Kia Sorento vs Mitsubishi Pajero

What's the difference?

The Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV is a sumptuously equipped seven-seater that delivers comfort, tech and an easy-going drive. It presents well on the surface, and for the right buyer (one who can make the most of its plug-in capabilities ) it could be a smart, low-emissions option for family life.

But for all its polish, it doesn’t quite do enough to justify itself as the best Sorento in the range. The electric-only driving range isn’t especially generous, and the higher price tag , combined with its lower towing capacity, may leave some families wondering whether the diesel variant is the more practical choice.

It’s not a bad car by any means, but the flagship GT-Line PHEV feels more like a stepping stone than a standout.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS 2WD seven-seater is a well-built and well-priced family-friendly wagon.

It's nice to drive, has a rather comfortable interior and – bonus – the vehicle on which it's based has proven credibility as a no-nonsense and highly functional touring vehicle.

But in 2WD guise it's missing something: namely Super Select II, which accounts for a considerable chunk of the 4WD Pajero Sport’s appeal – so the absence of that in this 2WD version is a significant negative, in my books.

The not-so-subtle point I’m trying to make? Sure, the 2WD Pajero Sport is a few grand cheaper than its 4WD stablemate and it's a solid value-for-money buy as is, but I reckon paying the extra cash to get your hands on a Pajero Sport that's equipped with Super-Select II is the better bet.

The Sorento looks exactly how a modern SUV should - confident, capable, and well-proportioned without feeling bulky. It wears its size well, delivering that commanding presence families often want in a seven-seater, without coming across as too aggressive.

I especially like the 19-inch alloy wheels as they suit the vehicle’s stance perfectly. I also like the striking LED lighting signatures front and rear, which really come to life after dark.

Step inside and the cabin strikes a neat balance between tech-forward and user-friendly. You’re greeted by dual 12.3-inch widescreen displays that make a strong first impression, but thankfully Kia hasn’t gone all-digital! You still get physical buttons and dials where they matter, making everything feel intuitive and easy to navigate.

Material quality is a highlight. There’s quilted Nappa leather upholstery, soft-touch surfaces throughout, and even a luxe suede headliner. These premium touches, coupled with the panoramic sunroof, lift the ambience and it's a cabin that feels genuinely upmarket, but not at the cost of family friendly functionality.

The Pajero Sport is 4825mm long (with a 2800mm wheelbase), 1815mm wide and 1835mm high. It has an official kerb weight of 1980kg.

I don’t mind the styling of the Pajero Sport. It doesn’t look as bulky as many of its rivals and it manages to have a rather contemporary, but comfortably middle of the road, presence.

If you’re that concerned about keeping up appearances, perhaps take a look at a Pajero Sport in the metal, drive it, imagine yourself living with it day to day, then make up your own mind whether you think it suits you or not.

Easy.

Space up front is generous, with excellent seat comfort thanks to wide seat bases, extendable under-thigh support and heating and ventilation. Getting in and out is easy, too, helped by wide door openings and a manageable 176mm ground clearance.

Storage throughout the cabin is thoughtful and abundant. Up front, there’s a large glovebox, a spacious centre console with a removable shelf, two cupholders, door bins with bottle holders, and a handy phone cubby beneath the dash.

The second row adds its own bottle holders and storage bins in each door, map pockets, four cupholders (including one cleverly placed on each door) and a removable floor shelf in front of the centre seat.

Even the third row isn’t forgotten, with a snack cubby and cupholder built into each wheel arch.

Tech-wise, the dual 12.3-inch displays look sharp, and the media system is intuitive and quick to respond. The instrument cluster isn’t particularly customisable, and I’m not a huge fan of the layout, but it displays the essentials clearly. You also get a head-up display, satellite navigation with over-the-air updates, and both wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Charging options are solid across all three rows, with multiple USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket in the second row and boot, and a wireless charging pad up front.

The second row offers ample legroom, though headroom is slightly reduced due to the panoramic sunroof. The lack of a transmission tunnel is a win for middle seat comfort, and the bench is wide enough to accommodate three child seats side-by-side. There are three top-tether points and ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats.

Comfort and convenience features in the second row include heated outboard seats, device pockets, directional air vents, and the same handy storage and charging options mentioned earlier. My son especially loves the retractable sunblinds and the cupholders built into the door handles as they’re easy to reach and super practical. I am, however, disappointed that there’s no separate climate control zone for this row.

As for the third row, it’s best treated as a sometimes seat for adults. Access is more child-sized, and amenities are limited, but you do get directional air vents and a fan control, which are definitely appreciated.

Boot space is tight with all three rows in use, at just 175L, but that was still enough for the odd errand during the week. Fold the third row down and you get a much more usable 604L. Both rows fold completely flat, making it easy to slide in larger items, and the GT-Line includes a powered tailgate and a rare full-size spare wheel for extra convenience.

The interior has a practical and familiar feel about it. Sure, it’s a bit on the basic side of things – with cloth seats and rubber floor mats – and it certainly lacks the plethora of soft-touch surfaces some of its more expensive rivals may have, but this interior’s life-friendly sense is a bigger positive for it than any posh addition could be.

