Bold new face and interior redesign for 2023 Kia Sorento
Sorento gets a freshly designed front fascia as on the EV9
Popular family SUV dons a new look inspired by the EV9 and adds haptic climate controls
The Kia Sorento has been updated for 2023 with a bold new look to bring it into line with the similarly sized EV9 electric SUV.
Pictures published by Kia on social media reveal a thoroughly restyled front end and a cleaner dashboard design as the headline changes, which arrive around three years after the Sorento was launched in its current incarnation.
Substantial revisions at the front are drawn from Kia's new Opposites United design language, something the Korean brand says comes “from the contrasts found in nature and humanity”.
T-shaped headlights with LED daytime running lights and separate foglights flank a redesigned front grille and the rear lights are now joined together at the top – giving the impression of added width – and sit above a nipped and tucked rear apron. The reversing lights have also been moved further down so that they now sit below the rear reflectors.
New alloy wheel designs, trim options and paint schemes will no doubt round off the mid-life changes for the exterior.
Inside, revisions to the interior bring a cleaner design: the air vents and climate controls are now integrated into the dashboard, which helps to accommodate a larger, simpler one-piece interface for the infotainment and driver display.
There are new trim pieces with brushed-metal finish, there are revised graphics for the speedometer and rev counter and capacitive buttons for the air conditioning have been introduced to bring it in line with the EV6 and Sportage.
Finally, there are three new interior colours: Interstellar Grey, Volcanic Brown, and Cityscape Green.
The Sorento is highly likely to carry over its current engine and powertrain options. Three are currently available in the UK: a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel making 190bhp, a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-pot petrol hybridised with a single electric motor to make 227bhp and the same engine in a plug-in hybrid system making 281bhp.
These changes will keep the Sorento fresh for the second half of its planned lifecycle, which should come to an end in 2026 or 2027.
Kia hasn't announced any plans to introduce an electric version, but it recently revealed the EV5 concept as a close preview of a similarly sized electric SUV that's expected to go on sale next year.
The brand will reveal UK specifications in the coming months, but prices are expected to climb slightly in light of wider market trends, meaning the entry-level diesel will be priced from roughly £42,000 and the top-line plug-in hybrid nearer £50,000.