2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX delivers value and nearly 40 mpg

Kia claims the Sorento Hybrid fits into “a segment of one,” While that’s a stretch, this model makes a compelling value and efficiency sales pitch for itself versus any alternatives.

2021 kia sorento hybrid x delivers value in nearly 40 mpg kia claims the sorrento hybrid fits into a segment of one while that’s a stretch this model makes a compelling value and efficiency sales pitch for itself versus any alternatives driving it only serves to bolster that sales pitch with a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain great outward visibility comfortable

Ride and easy to use technology the 2021 kia sorento hybrid x seems to pack nearly everything one could want from a crossover suv in 2021 but the hybrid powertrain doesn’t completely fix the sorrento’s foibles questionable design choices disappointing nvh noise vibration and harshness cheap plastics and a barely usable third row all add up to keep the sorrento

Hybrid from being the fuel efficient baby telluride it could have been i spent a week with the 2021 kia sorento hybrid x hauling the kids to activities running errands and putting the hybrid crossover suv through the daily perils of family life to determine where it hits and misses here’s what i learned the sorrento hybrids 1.6 liter turbo 4 making 177 horsepower

And 195 pound-feet of torque plus a 59 horsepower 44 kw electric motor some to a combined output of 227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque a 1.5 kwh battery pack stores energy for the system it’s the same powertrain found in the 2021 hyundai santa fe hybrid but in the sorrento the 8-speed automatic transmission doles out power to only the front wheels whereas

The hyundai has all-wheel drive this might be the best implementation of hyundai and kia’s hybrid powertrain to date it feels lighter without the santa fe’s all-wheel drive system yet it’s just as smooth during the power transitions there’s no rubber band behavior from the transmission as one will find in the toyota highlander hybrid with 258 pound-feet of torque

Some of which comes online instantly thanks to the electric motor and only the front wheels getting power there’s a whiff of torque steer if the accelerator is pinned to the floor from a dead stop the steering wheel can tug for a second the sorrento hybrid x carries epa fuel economy ratings of 39 mpg city 35 highway and 37 combined in my experience it delivers

Those numbers in the real world over the course of 174 miles of mixed driving my sorrento hybrid tester averaged 35.8 mpg according to the onboard trip computer that lines up with the epa ratings and i wasn’t driving with the aim of eking out every last mile per gallon from the tank the sorrento is an outlier in that it’s sized like the jeep grand cherokee and

Honda passport but it has a third row like the larger ford explorer and toyota highlander except outside of existing the third row isn’t really useful for much a kid’s car seat certainly won’t fit back there behind the second row and no adult will be comfortable in the way back with barely any legroom in a seating position that puts one’s knees near one’s eyeballs

Headrooms also at a premium and i’m only five foot ten my sorrento hybrid x tester rode on cheap nexon rhodian gtx 235 sixty-fifths r17 tires it was a surprise and delight to find 17-inch wheels in the wells with so much tire sidewall in the year 2021 the tall tire sidewalls combined with a well-tuned suspension delivered a controlled yet comfortable ride the

Powertrain in the sorrento hybrid as the high point while overall the design is a winner with european flair with a bit of jeep thrown into the mix there are some weird and boring bits to the sorrento that come along regardless of what’s under the hood the split led tail lights look like an afterthought or like they belong on a knockoff prototype with a weird strip

Of body color between the lighting elements there’s also the odd design flourish by the c pillar that editorial director marty padgett has dubbed the door too why is this a thing it shouldn’t be a thing the sorrento’s best angle is the front end inside it looks nice with lots of hard buttons and switches but there’s an abundance of hard plastics or thinly padded

Soft touch materials 2021 kia sorrento hybrid x base price thirty four thousand five hundred sixty dollars including destination prices tested thirty five thousand one hundred sixty dollars powertrain 227 horsepower hybrid eight-speed automatic front-wheel drive epa fuel economy 39 35 37 mpg the hit efficient powertrain european design flare comfortable ride the

Misses tiny third row smidge of torque steer no all-wheel drive option few awkward and cheap design elements you

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2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX delivers value and nearly 40 mpg By Top Cars in The World