Kia Motors has revealed the next-generation Sorento ahead of its global debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, providing a better look at the midsize crossover than the spy shots that recently emerged from Korea.
Compared to the current-gen model, which delights in its approachable blandness, the new Sorento aims for a brawnier look. Recent CUV introductions — like the 2019 RAV4, for example — are proof of the industry’s belief that family-minded car buyers still want to be notice… and feared.
In Kia’s case, the Sorento’s design team may have gone too far in some regards. Or maybe they went just far enough.
That’s entirely a personal opinion, of course. While the 2021 Sorento (due for a March 3rd reveal) dons a chunkier body and more menacing “tiger nose” grille flanked by triple-cell LED headlamps, boosting the vehicle’s visual width, the “refined boldness” mentioned by Kia turns into an overload of visual information when you get to the vehicle’s stern. There’s a lot to look at. We riffed on the model’s Ford-like tail lamps in a previous post, but seeing the whole rear-quarter view is jarring.
Look at this corner:
Presumably fake vents adorn the rear fascia and bookend a protruding bumper, below which sits a mesh-filled valence and horizontally split exhaust ports ringed in brightwork. The raised chrome trim on the C-pillar, which rises like a stalagmite from the window sill but fails to reach the halfway point, is an odd flourish. This feature, plus the trim pieces adorning the front fenders, looks tacked-on (and thus tacky) to yours truly.
Kia admits it aimed for the “cab-rearward” profile that’s growing in popularity among front-biased crossovers. The automaker lengthened the wheelbase by an undisclosed amount, then pushed the base of the A-pillar back 1.2 inches further from the front axle. A strong body line connects head lamps to tail lamps, adding further visual length. There’s more than a bit of Telluride in that crease. Clearly, the Sorento is sick of looking like a minivan. It wants to look like an SUV.
Indeed, the automaker said it wanted to return to the chunkier proportions of previous Sorentos, albeit with a more elegant and refined interior. It’s worth noting that the model’s best-ever sales year was 2011. The updated Sorento’s interior boasts an undisclosed number of standard seats (the current-gen model flipped between optional and standard third row seating), though the growth in the model’s wheelbase and length implies you’ll find standard belt buckles beyond the second row. Kia’s communications suggest this.
While detailed specs are still unknown, Kia makes mention of a 10.25-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, the latter of which is undoubtedly a higher-trim feature. As we see here, the Sorento’s cabin is strongly in favor of the trend of strongly horizontal dash designs; the vents conform to the dash’s curvature and seem to mimic the tail lamp shape of many 1960s cars. Not a bad thing.
The Sorento is an extremely important model for Kia, falling less than a thousand units behind the brand’s top-selling model in 2019, and it finds itself with plenty of revamped competition. The Ford Explorer went rear-drive for 2020, the Toyota Highlander also gains a fully updated successor for the present year. Sorento sales fell 11 percent last year.
We’ll know more about what’s beneath the hood of this thing in short order.
[Images: Kia Motors]
I wont even bother.
Looks better than Highlander and Pilot I would say. Not as good as CX9 but after all is said and done, not bad.
Overstyled you say? Welcome to 2020.
Whatever is going on with that rear taillight/lift gate area is too much. The random notch on the taillight can go along with the weird nipple in the rear glass. I guess since I wouldn’t have to look at it when I’m driving it, it’s okay (or so I’ve heard from those who drive a Civic or Yaris iA).
I’d say design wise it’s about a 7/10
Kia and Hyundai have better styling than Toyota and Honda.
Kudos for new styling language in interior
It’s ok, some weird styling touches, but other then that, acceptable. Will it be underpowered as most in this segment are? I’m sure it will sell well and that’s really all that matters
The only thing I fear from SUVs are the xanax popping, phone using semi-cognizant drivers as they ponderously weave and bob along like a tanker ship entering port.
^^This is why I no longer ride a motorcycle.
I’m not a fan of the strange shark fin detail on the C pillar or the fender garnish, either, but generally speaking I think it’s a huge improvement over the current model. I’d certainly take it over the Murano, Edge, Blazer or Passport. I think it’s a mistake if they mandated a useless third row, however. That was the point of launching the Telluride was it not?
Don’t mind that as much as the grille treatment and the shape of the taillights and air vents.
This has a bit more visual interest than the current Sorento but “rugged” it is not.
What are the powertrains?
I believe the base powertrain is expected to be the naturally aspirated 2.5L 4-cylinder. Upgrade engines should include the 2.0T and new 2.5T. A hybrid is also expected, possibly using the 1.6T.
That 2.5T sounds interesting
The new Sorento is neither “bold” nor “busy” (the RAV-4, otoh, is overly busy, esp. up front), and is more a bit bland overall w/ some weird elements (shape of taillights, grill treatment on certain trims).
The interior/dash is a nice improvement, but too bad those awkwardly shaped air vents ruin what would have been a nice, clean design.
stupid
It is the new normal.
I think it looks fine, better than anything Toyota or Honda.
I actually just bought a 2020 version knowing this was coming out soon.
I wanted the V6 before it was gone and I got it for $28K brand new, $8K off sticker. I have a feeling the new one won’t be discounted as much and it won’t have a V6. The 2020 is also the last model year of the generation so hopefully most of the bugs are worked out.
If you want a new Toyota, $28K gets you a tinny RAV4. The Sorento feels like a tank in comparison.
I have a 2017 V6. No bugs as of that year, but it was the *one* year they took away the separate climate control display. That’s my biggest gripe.
No busier in design than those eyesores from Honduh and Toyoduh – which have actually established a new level of putridity.
I am one who is not, nor will not be in he market ever, for one of these; however, my first thoughts about the new look are positive. As others have stated, compared to the current design language of Honda and Toyota, this seems almost restrained.
Is it the angle of the photos, or are these thing getting lower? At this rate, they’ll be wagons again by 2030, but we’ll call them SUVs, the way we call swoopy 4-doors “coupes.”
Except for the shark fin trim piece, I like it. Glad to see “bumpers” again – too many CUVs are pushing the flat surface motive which is unappealing to me. Glad a hybrid is planned.
H-K has got their game on….