The front seats are rather supportive, with a real snug feel to them, and are manually adjustable, which is fine with me.

The reach- and height-adjustable steering wheel has paddle shifters for when your driving takes on more of a sense of urgency. 

The dash and 8.0-inch touchscreen media unit has an integrated sense to it. And this cabin’s all-pervasive sense of familiarity continues here with all of the buttons and dials easy to spot on the fly and, more importantly, operate without fumbling around for them.

Driver and front passenger have access to media and aircon controls, among others, as well as cup-holders in between the front seats, a bottle holder in each of the doors, and small spots here and there for your wallet, keys etc.

The second row is suitably comfortable and I sat behind my driving position and there was plenty of head and leg room. It’d be much squeezier for those of us who stand at six-feet (182cm) or beyond.

Second-row passengers have access to a fold-down arm-rest with cup holders, air vents and there are USB charge points and a power socket in the rear of the centre-console. 

The seat-backs have map pockets and the doors each have a bottle holder.

The second row is equipped with three child-seat top-tether points, and two ISOFIX points. It is a 60:40 split-fold configuration.

Passengers in the third-row seat have access to cup-holders and air vents, but that’s little compensation because the space back here is on the wrong side of tight. 

The third row is a 50:50 split-fold configuration.

In terms of packability, the rear cargo area’s volume is listed as 131 litres when all three rows are being used as seating; 502 litres when two rows are in use; and 1488 when the second and third rows are stowed away. 

Annoyingly, the third row is a real bugger to stow away and doesn’t fold flat into the floor. Maybe I’m missing a trick but this third-row strife was a source of more than a bit of frustration for the photographer and I – and we’re both experienced vehicle-based travellers.

The rear cargo area is equipped with power sockets and tie-down points. There is a shallow underfloor storage box back there as well.

Our test vehicle – a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS 2WD seven-seater – has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $49,190 (before on-road costs).

But our wagon had a stack of accessories, which included alloy front protection bar ($3879), towbar kit ($1386), towball cover ($7), rear cargo liner ($205), and carpet mat set ($230). That total accessories cost of $5707 (price includes recommended dealer fitment cost) brings this vehicle’s as-tested price to $54,897.

There is a 2WD GLX spec, a five-seater, which is slightly cheaper than our test vehicle, with an MSRP of $44,440.

The standard features list on the GLS is generous and includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit (with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite navigation), dual-zone climate control air conditioning, a power tailgate, privacy glass, automatic rain-sensing wipers and dusk-sensing headlights and, of course, seven seats.

I’ve mentioned the accessories above – and there are lot more of a variety of those available from Mitsubishi as well as from Australia’s bloody awesome aftermarket industry – so let’s get cracking with the yarn proper.

Powering this GT-Line variant is a plug-in hybrid system that pairs a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a small electric motor and battery. Combined, the system delivers up to 195kW of power and 350Nm of torque, which is plenty to get this sizeable SUV moving with confidence.

It’s a part-time all-wheel-drive set-up with a lock mode for extra traction when needed, and it’s paired with a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission.

Around town and on the highway, the power delivery feels seamless and refined, with the electric motor doing a nice job of smoothing out stop-start driving.

One key trade-off, however, is towing capacity. While the diesel Sorento can tow up to 2000kg braked, the PHEV’s figure drops to just 1010kg. That’s a significant reduction and could be a deal-breaker for families who regularly tow a camper, trailer or boat.

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which produces 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm, and it has an eight-speed automatic transmission.

This 2WD variant does not have Mitsubishi’s impressive Super-Select II 4WD system, of which I’m a big fan, and that absence is a substantial negative against it, I reckon. But more about that very soon…

The Sorento GT-Line PHEV offers a WLTP-rated electric-only driving range of up to 57km - not huge, but enough to cover most daily commutes or school runs without dipping into the petrol tank.

When driven as intended and regularly charged, it’s capable of a combined fuel consumption figure as low as 1.6L/100km and this is paired with a 67-litre fuel tank. That means you could go a seriously long time between fill-ups if you’re topping up the battery daily.

In my week of testing, which included a mix of highway stints and urban errands, the trip computer reported an average of 7.2L/100km.

That’s well above the official figure, but still pretty reasonable considering the type of driving I was doing.

Charging is simple enough. The Sorento uses a Type 2 charging port, and on a standard 3.3kW AC charger, the 14kWh battery can be charged from 15 to 95 per cent in about three hours and 26 minutes.

Kia includes a portable AC charger with this grade, which is a handy bonus for charging at home or on the go.

The 2WD Pajero Sport has an offical fuel consumption of 8.0L/100km on a combined cycle. 

On our test, which included a stint of dirt-road driving, we recorded fuel consumption from fill to fill of 9.2L/100km.

It has a 68-litre fuel tank so, with that sort of fuel-consumption figure, you can reasonably expect a driving range of approximately 690km from a full tank, but that’s factoring in a safe-distance buffer of 50km.

The Sorento PHEV hits most of the right notes when it comes to power delivery and gear shifts. Occasionally, there's a slight hesitation between whether the engine or electric motor should take the lead - like a dance partner who’s just a touch out of step. It’s noticeable, but not disruptive.

