Kia is bullish about India and plans to increase its market share with a line-up of around 10 new cars. This includes hybrids in a big way and that also includes a large SUV which would be hybrid. We are talking about the Sorento hybrid which is coming to India this year.
The Sorento hybrid will have a range of near 1000km with a turbo hybrid powertrain with 227hp. The claimed mileage is also above 15kmpl for the hybrid at 15.7 kmpl.
The car comes with 2 row seating as standard but also comes with a 3 row configuration as optional while India will get the two row version we feel. The new Sorento is a large SUV measuring 4.85 metres while it also has a longer wheelbase of 2.81 metres.
The design is handsome and is like the Carnival to some extent. The interiors too would be feature packed while global models come with features like twin displays, power sunshade, panoramic sunroof, 360 degree camera, digital rear mirror, digital key, captains seats and more.
It also has 10 airbags, fingerprint lock and more. The space will also mean that the Sorento will have appeal in India where such SUVs are successful.
The hybrid Sorento will be coming and not the petrol or diesel model. The pricing would be premium but we expect it to be lower than current SUVs right now in this segment. The key appeal though is the hybrid powertrain and the features mix along with the styling.
