The future is now
As of press time, we have yet to invent a means to go into the future.
This is something that quite a few people have looked into – why endure the tediousness of living day by day when you can simply bend time to your will? The 2006 film “Click” put a comedic twist to this when the protagonist kept fast-forwarding to the “good parts” of his life, only for him to discover that the future isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
Indeed, I found the future rather unclear for Kia Philippines 27 years ago when we had our Kia Pride LX, which had shambolic build quality and a rather unnerving tendency to conk out in bizarre ways. And yet, Kia survives on our shores today, selling one of the finest seven-seat crossovers in the market.
Just how on Earth did this once-upstart automaker pull it off with the 2025 Kia Sorento SX AWD Turbo Hybrid?
Unmistakable style
While many large sport-utility vehicles (SUV) like the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Montero Sport have tall and chunky bodies, this big Kia uses a far more elegant approach.
A recent facelift gave the Sorento the same face as its battery-electric cousins like the Kia EV9. This includes large LED headlights with wide LED daytime running lights flanking the familiar Kia “Tiger Nose” grill, while silver trim in the lower bumper nicely compliments the variant-exclusive Volcanic Sand Brown paint.
Down the side, the steeply raked windshield and high beltline make the Sorento look sleeker than its rivals. The 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/55 series tires actually have six spokes, but the clever two-tone color scheme makes the car look like it has hollowed-out mags while on the move.
Out back, the intricate, two-bar LED taillights are carried over from the pre-facelift Sorento, along with the subtle tailgate spoiler and the large protrusion above the plate-number holder. Yet more silver trim balances out the matte-black protective cladding that is well-used all throughout this crossover.
Unparalleled comfort
Unlike its rivals, the Sorento has a unibody chassis.
This translates to an absolutely cavernous interior, largely thanks to the low floor that makes getting in and out considerably easier than in traditional SUVs. The big Kia, thus, performs much better in carrying seven passengers and cargo, although I found that the third-row seat is only average because of the low cushion.
But where the Sorento really pulls ahead is interior design – the supple, light-gray leather combined with soft-touch materials really give this top-spec SX AWD variant a truly premium feel. Combine this with the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a panoramic moonroof you get a car that feels like it’s worth every peso.
Speaking of infotainment, you get niceties like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a clear 360-degree camera and a 12-speaker Bose surround-sound system that offers rather impressive audio. These features elevate an already-impressive driving experience, thanks to supportive, air-conditioned front seats and a powerful climate-control system.
Power without corruption
Even under the hood, the Sorento SX AWD Turbo Hybrid blows its clattery turbodiesel rivals into the weeds.
You get a turbocharged 1.6-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine mated to an electric motor for a combined output of 232 horsepower and 367 Newton-meters of torque. These are sent to all four wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission that could use a little more tuning for smoother, well-timed shifts.
Nonetheless, at full throttle, you get strong acceleration from an even powerband (and a pleasant exhaust note to boot). And when you’re just driving gently in the city, the Sorento easily gets 17 to 20 kilometers per liter because of the useful Electric Vehicle mode.
Fuel consumption on the expressway, however, was only at par with its oil-burning rivals at 14 to 17 kilometers per liter because the engine frequently charges the battery pack on long stretches. And although the brakes are very strong, the rather spongy brake pedal makes modulation a touch tricky.
Happily, the Sorento’s driving vices are relatively minor – the unibody chassis and supple suspension result in ride and handling that is absolutely unmatched by anything from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford and Nissan. The well-weighted steering is also quite quick, making maneuvers at any speed much easier than the arm-wrestling you must do in old-school SUVs.
Finally, the Sorento SX AWD Turbo Hybrid gets full marks for its Kia Drivewise advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) – features like Smart Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist and Rear Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist make any journey safer and easier.
What’s next?
Overall, the 2025 Kia Sorento SX AWD Turbo Hybrid is one of the best seven-seat family crossovers in the market, as of press time.
If you don’t use your car for overlanding or trails, why put up with a lumbering and unrefined turbodiesel SUV? But at P2,888,000, this big Kia is considerably pricier than established rivals like the P2,559,000 Toyota Fortuner LTD, the P2,575,000 Ford Everest Titanium+ and the P2,502,000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Black Series 4WD.
Perhaps its closest rival is its dramatically styled cousin, the Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy HEV at an eye-watering P3,330,000. In that sense, this top-spec Sorento sits somewhere in the middle of the four-wheel-drive SUV market, with the bonus of a punchy and economical hybrid-electric powertrain and much better driving dynamics.
Considering Kia can already make cars this good, the future seems all the more exciting for this South Korean brand.
