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For the past four years the Kia Sorento has been a top pick among motoring journalists in Australia, and it’s found favour with people looking for a stylish, practical family SUV.
That’s if you can get your hands on one. The past few years of pandemic-related chaos meant buyers were waiting up to a year for a high-spec Sorento. Kia reckons that will change with the 2024 model.
That’s right, it’s now time for the obligatory mid-life facelift, and this time around the Sorento gets some big and not so big changes.
The biggest changes are exterior design and interior tech upgrades. The Sorento now looks a lot like the EV9 that just launched late in 2023 - and that’s not a bad thing.
Inside the dash has been significantly rejigged with the latest multimedia and a few other helpful changes.
Aside from some tweaks to help improve ride and handling, there are no other changes under the skin.
The 2024 Toyota LandCruiser Prado was unveiled in early August and it's set to land in Australia in mid-2024.
It's the first all-new Prado in 14 years and it has many people very excited but, with delays blowing out customer wait-times for new vehicles, is a current seven-seat Prado the better option for you?
Read on.
With the Mazda CX-8 and CX-9 gone, the Sorento should get a bit more attention from buyers looking for a refined, but affordable seven-seat family-friendly SUV.
It might be missing some features in lower grades, and it lacks curtain airbags in the third row, but this facelift has only improved what was already one of the best models in its class.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.
The Kakadu treatment adds a welcome prestige to the Prado which is already a functional, comfortable daily driver and a very capable 4WD tourer as is.
It's reliably effective off-road and though it lacks the over-the-top macho appeal of something like the 70 Series LandCruiser, it still makes a very appealing platform as a touring vehicle. But this flat-tailgate Kakadu, minus the extra fuel capacity of a Prado with the tailgate-mounted spare, loses tourer appeal due to that fact.
If you choose to opt for a lower-spec Prado you'll forgo some nice Kakadu features – such as KDSS – but it'll still be a Prado after all. Money saved can be spent on aftermarket gear to fit out your new adventure machine.
Or you can wait in line with everyone else for the 2024 Prado...
The fourth-generation Sorento debuted in 2020 and I think that version is still handsome.
It’s definitely a style leader compared with its more staid rivals.
The facelift ushers in Kia’s latest design theme already seen on the striking EV9. It gets a new face with stacked LED headlights with slimline DRLs, redesigned bumpers front and rear, and tweaked tail-lights.
Inside, the redesigned dash brings the Sorento right up to date with the EV9 and gives it a much more modern vibe. It features twin integrated, curved screens and the instrument cowl has been dropped.
The Sorento also features the latest multimedia system, a redesigned centre console featuring a shift-by-wire dial instead of the old shifter, and new slimline central air vents with a digital climate display on most grades.
It’s not a wholesale interior change but the updates are significant and have helped modernise the Sorento.
The flat tailgate Kakadu is 4825mm long (4995mm with tyre mounted on the tailgate), 1885mm wide, 1880mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 2290kg (2350kg for the standard Prado).
The 2024 Prado – or the 250 Series as it's known in other markets – has an identical wheelbase to the 300 Series (2850mm), so it's 60mm longer than the current model's.
That next-generation Prado will reportedly measure 4925mm long, 1980mm wide and 1870mm high, so it's 100mm longer, 95mm wider and 20mm taller than the current Prado.
As mentioned, our test Prado's flat tailgate pack cuts fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres, which results in a substantial drop in driving range. So, it'll factor heavily in the buying decision, especially if the potential owner is keen on off-road touring.
The current Prado's design is less blocky than previous iterations but retains a recognisable Prado chunkiness. If you like your SUVs even more streamlined, but with a healthy dose of retro, you'll have to wait for the 2024 Prado.
Aside from the dash, console and tech updates, the Sorento cabin is just as practical as it was before the facelift.
That means decent space across the front row, with comfortable seats on all grades. The lower grades get cloth, while the Sport+ gets leather-appointed upholstery and the GT-Line features the lovely quilted Nappa leather.
We only drove the Sport+ and GT-Line grades at the launch, but seats in both are well bolstered and comfortable.
Storage-wise, the glovebox is small but it makes up for it with a sizeable central bin. Note that large bottle may not fit in the door cavity, but smaller bottles will be fine. There are plenty of nooks in the console to store and hide smaller items, too.
The steering wheel looks and feels nice and those controls are easy to read.
The updated multimedia setup is very modern and while it may take some familiarisation, the menu is logically structured and you can swipe between screens. In the GT-Line, the fully digital instrument display is customisable.
Kia has added a couple of cool features to the facelift. While the base S gets manual air conditioning, all other grades have dual-zone digital controls in the redesigned centre stack. This display doubles as menu buttons for the multimedia, so you can just toggle between the air-con and multimedia controls with the tap of a button. Clever.
The other new feature I am a fan of is a quick link of sorts to the vehicle settings. So the pre-update model - and many other Kia and Hyundai models including Seltos and Palisade - there is an audible speed limit alert function that, annoyingly, activates if you’re just one or two kilometres over the limit. It does this using the speed limit detection, which is not always accurate.
I have written about this before because the system is more distracting to the driver and should just be a visual warning, not visual AND audio. Read about it here.
Anyway, to turn the system off you previously had to dig into the multimedia menu to find the vehicle settings and then dig further to turn it off. And if you’re like me, you’d turn it off every time you get in the car. It was about five or six steps to do this.
