Kia Sorento Hybrid SUV Spied Testing In India; 2026 Launch Expected
Kia recently confirmed that the Sorento would come to India. Days after this announcement, the SUV has now been spotted testing here. This time, a Red coloured unit was spotted with dark camouflage, being driven on Indian roads. A video of the same surfaced on the official Instagram handle of NDTV Automate.
The name Sorento is new to the Indian market. However, it is already on sale in multiple global markets. In the spy pictures, we see the Sorento entering and leaving a toll plaza and being driven through a highway. We see the rear, front and side views of the car. We can see how large the car is.
It is easy to deduce the overall design of the Sorento from the latest spy sighting. It will have squared-off wheel arches, high-set bonnet, a wide rear section and a flat tailgate. The front and rear ends have been camouflaged heavily. Even so, we can see the T-shaped LED DRLs, and stylish connected LED tail lamps. These emphasize the vehicle’s width.
Parking sensors can be seen at both ends. The vehicle will also come with a level 2 ADAS suite offering features like adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert. These features are now becoming increasingly common even in lower segments and there is no way that something like the Sorento would miss out on them. We can also see the hybrid-spec alloy wheels in the clip.
This is not the first time that the Sorento has been spied on test herel. Last time, however, it was seen standing still inside a basement parking lot. Since it is seen driving on the road this time, we are able to get a better perspective of the actual size and road presence.
Inside, the Sorento is expected to be tech-heavy. Kia hasn’t revealed the India-spec’s interior design officially, nor have we seen it in spy shots. Going by what the international spec offers, it is safe to expect features like a panoramic curved display housing two 12.3-inch screens (infotainment unit and instrument cluster), Kia’s latest connectivity suite, ventilated seats- likely for both first and second rows, multi-zone climate control, ambient lighting, BOSE audio, electrically adjustable seats, and panoramic sunroof on the Indian model as well. Additionally, the SUV will offer multiple charging points and flexible cargo space as well.
Talking of dimensions, the Sorento measures around 4.8 metres in length, 1.9 metres in width and 1.7 metres in height. It has a wheelbase of about 2.8 metres. The Fortuner measures 4.8 metres in length, 1.9 metres in width, and 1.8 metres in height. In its case, the wheelbase is 2.8 metres.
The Sorento is thus going to be as large as a Fortuner, and that’s how Kia would position it in the Indian market. Previous rumours had hinted at the Sorento being positioned as a Mahindra XUV 7XO rival. More recently, we learned that this wouldn’t be the case and the Sorento could be priced well above the 7XO.
Globally, the Sorento is available with multiple engine options- a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a 1.6-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine, and a 2.2-litre diesel engine. In India, it will likely be brought as a strong hybrid. We aren’t sure if the turbo-petrol or diesel will also be introduced here.
Instead of the 1.6-litre turbo petrol hybrid, it will get a newly-developed 1.5L strong hybrid engine. It will be built around a 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine and will be used in several Hyundai and Kia models in the future. The power and torque figures of this setup remain unclear at the time of writing. It will come with an automatic transmission.
Source Video: NDTV Automate