Kia said that it would debut the all-new Sorento at the Geneva Motor Show, but we won’t have to wait until early March to see the revamped midsize SUV as the fourth-generation model is being fully revealed in official images. Just about everything you can think of has changed compared to the outgoing model, including the underpinnings and the design inside and out.
As seen in our hugely revealing spy shots at the beginning of the month, the Sorento adopts a bolder appearance with the latest interpretation of the corporate “tiger nose” grille that nicely blends with the smart-looking LED headlights. Kia says the hood is now longer than before and the A-pillar sits 30 millimetres (1.2 inches) further back from the front axle.
Gallery: Kia reveals Sorento SUV photos: exterior and interior
Both the front and rear overhangs have been reduced, and we’re noticing decorative metallic trim pieces adorning the front wings and doors, as well as the C-pillar. Split vertical taillights represent a departure from the wide rear clusters of the previous model, while the large “SORENTO” lettering on the tailgate will make it impossible to confuse the South Korean SUV with another model.
Not only has the exterior been changed, but the cabin has been subjected to some massive revisions as well. Aside from looking more sophisticated than before, Kia says the revamped Sorento has one of the most spacious interiors ever offered by the company, complete with a three-row layout and a generous cargo area. Up front, there’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster accompanied by a 10.25-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system.
The press release boldly claims the 2021 Sorento is the “most high-tech vehicle Kia has ever created,” but without going into any specifics. The rotary dial for the gear shifter is noticeable in the adjacent images, as is a smaller dial to select the drive modes. We’re glad to see there are separate buttons for the climate controls as it can be a bit cumbersome to use the touchscreen to adjust the temperature and ventilation using the big display while on the go. To make your life easier behind the wheel, there are dedicated switches for the heated and ventilated front seats installed on the centre console.
The nifty LED ambient lighting around the door handles corroborated with the posh leather upholstery and the two-tone steering wheel emphasise the SUV’s upmarket push. A metallic trim has been applied here and there, along with wood-effect surfaces and glossy black areas that are likely a fingerprint magnet.
Discover the oily bits:
Kia will host the public debut of its all-new Sorento on March 3 on the dawn of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. Sales should commence shortly thereafter at home in South Korea, with other markets to follow later this year.
Source: Kia
Kia reveals first images of next-generation Sorento
- The concept of ‘refined boldness’ inspired Kia’s designers
- More confident, mature and desirable exterior design
- Attractive, upscale cabin with premium material quality
- Progressive connectivity, driver assist and infotainment technologies
- Public debut at 2020 Geneva International Motor Show
Kia Motors Corporation has revealed the first official images of the new Kia Sorento today, ahead of its first public appearance at the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show.
The concept of ‘refined boldness’ inspired Kia’s designers, who sought to maintain the robust, tough-looking aesthetic of earlier generations of Sorento, while applying a greater degree of refinement and elegance. More stylish than ever, the Sorento’s redefined design incorporates sharper lines and uninterrupted surfaces, making it noticeable more sculpted than its more round-edged predecessor. With more contemporary geometric details and more swept-back, elongated proportions, the result is a more confident, more mature and more desirable design than ever.
The more assertive ‘face’ of the Sorento evolves, too, with a new interpretation of Kia’s hallmark ‘tiger nose’ grille. Wider and more expansive, it wraps organically around the integrated headlamps on each side. The headlamps themselves feature a new ‘tiger eye’ LED daytime running light, adding extra focus to the design by depicting the intense impression of the lines around a tiger’s eyes.
In profile, the proportions of the Sorento are subtly adapted to make it appear longer, with shorter front and rear overhangs and a longer wheelbase. Its new proportions also extend the length of the bonnet, drawing the A-pillar 30 mm further back from the front axle for a more ‘cab-rearward’ design. The trailing edge of the hood wraps around the front wings and turns into a single, strong character line which extends along the side of the Sorento and flows into the new vertical tail lights.
Inside, the attractive, upscale cabin of the new Kia Sorento introduces a sophisticated new design, incorporating cutting-edge infotainment, supreme practicality, and premium-grade materials. One of the highest quality interior spaces found in any Kia to-date, the intuitive, tech-oriented cabin of the new Sorento retains the spaciousness and three-row versatility that has characterised the Sorento over its 18-year existence. Yet it now provides owners with something altogether more striking, desirable and comfortable.
The cabin introduces a sophisticated next-generation design. Blending metallic trims, leather upholstery and embossed wood-effect surfaces, the interior also subtly integrates other technologies to enhance connectivity, driver assistance and infotainment.
The Sorento comes with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system incorporating an audio-visual navigation. It also comes with a new 12.3-inch high-resolution digital instrument cluster that provides crystal-clear information to the driver. The progressive technologies available in the new model make it the most high-tech vehicle Kia has ever created.
The Sorento sits at the heart of Kia’s reinvigorated global SUV line-up, which also includes the Seltos, Stonic, Sportage, and Telluride. The new model is the result of a collaborative effort between all three studios within Kia’s global design network, in Korea, Europe and North America. The next-generation model is based on an all-new platform, raising standards in the midsize SUV segment for space, practicality, efficiency and quality.
Designed and engineered to take on everything life can throw at it, the new Sorento will make its debut on March 3, 2020.