2022 Kia Sorento PHEV Revealed

Well, we’ve been waiting for it, and Kia Corp has finally delivered. The latest and newest addition to the Kia Corp lineup, pushing its ambitious “ Plan S” electrification strategy forward, and joining the Kia Sorento in its fourth generation is the one and only 2022 Sorento Turbo Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) SUV. Last year, the new generation of the Kia Sorento launched, and got as much of the spotlight Kia could put on it while the new generation of the Optima, the Kia K5, also shook things up. Since the release of the new Sorento, Kia Corp discussed the introduction of a plug-in hybrid variant, and now it’s finally here, with all-wheel drive (AWD) capability and three-row seating accommodations.

“The Sorento PHEV’s rare combination of drivability, efficiency and spaciousness will make it a compelling choice for our customers…We’re proud to have it join the popular Sorento model range while also playing a pivotal role in the launch of Kia’s Plan S electrification strategy.” – Sean Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America

Keeping it simple, the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV will be offered in two trims: SX and SX-P. Each new Sorento PHEV is powered by a 66.9 kW electric motor and a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, able to generate a combined 261 horsepower. The last model Kia Corp produced as a plug-in hybrid was the Kia Niro compact SUV. Able to travel up to 26 miles on purely electricity, the Kia Sorento PHEV has flown by that record, said to have a targeted 32-mile pure electric driving range. Heck, it’s better than any 3-row PHEV SUV on the market today. However, the Kia Niro PHEV has a larger total driving range, being the smaller of the two, with a total of 560 miles versus the overall range of 460 miles for the Sorento Plug-in.

Able to seat up to six passengers, the Sorento PHEV still manages to offer enough room with 143.8 cubic feet of passenger space. It’s also the only PHEV SUV to offer three-row seating. Currently leading the class, the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV comes standard with 19-inch wheels, second-row captain’s chairs, and Syntex synthetic leather seating for the upholstery. Of course, consumers can find perforated leather seats as an option or available on the SX-P. An aluminum sport pedal is also available to transform the cockpit a bit. AWD with center locking differential and Drive Mode Select with Snow Mode also come standard and are a huge plus.

We assume the SX-P comes standard with leather upholstery, given it has all these other great additions. The cockpit is enhanced with a 12.3-in. full digital meter cluster (a Kia SUV first), Surround View Monitor to provide a 360-degree perspective around the vehicle, Blind View Monitor that projects live video feed of the driver’s blind spots, and an electrochromic rear view mirror (dims automatically in the presence of light). Other fun bits of technology to look forward to are 8 USB charging ports, a 10.25-inch high-resolution color touchscreen display with navigation and telematics (UVO link), wireless smartphone charging pad, and Bose premium sound system, available with 12 high-performance speakers.

UVO Link has been evolving fast, now offering cloud-based features calculate the optimal route using real-time maps, traffic, and AI; weather reports for more than 250,000 miles; UVO voice assist for audible commands to control the cabin climate, seat and steering-wheel heating, audio system, and other functions; user profiles; and Smart Speaker Integration with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Two really convenient features added to the new UVO are Find My Car with Surround View Monitor to show the user where their car is on their phone – great for those of us who forgot where we parked. Really convenient is the Last Mile Navigation that breaks it down from driving directions to walking until the user reaches their final destination and not just the general area of the shopping plaza that it’s in.

As always, Kia Corp offers consumers a lot of safety features. Advanced features like 911 Connect and Roadside Assistance will automatically attempt to call 911 via the UVO modem are available, but there is also an assortment of standard safety features thanks to the Kia Drive Wise Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) suite. Each 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV comes with Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist – Rear (BCA-Rear) with parallel exit, Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) – Junction Turning (FCA-JT), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Navigation Based Smart Cruise Control-Curve (NSCC-C), Parking Distance Warning-Reverse (PDW-R), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Safe Exist Assist (SEA).Want to get your hands on the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV? The 2022 Sorento Turbo PHEV will arrive in showrooms soon enough, but pricing is still a mystery. Follow along on Miami Lakes Automall social media for updates about the Kia Sorento PHEV.

Photo Source/Copyright: Kia Media

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