The facelifted 2024 Kia Sorento is now on sale in the Korean domestic market, with the brand revealing new details about its popular family SUV.
UPDATE, 18/8/2023, 4:30PM: We have obtained new, higher-resolution images of the 2024 Kia Sorento. See article for more.
The updated Sorento will feature 10 airbags (up from the current seven), an enhanced autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system as well as the brand’s Highway Driving Assist 2 semi-autonomous driving system.
The upgraded AEB function – known in Kia-speak as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist – adds a front cross-traffic braking function as well as “side approaching vehicle”, “oncoming vehicle” and “avoidance steering assist when overtaking” functions.
Further, there’s a digital rear-view mirror confirmed for Korea, a “projection-type reversing guide lamp”, Relaxation Comfort Seats for the first row, as well as Kia’s Ergo Motion massaging function for the driver.
In Korea, the Sorento will also be available with Kia Digital Key 2, which allows owners to use their smartphone or smart watch to unlock and start the vehicle, and supports personalised settings for each user. A new fingerprint authentication system is also new, allowing different drivers to toggle their pre-saved settings when they first hop in.
Highway Driving Assist 2 is the latest iteration of Kia’s driverless assistance technology for select regions, which allows for automated lane changes and cruising on dedicated sections of highway. This technology first debuted on the EV9 all-electric SUV.
The driver’s head-up display has also grown, now quoted at 10 inches as opposed to the current 8.0-inch unit. While not confirmed explicitly by the Korean manufacturer, we’d wager the upgraded HUD now supports augmented reality (AR) animations and prompts as in the EV6, EV9 and an array of Genesis vehicles.
New Cross Wind Stability Control and Dynamic Torque Vectoring features are also new to the Sorento. The former “controls lane departure by controlling steering and braking when sideways motion occurs due to strong wind blowing from the side”, while the latter “distributes torque optimally, provides stable turning performance to customers” likely via braking.
These updates are in addition to the already confirmed dual-12.3-inch Panoramic Curved Display incorporating instrument cluster and infotainment screens, as well as Kia’s new ccNC infotainment system with wireless software updates.
The 2024 Kia Sorento will be available in South Korea with three powertrains at launch – a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, as well as a 1.6-litre turbo petrol hybrid.
Kia Australia has already confirmed the new Sorento will use carryover powertrains in our market, meaning the existing 3.5-litre V6 FWD, 2.2-litre Diesel AWD, 1.6-litre Hybrid FWD/AWD and 1.6-litre Plug-in Hybrid AWD versions will all return – the hybrids have also been off sale since late-2022 due to tight supply.
Late last year, Kia’s local arm confirmed order books for the electrified Sorento variants had closed due to high global demand. The Sorento Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid are built in the same factory for Australia as they are for European and North American models, regions with stricter emissions laws and incentive schemes for electrified vehicles.
Prior to the announcement, the Sorento Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid were maxing out at around 20 units and 10 units per month in Australia respectively, which the brand’s local product boss Roland Rivero described as “tokenism at best“.
At this stage, it’s unconfirmed whether Kia Australia will bring in any of the three new exterior paint options – Interstellar Grey, Cityscape Green and Volcanic Sand Brown – or additional interior colour choices such as the light brown colourway pictured above.
It seems set in stone, however, that Australia will continue to miss out on the available six-seat interior with second-row captain’s chairs, as well as the 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine offered in Korea in place of the V6.
Kia Australia is also expected to continue with Euro 5 units instead of the cleaner Euro 6 iterations offered abroad.
The updated Sorento is due in Australia during the fourth quarter of 2023, with local pricing and specification details to be released closer to the updated model’s arrival.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for the latest, and share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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