Kia has brought back the Sorento PHEV for the 2023 model year with a simplified trim structure and a slight price increase over the 2022 model. It can now only be had in the very well-equipped SX-P (Prestige) trim and it starts at $49,890 plus an additional $1,295 destination tax.
Previously, the Sorento plug-in hybrid could also be ordered in the more basic SX grade, and now that it has been cut, the cheapest entry point for the PHEV variant is $5,000 over what you had to pay last year. The Sorento PHEV SX-P does come very well loaded, though, with new features like the electrically-operated retractable shades for the rear side windows or the 115-volt inverter that allows you to charge anything via a household socket.
Gallery: Kia Sorento (2020)
Advanced driver-assistance tech, Homelink for opening and closing garage doors, surround-view camera system, LED mood lighting, panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade, power-folding mirrors and full-LED exterior illumination are just some of the standard features. Basically, if you want the plug-in hybrid, you’ll automatically be getting a vehicle with almost all the bells and whistles available.
The powertrain remains unchanged from the 2022 model year, so it’s still based around a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that together with an electric motor make 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) of torque. All-wheel drive is standard and there’s even torque vectoring and a center-locking differential.
With a 13.8 kWh battery pack, the Kia Sorento PHEV delivers an EPA-rated electric-only range of 32 miles (51.5 km) and it takes 3.5 hours to charge from a Level 2 charger with a peak charging rate of 3.3 kW. Kia also sells a Sorento Hybrid that does without the long electric range, but it is also considerably more affordable, starting at $37,885 for a base front-wheel drive EX model, although it also does without many of the gadgets that SX-P trim gets as standard.
