2024 Kia Sorento Review: Fresh-Faced Family Favorite

Classified as a midsize three-row SUV, the 2024 Kia Sorento - like the Hyundai Sante Fe - is a little smaller and cheaper than its Palisade and Telluride stablemates. The same applies to the Toyota Highlander and Mazda CX-90 brigade; in fact, both the Sorento and Santa Fe are hardly any bigger or more expensive than the compact Volkswagen Tiguan. The Honda Pilot, on the other hand, is similarly priced but larger; with an affordable sticker price, the Sorento seems to be picking fights with the bigger kids on the playground. It's a comfortable, high-value SUV, available with hybrid and plug-in powertrains, so it offers variety and choice. Still, the brand-new and strikingly styled Santa Fe wants to rain on the four-year-old Sorento's parade. The Sorento's base 191-horsepower engine is weak, too, and you have to shell out at least $38k for the turbocharged 281-hp engine's performance advantage. Can a mid-cycle refresh and that $32k starting price boost the 2024 Kia Sorento's credentials beyond the class average?

New for 2024

For 2024, the Sorento gets an update that starts with a facelift, instantly noticeable thanks to a new hood, new vertical LED-projector headlights flanking a bigger grille, and a restyled lower bumper. The rear remains very similar, but the two vertical taillight strips on each side are now linked at the top. There are new paint colors and wheel designs to round out the exterior changes.

In the cabin, the dashboard is redesigned to accommodate two side-by-side digital displays - one a gauge cluster that increases in size to 12.3 inches in the top trims and the other a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, which is standard across the board. Last year's X-Line S and SX Prestige trims are dropped, and two new trims - X-Line SX and X-Pro SX Prestige - are added, the latter with enhanced off-road ability and a higher towing capacity. All the 2024 Kia Sorento Hybrid models carry over unchanged from last year and will be similarly refreshed for the 2025 model year, but we review those separately.

2024 Kia Sorento Price: Which One to Buy

With a $31,990 base price, the new Kia Sorento LX base trim goes on sale in the USA costing $1,900 more than it did last year. The S goes for $34,390 and the EX has an MSRP of $37,990, followed by the X-Line EX and SX, which will both cost you the same $41,690. The rest of the 2024 Sorento range is made up of the X-Line SX at $43,490, the X-Line XS Prestige at $46,390, and the X-Pro SX Prestige at $47,390. These prices exclude the $1,375 destination charge.

The base engine frustrates, so to get the turbocharged engine, you'd have to go for the $38k EX at the very least. That's just about the same price as the entry-level Telluride, but the Sorento has better performance and efficiency. The EX is also nicely specced out, with 20-inch wheels, a hands-free power liftgate, heated power front seats, dual-zone climate control, navigation, a wireless charging pad, leatherette upholstery, and Highway Driving Assist. At anything more expensive than the EX, you might as well get a Telluride or a new Santa Fe, so the EX makes most sense to us.

Interior and Features

The redesigned dashboard loses the old car’s myriad of vents and cleans up the look with a horizontal theme, hidden center vents, and a big touchscreen.

The updates to the 2024 Sorento's interior are very noticeable. There are still two upright vents bookending the dashboard, but they are now linked with an elegant horizontal strip that houses the center vents. It makes space for the new continuous pane of glass above it that contains the gauge cluster and a big new infotainment touchscreen. All the surfaces are pleasing to the touch and nicely padded, with high-quality materials used throughout for a convincingly upscale appearance. Base trims get cloth on the seats, followed by leatherette and beautifully quilted leather with faux-wood trim at the top of the tree. The lower trims are seven-seaters, but the upper ones' second-row captain's chairs turn them into six-seaters. Interior space is great up to the second row, but the third row is tight and most suitable for kids. It's easy to get inside, but accessing the third row through the back doors requires some undignified clambering.

Space

The Sorento's second-row legroom is pretty good for a mid-size SUV, though some compacts, such as the Honda CR-V, now run it close. However, the Sorento offers more space than fellow midsizers like the VW Tiguan, but the Honda Pilot and the newly refreshed Santa Fe both outdo it by some margin.

As is standard of the segment, there isn't a lot of space in the back row, and the seat is located close to the floor, but adults of smaller stature will manage over short distances, thanks to better seating comfort than is the norm in an occasional third row. The Sorento makes for a surprisingly practical and comfortable school-run or car-pool option.

