted by physical buttons rather than being on the touchscreen. The Sorento also benefits from advances in both engine technology and safety. The latter of which Kia says is now superior to that of all of the Sorento’s rivals. So, you can include the likes of the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq in that list.
At launch the Sorento will be available with either a 199 brake horse power (bhp) 2.2 litre diesel or a 227 bhp petrol electric hybrid option. The hybrid powertrain gets a 1.6 litre petrol engine and a 59 bhp electric motor as well as a small 1.5 kilowatt hour battery. A plug-in hybrid option will follow shortly afterwards with a combined 261 bhp on offer from the petrol engine and electric motor. Its battery capacity will be 16.6 kilowatt hours. Buyers will have a choice of front or four-wheel-drive except with the plugin hybrid which will be four-wheel-drive only.
There’s a suite of upgraded driver assistance on offer in the 2020. This include an improved cruise control system that automatically adjusts the car’s speed based on information from the sat-nav. There’s also a self-parking function which uses the key fob. You also get parking sensors that will automatically brake the car before it hits anything and a blind-spot monitoring system that uses door mirror mounted cameras to project images of what’s alongside the car onto the dashboard.
Prices are expected to rise by around 10% with those of the existing Sorentos while European sales are expected to commence in the third quarter of 2020. And of course, much like the rest of the Kia line-up, it will come with the excellent 7-year or 100,000 mile warranty. So, that’s pretty much all you need to know about the 2020 Kia Sorento. If you’re interested in one then make sure you head to DesperateSeller.co.uk where we have a wide choice of used Kia Sorento cars for sale.
