The Kia Sorento Hybrid mid-size three-row SUV received its mid-life facelift in July 2023 and celebrated its U.S. debut at the 2023 LA Auto Show. The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid has a revised design, a more premium interior, and several new convenience features among other upgrades.
During my time in Los Angeles, I got a preview of the 2025 Kia Sorento Turbo Hybrid SX-Prestige AWD, months ahead of its scheduled arrival at U.S. dealerships. Here are my initial impressions of the refreshed hybrid SUV.
Design
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid strikes a balance of ruggedness and modern design cues and looks like a proper American crossover. It has an imposing front-end with a prominent radiator grille that features horizontally laid black inserts, a large lower air intake that’s just about as wide and integrates new horizontal fog light stripes, a muscular bumper with vertical side air inlets, and vertical headlamps. My favorite part of the front-end is the new hood, which is flattish for the most part and has a tight shutline.
On the sides, the 2025 Sorento Hybrid features a gently sloping roofline and a sleek greenhouse design. This approach adds elegance without going overboard, ensuring that interior space and visibility are not compromised. The 19-inch two-tone wheels featuring a dual-tone finish and the satin chrome window surrounds and roof rails give the SUV a sophisticated styling, although I find the new garnish element below the mirrors to be unnecessary.
At the back, the sculpted tailgate and the split, vertically stacked tail lamps that form an inverted U-shape make the 2025 Sorento Hybrid look just as confident as at the front. Thankfully, designers have opted against the block-lettered model name inscription, which has become a cliché.
Interior
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid has a clean and classy interior with features like a sleek dashboard, quilted seat upholstery, modern decor pattern on the door cards, and knurled dials for the gear and drive mode selections. In my opinion, this is one of the best-looking cabins in the segment, and I’m also expecting travel to be quiet, as Kia has included additional sound insulation with the facelift.
I think the Dust Blue color that Kia has selected for the seat covers, as well as certain parts of the door panel and center console upholstery, gives the cabin an upmarket look and a luxury SUV-like vibe. I’m also quite impressed by the new panoramic curved panel that combines two 12.3-inch screens. The redesigned, slim climate control system, featuring touch-operated buttons and two small adjustment dials, adds to the modern aesthetic. Additionally, the new horizontal AC vents in the center of the dashboard are a sleek touch.
I had a chance to operate the new touchscreen infotainment system, and I found the display quite bright, with a high resolution. Compared to the 2024 Sorento series, it features a new, more intuitive software, and supports over-the-air software updates, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto. The new hybrid SUV’s tech features include UWB-based Digital Key 2.0 as well, which allows customers to conveniently unlock the vehicle without holding their smartphone and share its virtual key with whoever they want over text.
As a six-foot-tall person, I faced no difficulty in entering or exiting the first row. In the driver’s seat, I had a good amount of headroom, and I’d say the same for both lumbar support and under-thigh support, too. The steering wheel allowed manual tilt and telescopic adjustments and felt grippy, but the gloss black finish on the lower spokes was already proving to be a magnet for fingerprints.
Even in the second row, which has manually sliding and reclining captain’s chairs, both ingress and egress were alright. I had sufficient leg space to comfortably stretch my legs and good knee room, too. The headroom was decent, so I don’t think I’d bump my head into the roof if the SUV passed over a bump in speed. As for under-thigh support, I’d say it was above average. The panoramic sunroof, I feel, will improve the sense of space in the new Sorento’s cabin.
To enter/exit the third row, I had to just press a button on the shoulder of one of the captain’s chairs and the latter automatically slid and reclined forward. I had to sit with my knees quite high up, so under-thigh support was bad. The legroom and knee room were similarly tight. The part, that was unacceptable, was the headroom, as my head was easily touching the roof. If you were to ask me, the third row is only for children.
When I opened the smart power tailgate, I noticed that the cargo space behind the third-row seats hadn’t seen any improvements. It should fit about two medium-sized suitcases and two duffel bags stacked on top of them.
Specifications
Kia hasn’t announced the specifications of the facelifted Sorento Hybrid for the U.S. However, it has revealed the following details of the new model that it sells in South Korea, though, which gives me a fair idea of what to expect.
The new Sorento Hybrid which Kia has launched in South Korea has a revised 1.6-liter turbocharged engine under the hood, producing 180 PS (177 hp) and 27.0 kgf·m (195 lb.-ft.) of torque. An electric motor that generates 47.7 kW (64 hp) and 264 Nm (195 lb.-ft.) of torque assists this engine. In total, there’s 235 PS (232 hp) and 37.4 kgf·m (271 lb.-ft.) of torque in the new hybrid SUV. In comparison, the combined power and combined torque of the current powertrain are 227 hp and 258 lb.-ft., respectively.
I think the 2025 Sorento Hybrid in the U.S. will also have the new, more powerful (+5 hp) and torquier (+13 lb.-ft.) powertrain. A 6-speed automatic transmission will likely be standard and a mechanical all-wheel drive system optional. I expect the new model to deliver a fuel economy of close to 40 MPG in FWD and approximately 35 MPG in AWD.
Price
Kia has not revealed the pricing, but I expect the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid to start at approximately USD 37,000 (excl. DPH fee).
TopElectricSUV says
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid has a bold exterior, a premium and comfort-focused interior, plenty of high-tech features, and probably even a highly efficient powertrain. I’ll have to wait until Kia conducts the 2025 Sorento Hybrid’s media drive and announces prices for the final verdict, but I sense that it’s going to be a highly recommendable model in its segment.
2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid FAQs
What is the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid release date?
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid will start arriving at U.S. dealerships next year.
What will be the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid price?
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid should start at approximately USD 37,000 (excl. DPH fee).
Which models will be 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid rivals?
The 2025 Sorento Hybrid will compete with the Toyota Highlander Hybrid & the Ford Explorer Hybrid.
This article contains contributions from our reader.
An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 16 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading CEOs and vehicle developers from around the world.