Cargo

Trunk space is dependent on the seating configuration, and the volume available behind the third row is predictably small, as it always is in this class, at 12.6 cubic feet in this case. Depending on the position of the second-row seats, the trunk volume with the 50/50-split third row folded varies from 38.5 to 45 cu-ft. The maximum available volume is liberated with the second row also folded, providing as much as 75.5 cu-ft behind the first row. The cargo area has a dual-level floor and a net hook.

Passengers have many places to put their personal effects, with door pockets in all four of the doors, a center console with a lidded storage box, a phone rest/wireless charging pad, and a glovebox. The front passengers get dual cupholders in the center console, while the second row gets them in the side doors - and in the center fold-down armrest in the case of trims with the bench seat. The third row gets open storage bins and cupholders in the side moldings.

Materials and Colors

The cabin of the LX is Black with woven cloth on the seats and Technical Embossing interior trim. The S, EX/X-Line EX, and SX upgrade to SynTex leatherette upholstery, and get a choice of two interior colors - Black or Gray. The SX is the only one with Metal Texture interior trim, while Stimulated Open Pore wood-effect trim is found in all the X-Line and X-Pro trims. The two Prestige trims get genuine quilted and perforated leather upholstery on their seats, embossed front headrests, a SynTex Suede headliner, and a Black interior color scheme, but you can opt for Sage Green or Olive Brown for $295 extra. The shift knob and steering wheel are trimmed in leather in every grade except for the LX, and the SX and above get aluminum scuff plates and aluminum sports pedals.

Features and Infotainment

The LX stands out as being the only trim with cloth upholstery, a six-way manual driver's seat, a four-way manual passenger seat, regular air-conditioning, and a urethane steering wheel and shift knob. However, keyless entry, push-button start, rear privacy glass, illuminated sunvisor mirrors, a four-inch driver-information display, a 60/40-split/folding second-row bench seat, 50/50-split one-touch sliding & folding reclining third-row seats, a dual-level cargo floor, and a 12-V power outlet in the trunk are all standard. From the S up to the flagship trims, many features are added, such as leatherette or leather upholstery, ventilated and/or heated front seats, second-row captain's chairs, dual-zone climate control, a power panoramic sunroof, and much more. There aren't many options at all, with Kia instead opting for a myriad of trims, so you have to select the one that's already equipped to your requirements.

The cloud-connected infotainment system can be updated over the air and comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, Kia Connect, three front USB ports, a second-row 12-V power outlet, two third-row USB ports, Bluetooth, and a six-speaker audio system. To these, the S adds navigation, two second-row USB ports, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a wireless charging pad. The SX enlarges the four-inch driver-information display to a full 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and the Prestige trims upgrade the radio to a 12-speaker Bose setup.

Performance

The weak base powertrain is to be avoided, effectively making the turbocharged EX your best bet since that gets281-hp engine.

The engine in the Kia Sorento LX and S trims is a naturally aspirated 2.5L inline four-cylinder with 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque, linked to a conventional torque-converter eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. This setup provides lethargic performance, giving the Kia Sorento a 0-60 time of around 9.4 seconds - fine around town but out of its depth on the highway or when laden. The rest of the trims are fitted with a turbocharged version of the engine with 281 hp and 311 lb-ft, linked to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. This engine comes with a choice of drivetrain configurations - front- or all-wheel drive - and is much swifter, getting to 60 mph in around 6.7 seconds, which is a good result in this class and similar to many V6 rivals. The dual-clutch auto tends to exhibit some lag on setting off but shifts quickly and smoothly once underway.

Despite the X-Pro's off-road pretensions, it is nothing more than an X-Line SX Prestige AWD with 17-inch alloy wheels and high-profile all-terrain tires. It gets no dual-range transfer case and has the same 8.2 inches of ground clearance that all the other AWD Sorentos have. In terms of trailering, the X-Pro has an upgraded powertrain and cooling for a towing capacity of 4,500 pounds - 1,000 lbs more than the other turbo trims. The base powertrain can only tow 2,000 lbs.

