The premiere of the restyled crossover for the American market will take place the other day at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It is not yet known whether the model is different from the one shown at the end of summer in South Korea. Judging by the fact that Kia is keeping things interesting by publishing a darkened teaser, there may still be differences. But not in the exterior design.
The fourth generation Sorento has been on sale since 2020, and in 2023 it’s time for a planned restyling. In August, the updated model premiered for South Korea, and now a version for the US market is on its way. It was shown in the new image. The teaser showed the front of the car with Y-shaped running lights and a minimalist Kia logo on the edge of the hood.
Updated Kia Sorento for South Korea
Kia
Externally, the crossover in the published image exactly repeats the South Korean one – they did not change either the filling of the radiator grille or the design of the front bumper.
The updated Sorento differs from its predecessor in its bumpers, radiator grille, and optics. Overall, the crossover now looks more like the older Telluride. The interior has also been transformed: a single cluster of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a multimedia system display of the same size have appeared. Because of this, it was necessary to reconsider the placement of ventilation deflectors. The Sorento has a touchscreen climate control unit and a fingerprint driver identification function available on the home market, but it is still unknown whether the American crossover will have these functions.
The local range of engines has not yet been declassified. In South Korea, the model received a 2.2-liter turbodiesel with 194 horsepower and a 2.5 gasoline turbo engine with 281 horsepower. As an alternative, a hybrid installation based on a 1.6-liter turbo-four with a capacity of 180 horsepower, which is assisted by a 60-horsepower electric motor, is offered. The gearbox is a non-alternative “robot” with two clutches; the drive can be either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
US specifications will be announced by Kia on November 16th.
Crossovers are not for us
