The 2024 Kia Sorento is definitely coming, but the confirmation about the North American market is still vague. On the contrary, the Sorento for Australian market has been confirmed. The crossover would get a facelift and it would launch around this year in Australia. The refreshed work happening to the 3-row crossover is said to be inspired by the EV9, which is bolder and somewhat more aggressive. If everything goes as scheduled, the Sorento would debut within this 2023’s second half.
The Updated Plan
The Sorento would get a mid-life refreshment, which means that you can expect new look and even new vibe. The company has made an official confirmation that it would be coming to Australia in 2023, but launch in other markets is still unknown.
The Exterior Updates
There have been several spyshots on the net, showing off the Sorento with heavy camo. Based on the shots, the prototypes seem to have unchanged styles on the side, but they have heavy cover on the front and also rear ends. Although they are covered pretty tightly, there are several styling cues that we can make. For instance, some auto enthusiasts are able to make out the new headlights (which are vertically oriented), which have been utilized in the upcoming EV9 (the flagship SUV) and also the Telluride.
Although the taillights don’t seem to change drastically, you can still see some updated graphics. There is also a possibility that it’s connected with the (du jour) light bar. The mid-cycle cosmetic touchups would also include new wheel designs, refreshed bumpers, and also new-looking grille.
The Interior Improvement
The updates would also take place within the cabin of new 2024 Kia Sorento. Many have predicted that the changes would likely focus on the display tech with less cluttered dashboard, resulting in a neater and more modern dash appearance.
There would be infotainment display as well as digital instrument cluster, which have incorporated within the smaller Sportage and Seltos. The infotainment display would be coming with bigger central touchscreen display with 12.3 inch in size. The new revised Telluride has exactly the same arrangement and setup, so you get the idea.
But then again, it’s likely the offered features and techs depend on the trim levels. For instance, the GT-Line offers 12.3 inch of digital (instrument) cluster and other luxury. Naturally, the higher the trim levels, the more standard features you can expect.
Powertrain and Performance
The current Sorento is the fourth gen crossover, debuted in 2020 globally. This model has offered various types of powertrains, depending on the market. In Australia, the Sorento is coming with V6 naturally aspirated unit with 3.5 liter capacity. In other markets, however, there are naturally aspirated unit and also four cylinder petro turbocharged unit with 2.5 liter capacity.
It’s highly likely that the 2024 Australian Sorento would be coming with four cylinder turbodiesel unit with 2.2 liter capacity, together with four cylinder plug in hybrid unit, and also 1.6 liter turbocharged hybrid unit.
Since the diesel is also offered in European market, it’s possible that it would get mild hybrid 48V technology – as we can see in other Kia models. However, it’s still unclear whether this kind of technology would be offered in Australia or not.
Final Words
Kia is seriously preparing Sorento, especially with this facelift, so it would improve its physical appeal. With bolder and more imposing appearance, the Sorento can have a better alignment with other SUVs (from Kia) while competing against Hyundai Santa Fe. The price range for this Sorento is still unknown, so let’s wait for further updates and official announcement about the new 2024 Kia Sorento.