Fuel Efficiency

Gas mileage is par for the course for a gas SUV of this size. The Kia Sorento's mpg figures as per the EPA are 23/31/26 mpg for the naturally aspirated 191-hp base powertrain with front-wheel drive. The turbocharged 281-hp engine returns 20/29/23 mpg with FWD and 20/27/23 mpg with AWD. All Sorentos have the same 17.7-gallon fuel capacity, so the base powertrain should provide a range of up to around 460 miles on a tank on the combined cycle, while the turbocharged AWD's figure drops to around 407 miles.

Safety

Crash scores don’t lead the class, but at least the standard driver assists are comprehensive, though the base trim misses out on parking sensors and Highway Driving Assist.

In terms of crash safety, the Kia Sorento didn't perform quite as well as expected at the NHTSA, garnering four stars out of five overall. The IIHS has partially evaluated the 2024 Sorento and gave it its top Good score for all the major tests. The pre-facelift Sorento received a 2022 Top Safety Pick award but was marked down for poor headlight performance. We're keen to see if the redesigned LED-projector headlights standard on all trims will eliminate this weakness once they're evaluated.

The Kia Drive Wise Technologies driver assists are fitted to all trims. It includes front-collision alert with pedestrian/cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, junction-turning detection, blind-spot monitoring, parking-exit warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure alert, active lane-keep assist, lane-following assist, adaptive cruise control with stop & go, speed-limit assist, driver-alertness monitoring, rear-occupant alert, and safe exit assist. All trims have automatic headlights with auto high beams, hill-start assist, and downhill brake control too. More driver assists are added to the S, namely front and rear parking sensors and Highway Driving Assist that control steering, acceleration, and deceleration, while the EX gains an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

On the SX, the safety suite is expanded with steering assist added to the blind-spot collision-avoidance system, a blind-spot view monitor, lane-change detection and evasive steering assist for oncoming and side traffic, a surround-view camera, rain-sensing wipers, navigation-based adaptive cruise control with curve assistance, and Highway Driving Assist 2, which adds machine learning and automatic lane changing to the existing system. Right at the top of the lineup, the Prestige trims add side parking sensors, automatic reverse braking, and a camera-based digital rearview mirror that can be switched back to a regular mirror.

US NHTSA Crash Test Result

Reliability

JD Power has rated the 2023 Kia Sorento's reliability as very good, with a score of 82 out of 100 for the organization's Quality & Reliability evaluation, so we're hoping that the 2024 facelift will be just as good or better. That 2023 Sorento was only recalled twice for the backup camera's display failing and for airbag warning labels that may detach. The 2024 model has not been recalled at the time of writing.

Given the 2024 Kia Sorento's superb warranty cover, there is little to worry about. The limited warranty runs for five years/60,000 miles and the powertrain warranty for an industry-leading 10 years/100,000 miles.

Warranty

Design

The Sorento's smart new look sees it get new stacked LED-projector headlights set on either side of a reinterpreted Tiger Nose grille, new DRLs, and new marker lights. It looks quite a bit more modern this year, even if the fairly conventional profile hides a practical three-row SUV. The LX is clearly the base trim, lacking roof rails and riding on silver 17-inch alloys, with unpainted matte-black exterior elements such as the grille. The S picks up roof rails and gloss-black styling features, as well as bigger black 18-inch alloys, with a power panoramic sunroof becoming optional from this level, while the EX upgrades those to black 20s and adds a hands-free power liftgate too. X-Line EX introduces the sunroof as standard equipment. Only at SX level do LED taillights make an appearance. X-Line and X-Pro trims have an exterior appearance package that adds high-utility roof rails, unique fascias, and gloss-black trim, while the more off-road-biased X-Pro SX Prestige AWD reverts to the base car's 17-inch alloys with all-terrain tires.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Kia Sorento A Good SUV?

The Kia Sorento has a lot going for it. Nestling as it does between the biggest compacts and smallest mid-sizers, it is a handy size with excellent practicality, a usable third row, many standard features, and a full driver-assistance suite, all at a high-value price. But your entry point is really $38k as you'll want to avoid the lethargic base powertrain, and that not only encroaches on Telluride territory but also on that of the eye-catching 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, which gets the turbocharged 2.5 even in its base $34k SE trim. With the Santa Fe being brand-new and the VW Tiguan due to be completely redesigned for 2025, the Sorento is no longer the top choice in this particular market niche.