The rugged-ish treatment is coming to the midsize SUV.
The fourth-generation Sorento was unveiled by Kia in February for Asian markets. A month later, the Euro version was revealed. The midsize SUV, which is now available in North America, will soon be available with an X-Line model. This trim level is a ruggedized version of the crossover design that Kia also uses for its funky Soul. There’s also a Seltos X-Line in other markets and even a Rio X-Line. Based on a leak internal survey, a Telluride X–Line may also be in the works.
But, let’s get back to the Sorento. Next Tuesday, September 22, it will be wearing North American clothing. The Kia released a few teaser images of the new SUV, including one that shows the X-Line badge, and another showing the grainy side profile in its rugged trim level. The two photos adjacent show the redesigned Sorento in a green color, which may be the same Undercover Green paint that is available for the soul X-Line.
The technical specifications for the US-spec model will not be revealed until next week. However, we have a good idea of what to expect by looking at the global Sorento. The turbocharged 2.5-liter gasoline engine will be the bread and butter of sales. It produces 277 horsepower and 310 lb-ft (421 Newton-meters).
The new Sorento is also designed by Kia to house a hybrid powertrain. This combines a turbocharged, 1.6-liter gasoline engine and a 44-kW electrical motor. It produces 227 horsepower (350 Nm) and 258 lbft (227 hp). The electrified version comes with an all-wheel drive and a six speed automatic transmission. A plug-in hybrid version will soon be available in certain markets. A 2.2-liter diesel engine with 199 horsepower and 325 lbft (440 Nm), is also available for Europe. However, it’s highly unlikely that this one will make it to the US.
We expect the new Sorento will go on sale in the latter part of this year with the North American version coming for the model year 2021.