The 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid offers great fuel economy with plenty of safety features and lively performance

The excellent fuel economy of the Sorento Hybrid is the highlight, but there’s a lot more to love about this SUV. With 227 horsepower, you aren’t compromising on performance, and it actually has more power and torque than the base engine in the non-hybrid Sorento. It’s also well-equipped with standard safety and infotainment tech features.

The closest competitors to the Kia Sorento Hybrid are the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Toyota
TM,
+1.86%
Venza, which are similar in size and price. Still, neither is available with a third row of seats. A couple of bigger 3-row options include the hybrid variants of the Toyota Highlander and Ford
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Explorer, but those are both more expensive and less efficient than the Sorento Hybrid.

Also see: The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe is a great value among 2-row midsize SUVs

The Kia Sorento is also available as a plug-in hybrid and as a non-hybrid with two different gas engines available. The Sorento Hybrid is a nice middle-ground between the other two Sorento variants in terms of price and efficiency. The standard Kia Sorento and the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid are reviewed separately.

2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid pricing

The 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX FWD starts at $36,690. In luxurious SX Prestige trim, the Sorento Hybrid begins at $42,490. It comes standard with AWD. If you’re not sure which SUV is right for you, look at a side-by-side comparison of the two trims.

These are manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) and don’t include the $1,325 factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge).

As you might expect, the Sorento Hybrid is a little more expensive than a similarly equipped, non-hybrid Sorento.

As priced, the 2023 Sorento Hybrid is close to the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid. The Toyota Venza, with AWD and standard hybrid powertrain, has a slightly lower starting price. However, you can’t get a Venza or Santa Fe Hybrid with 3-row seating.

The bigger Toyota Highlander Hybrid has three rows of seats, but it’s less efficient and more expensive than the Sorento Hybrid, starting at around $40,000. The Ford Explorer Hybrid is another option in hybrid 3-row SUVs, but it’s only available in the expensive Limited trim, and it isn’t as fuel-efficient.

Before buying a Sorento Hybrid, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Kia Sorento Hybrid resale value is about average for the segment.

Check out: The 10 best hybrid SUVs for 2023

Driving the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid

The Kia Sorento Hybrid is engineered in a way that strikes an arguably perfect balance of performance and efficiency. The Ford Explorer Hybrid can tow up to 5,000 pounds but has unimpressive fuel economy. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is pretty efficient, but the performance isn’t as good as the non-hybrid. The Sorento Hybrid is the Goldilocks hybrid SUV that gets it just right.

With more than enough power and torque, the Sorento Hybrid has plenty of pep when accelerating from a stop. Getting up to highway speeds doesn’t require much patience, and even passing on the highway isn’t much of a challenge. All the while, you’re getting up to 37 combined mpg.

The Sorento Hybrid is also so smooth and quiet that you might forget you’re driving a hybrid. The suspension, steering, and braking are all satisfactory in providing a comfortable driving experience.

A pleasant surprise in the Sorento Hybrid drivetrain is a traditional 6-speed automatic transmission. Rather than a gearless continuously variable transmission (CVT) common in hybrids, this 6-speed has decisive shifts that give this hybrid SUV a surprising level of driving engagement.

Interior comfort

If you haven’t been in a Kia in a while, you might be surprised by the level of refinement in the interior of the Sorento Hybrid. It has a pleasing interior design with nice materials and well-placed controls. The SynTex faux leather seating looks and feels nice, and the sizeable 10.25-inch infotainment system is easy to use.

Three-row seating for up to six people and second-row captain’s chairs come standard in the Sorento Hybrid. The second row is roomy and comfortable, but the third row is pretty tight. This is a great SUV for drivers who only occasionally need a third row of seats. If you have a big family and need those extra seats regularly, you’ll be better off with a bigger SUV or a minivan.

The cargo space behind the third row of seats is a little tight. However, if you can afford to have the third row folded down most of the time, you get pretty good cargo space.

Also read: Most car shoppers are looking for hybrids, not EVs

Exterior styling

The Kia Sorento Hybrid is a stylish SUV with a design that isn’t obvious about being a hybrid. It’s almost indistinguishable from the non-hybrid Sorento, which is a good thing. However, the hybrid model doesn’t have the rugged-looking X-Line appearance package that the AWD-equipped, non-hybrid Sorento models can have.

Other than the wheels, there isn’t much of a visual difference between the two trims of the Sorento Hybrid. They even have the same paint options.

As for the size, the Kia Sorento Hybrid has dimensions very similar to the Hyundai Santa Fe (and its hybrid counterpart) and Toyota Venza. The Kia is smaller than other popular 3-row SUVs with hybrid variants like the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer.

You might like: The new 2024 Kia EV9: Here’s a more affordable electric option for big families

Favorite features

Hybrid efficiency
With a fuel economy rating of up to 39 city/35 highway mpg, the Kia Sorento Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient 3-row SUV on the market that doesn’t plug into the wall.

Standard second-row captain’s chairs
Captain’s chairs make the second row more comfortable and the third row easier to access. This can be a costly option in competing SUVs.

Standard features

The Kia Sorento Hybrid EX is very well equipped. Standard features include 3-row seating for up to six, SofTex faux leather seats, heated front seats, second-row captain’s chairs, dual-zone automatic climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, LED headlights, a whopping eight USB ports, and the Kia Connect app with remote start and cabin climate control.

The standard infotainment system is a large 10.25-inch touchscreen loaded with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM, and navigation.

Also standard: a wireless charging pad, a hands-free power liftgate, LED fog lights, and several driver assistance features like the Highway Driving Assist system, adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, and intersection turning assist.

Standard Kia Drive Wise safety tech features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert, and rear parking sensors.

Factory options

Upgrading to the loaded SX Prestige trim brings some excellent premium features to the Sorento Hybrid. These include perforated leather seat trim, a premium Bose stereo, a 115-volt inverter and the Surround View Monitor, which provides a safety-enhancing bird’s eye view that makes driving this Sorento in driveways and parking lots much safer. It also gets you a Blind View Monitor, which makes lane changes much safer by providing a video view of your rear three-quarter blind spot when signaling to change lanes.

On both trim levels of the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid, front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional ($1,800)

Engine and transmission

The Kia Sorento Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 gas engine mated to a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. The total output is 227 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, which are pretty good numbers for an SUV this size. It returns up to 39 city/35 highway mpg with front-wheel drive (FWD), and all-wheel drive (AWD) comes with a slight fuel economy penalty.

Every Sorento Hybrid uses a 6-speed automatic transmission. The maximum towing capacity of the 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid is only 2,000 pounds.

1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4
Permanent magnet synchronous electric motor
227 horsepower (total system output)
258 lb-ft of torque (total system output)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 39/35 mpg (FWD), 36/33 mpg (AWD)

More Sorento Hybrid fuel economy information is available at the EPA’s website.

Great safety ratings

The Kia Sorento Hybrid is an IIHS Top Safety Pick and it gets a 4-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Good safety scores further improve the practicality and family-friendliness of the Sorento Hybrid.

Class-leading warranty

The Sorento Hybrid is backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which are best-in-class.

KBB’s car review  methodology.

This story originally ran on KBB.com.