Most of the time, the transition between power sources is smooth, and there’s more than enough grunt for overtaking or merging confidently.

The suspension has a springy, soft edge to it and you’ll feel some movement over bumps but it’s never harsh or uncomfortable. It corners surprisingly well for a large SUV, with responsive, albeit lighter, steering. Body roll is present if you push into tight bends, but that's par for the course in a seven-seater.

Regenerative braking is subtle, almost too subtle. There’s not much feedback, and it can feel a bit heavy underfoot in stop-start traffic. It’s not a deal-breaker, but worth noting if you’re expecting the more pronounced regen feel you get in some other hybrids or EVs.

The cabin remains quiet at both urban and highway speeds, making it easy to hold a conversation across all three rows. Visibility is generally good, though the thicker pillars take a little getting used to. The digital rearview mirror is a great touch when the back seats are loaded with people or gear.

Parking is refreshingly simple thanks to a crisp 360-degree camera and front and rear sensors. One of my favourite features is the remote smart parking, which lets you move the car forwards or backwards via the keyfob, a lifesaver in tight parking spots. Just don’t teach your eight-year-old how to use it ...

This is mostly a smooth driving wagon while tackling daily duties on the blacktop and with some highway stretches thrown into the mix. 

Steering has a nice weight to it and the Pajero Sport is a nimble, highly manoeuvrable SUV, with a turning circle of 11.2m, even if it does start to reveal more than a bit of body-roll through more aggressive driving. No surprise and no worries – this is an SUV after all, not a sports car. 

Also, worth noting is the fact that our test vehicle’s alloy bullbar made it heavier at the front end thus affecting its handling somewhat.

Throttle response is sharp and the 2WD Pajero Sport retains the line-up’s punchy turbo-diesel engine and teamed with the eight-speed auto it makes for a quietly effective, rarely stressed working partnership, rather than an energetic match-up.

The suspension set-up here – double wishbones with coil springs and stabiliser bar at the front, and three-link, coil springs and stabiliser bar at the rear – yields a very firm ride and one which can tend towards jarring if you’re traversing chopped-up back-country bitumen or really anything beyond bitumen that's in good nick.

The tyres – Toyo Open Country A32 (265/60R18) – are well-suited to bitumen, not so much to off-roading, which is perfectly reasonable for this 2WD vehicle. Also, this rubber is on the correct side of quiet.

As mentioned earlier, Mitsubishi’s Super-Select II 4WD system is missing from this variant, obviously, as this is a 2WD. And that’s a crying shame because even if you never venture off the road, Super-Select II is very handy. In Pajero Sports equipped with it, you can drive in 4H (4WD high range) even on bitumen or any high-traction surface because 4H in this vehicle means that – and I’m directly quoting Mitsubishi’s offical system explanation here – “all wheels are driven via the transfer case with an open centre differential, this means all four wheels will send power to the ground while still operating independently of one another”.

If you drove like that in most other 4WDs – at speed in 4H on bitumen or the like – you’d risk transmission wind-up, but there’s no danger of that in a 4WD Pajero Sport because its centre diff is open, not locked, when 4H is engaged.

This gives the driver increased traction and so better control and that means it’s a safer all-round driving experience for everyone involved.

Unfortunately, none of those benefits are available in this 2WD variant.

Having said all of that, this Pajero Sport is very drivable, functional and still manages to retain respectable, if not high, levels of refinement.

The Pajero Sport has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing in October, 2015.

Safety gear includes seven airbags (driver’s knee, driver and passenger front, driver and passenger front sides, and curtains) and this Pajero Sport’s suite of active safety and driver-assist tech includes AEB, adaptive cruise control, trailer stability assist, rear view camera and rear parking sensors, but it somehow misses out on blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.

The Sorento is backed by Kia’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which keeps the Sorento competitive in a market that is slowly starting to offer seven/year plus terms as standard.

You’ll also benefit from capped-price servicing for up to seven years or 70,000km, with an average cost of $764 per visit. That’s on the pricier side, especially when compared to some rivals.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, so if you’re someone who racks up the kilometres quickly, that could mean more frequent trips to the service centre than you’d like.

It’s also worth noting that the GT-Line PHEV requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, which is something to factor into your ongoing running costs, particularly if you're already trying to offset fuel usage with regular charging.

Pajero Sport 2WD is eligible for Mitsubishi's so-called "10/10 Diamond Advantage" package, which includes a 10-year/200,000km warranty and 10 year/150,000km capped price servicing. But you need to ensure you get the vehicle serviced at an authorised Mitsubishi dealer to take advantage of the 10-year warranty plan.

Each capped price servicing extends free roadside assistance by another 12 months.

The servicing schedule and costs per service are: $399 (at 12months/15,000), $399 (24 months/30,000km), $499 (36 months/45,000km), $699 (48 months/60,000km), $499 (60 months/75,000km), $699 (72 months/90,000km), $499 (84 months/105,000km), $999 (96 months/120,000km), $599 (108 months/135,000km), and $699 (120 months/150,000km).