New Kia Sorento 2021 pricing and specs detailed: Unprecedented safety for Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9 rival

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Byron Mathioudakis
Contributing Journalist
10 Sep 2020
4 min read

Kia Australia has released the all-new, fourth-generation Sorento seven-seat SUV, ushering in class-leading level of safety as well as worthwhile strides in efficiency, quality, space and specification for the 18-year-old nameplate.

The entry-level S petrol front-wheel-drive (2WD) Sorento jumps $2160 over its outgoing equivalent, to $45,850 plus on-road costs, while the flagship GT-Line petrol 2WD checks in at $60,070, up $3880 (see full pricing table below).

Going diesel sees a $3000 hike across the range and adds an on-demand all-wheel-drive system, meaning no petrol AWD is available – as per the related-under-the-skin Hyundai Santa Fe and 2021’s Palisade upper-large SUV.

Driveaway pricing is also available, with petrol 2WD variants of the S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line priced from $46,990, $49,990, $54,390 and $61,990 respectively, while diesel AWD versions once again command a $3000 premium.

The engine in question above is a new 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit, while an updated 200kW/332Nm 3.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol V6 is the other option. Both employ an in-house eight-speed automatic, though to help boost economy and efficiency for the European markets, the diesel ditches the torque-converter unit for a new dual-wet-clutch transmission.

2021 Kia Sorento GT-Line
2021 Kia Sorento GT-Line

Kia South Korea brought a new-gen Sorento to Australia to tune its suspension and steering for local conditions before the COVID-19 outbreak, meaning all models Down Under benefit from the chassis tweak.

To offset the price rises, the new Sorento is the first large SUV to introduce a front centre side airbag, situated between the front-seat occupants to provide potentially life-saving lateral impact-related brain-damage mitigation.

Standard equipment in the S includes LED headlights, daytime running lights and foglights; rain-sensing wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels (with a full-size spare), an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto support, dual Bluetooth connectivity, a six-speaker sound system, a 4.2-inch multifunction display, cloth upholstery, four USB ports (three front, one rear), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with junction assist and pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, exit assist, adaptive cruise control, driver-attention alert, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

The Sport adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch touchsreen multimedia system, satellite navigation with live traffic, dual-zone climate control, a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support, and tyre pressure monitoring.

2021 Kia Sorento GT-Line
2021 Kia Sorento GT-Line

Meanwhile, the Sport+ also picks up 19-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, LED tail-lights, a power-operated tailgate, keyless entry and start, four more rear USB ports, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, leather-appointed upholstery and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The GT-Line stands out with dark-chrome 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.0-inch head-up display, a wireless smartphone charger, ventilated front seats, a 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat, a 10-way power-adjustable front passenger seat with lumbar support, heated rear seats, middle-row sunshade blinds, quilted Nappa leather-appointed upholstery, ambient lighting, rear AEB, blind-spot cameras, remote park assist, surround-view cameras and rear occupant alert.

Seven paintwork options are available, including Clear White, Mineral Blue, Snow White Pearl, Steel Grey, Silky Silver, Aurora Black and Gravity Blue.

Revealed back in February, the latest Sorento is marginally longer (+10mm), wider (+10mm) and taller (+10mm) than its successful predecessor, while it sits on a longer wheelbase (+35mm) to boost interior space across all three rows.

Speaking of which, cargo capacity is 187L (VDA), but stow the third row and it increases to 616L. Better yet, also fold down the middles seats and there's 2011L to play with.

In all variants, ground clearance is rated at 176mm, while towing capacity is rated at 2000kg (braked).

Factor in the more contemporary styling, advanced safety specification, keen pricing and industry-leading seven-year warranty, and the new Sorento should be off to a strong start.

2021 Kia Sorento pricing

VariantTransmissionBefore on-road costsDriveaway
S petrol FWDautomatic$45,850 (+$2160)$46,990
Sport petrol FWDautomatic$48,470 (+$2780)$49,990
Sport+ petrol FWDautomatic$52,850 (NEW)$54,390
GT-Line petrol FWDautomatic$60,070 (+$3880)$61,990
S diesel AWDautomatic$48,850 (+$2660)$49,990
Sport diesel AWDautomatic$51,470 (+$3280)$52,990
Sport+ diesel AWDautomatic$55,850 (NEW)$57,390
GT-Line diesel AWDautomatic$63,070 (+$3380)$64,990

UPDATED: 10/09/20 

Byron Mathioudakis
Contributing Journalist
Byron started his motoring journalism career when he joined John Mellor in 1997 before becoming a freelance motoring writer two years later. He wrote for several motoring publications and was ABC Youth radio Triple J's "all things automotive" correspondent from 2001 to 2003. He rejoined John Mellor in early 2003 and has been with GoAutoMedia as a senior product and industry journalist ever since. With an eye for detail and a vast knowledge base of both new and used cars Byron lives and breathes motoring. His encyclopedic knowledge of cars was acquired from childhood by reading just about every issue of every car magazine ever to hit a newsstand in Australia. The child Byron was the consummate car spotter, devoured and collected anything written about cars that he could lay his hands on and by nine had driven more imaginary miles at the wheel of the family Ford Falcon in the driveway at home than many people drive in a lifetime. The teenage Byron filled in the agonising years leading up to getting his driver's license by reading the words of the leading motoring editors of the country and learning what they look for in a car and how to write it. In short, Byron loves cars and knows pretty much all there is to know about every vehicle released during his lifetime as well as most of the ones that were around before then.
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