2022 Kia Sorento PHEV: What Do You Want to Know?

What would you like to know about the Kia Sorento PHEV? Photo: Kia

It’s 2022 and Kia has a new SUV out. That might not sound like particularly breaking news on the face of it, but this is the all-new Kia Sorento PHEV, the first plug-in hybrid Sorento that Kia has offered. To find out what difference a battery and electric motor have made, I’m heading to the Catskills in a Sorento PHEV this weekend. What would you like to know about it?

The formula is pretty simple for the Sorento PHEV: take the original (very popular) SUV and squeeze a host of electric components into the drivetrain to improve efficiency. In the Sorento, the electric motor brings 90 hp to the party and comes with enough juice for a promised 32 miles of gas-free driving.

On top of its all-electric range, that hybrid power unit is there to boost your fuel economy. And this 4,500lb car can manage up to 33 mpg combined in hybrid mode.

But how does the addition of this electric power (and extra weight) affect the usability of this crossover? And how does it compare to other plug-in hybrid models out there? I’m out to test all this and more over a four-day trip with this Sorento.

Obligatory charging port photo. Photo: Kia

Over the course of the next few days I’ll trial the Sorento PHEV on city streets, highways and mountain passes to see how it performs on battery and gas power. Also, I’ll be taking the SUV into its intended environment, with a few days of outdoorsy activities and some camping in the mountains, to see how practical this vehicle really is.

The Sorento I’m driving is an SX Prestige model, which packs in all-wheel drive, a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox. It also comes with driver assists like blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping and parking assist. All in, this Sorento PHEV will set you back $49,720 if you can track one down without any dealer markups.

So, for just shy of $50,000, what would you like your plug-in hybrid SUV to be able to do?