Now there is a handy little star button on the steering wheel that directs you to the driver assist section of the vehicle settings and you can switch it off much faster. Thank you for listening, Kia.
The Kia’s second row has sliding and reclining 60/40 split fold seats, and while the pew is on the firm side, it’s not uncomfortable. Amenities include an armrest with cupholders, USB-C ports housed on the front seat backs, a 12-volt outlet, map pockets, more cupholders in the door-mounted armrest and room for small bottles in the doors.
To access the third row, just tap the button on the side of the outboard seats and it will fold automatically. Thankfully you don’t need to fold yourself in half to get into the third row.
Once back there, space is tight for a lanky six-foot-one man like me, but it will be fine for kids on occasional trips. They have access to a phone holder, cup holder, USB-C ports, a 12-volt port, air vents on both sides and rear air-con controls on the driver's side.
I have previously sat in the third row of both the Sorento and the Toyota Kluger, and found the Kia had more amenities, and was a much nicer space than the Kluger.
Open the power tailgate and you’ll find a decent amount of space. With 179 litres (all seats in place), 608L (third row stowed) and 1996L (both rear rows stowed), the Sorento has less space than the Kluger with all seats up, but the Sorento beats it when you drop that rear row.
Also, the second and third row fold flat, which is very handy for loading in big items.
The Sorento has a full-size alloy spare wheel across all petrol and diesel grades.
The Prado's interior has a comforting familiarity about it. Sure, it feels a bit dated, but I like it. It's plush, functional and very comfortable.
The front seats are heated, ventilated and power-adjustable and the driver and front passenger have easy access to the 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which is simple enough to operate.
There's also the usual complement of cupholders (two in front of the centre console) and USB charge points, as well as the refrigerated cool box that replaces the centre console.
The Kakadu has three-zone climate control so everyone has a hand in how toasty or chilled they are during road trips.
Floor mats in the Kakadu are carpet, not the all-weather rubber mats you get in lower-spec Prados.
The second-row is a 40/20/40 sliding split and the outer seats are heated. Second-row passengers get directional air vents, fan and temp controls, seat-heating controls, 12V point (all in the rear of the centre console), and a fold-down centre armrest with built-in dual cupholder.
The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations.
There are mesh map pockets on the driver and front passenger seat-backs.
The third-row seats – in a 50/50 split fold-flat configuration – are button-operated and power-folding. Passengers have a cupholder each, as well as air vents and a speaker mounted nearby. They also have a clear view of the 9.0-inch ceiling-mounted DVD screen.
With the third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 104 litres.
If not in use, the rear-most seats can be power-folded away at the press of a button and the area used for luggage, concealed by a retractable cargo blind. With the third row stowed away, there's a claimed 553 litres of cargo space.
With the second and third rows folded down and out of the way, there's a claimed 974 litres available.
For reference, the 2024 Prado will have a 12.3-inch multimedia system (including wireless Apple CarPlay), as well as seating for five or seven passengers.
For the moment, only the 3.5-litre petrol V6 and 2.2-litre turbo diesel grades are on sale. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are coming, but not until the second quarter of the year, according to Kia.
Kia has carried over the same model grades as before, meaning you can get the petrol and diesel in S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line guise.
Unsurprisingly, Kia has upped pricing across the range for the updated Sorento, and it’s increased by about $3000 and $3500, depending on the grade.
Pricing starts at $50,680 before on-road costs for the entry-level front-wheel-drive petrol S, and it tops out at $68,590 for the GT-Line all-wheel-drive diesel. A diesel is $3000 more expensive than its petrol equivalent. Pricing has not been confirmed for the hybrids yet.
The Sorento has fewer direct seven-seat monocoque SUV rivals since Mazda dropped the popular CX-9 and CX-8 from its line-up last year, so the main two competitors are the Toyota Kluger and the related Hyundai Santa Fe.
The updated Sorento is now pricier than the Hyundai - although a new-gen Santa Fe is coming before mid-year - and on par with some of the Kluger grades.
New Sorento features include over-the-air updates for sat nav maps and more, Kia Connect which uses an app that allows you to remotely start, lock or unlock the car, as well as perform a number of other tasks, new driver assistance features and a pair of new colours - Volcanic Sand Brown and Cityscape Green.
From the base grade up standard gear in the Sorento includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, digital radio, USB ports, a seven-speaker audio system and, finally, it gets wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto across the range. The fleet-friendly base grade also now gets a push-button start, so no more using a key to start it.
Naturally, each grade adds more and more features, and the GT-Line gets the most gear. It features a heated steering wheel, quilted Nappa leather-appointed seats, mood lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, head-up display, premium sound system, sun shades, wireless charger and a digital rearview mirror.
The base grade could do with more gear as the features list feels quite stripped out, but overall the Sorento offers solid value for money.
Our test vehicle is the Prado Kakadu, a seven-seat 4WD wagon with a list price of $87,468, excluding on-road costs.
Standard features include a 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit (with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat-nav), three-zone climate control air conditioning, a JBL 14-speaker sound system, a rear-seat entertainment system (Blu-ray DVD player) with 9.0-inch screen and three wireless headsets, button-operated third-row power-folding seats, panoramic-view monitor, tilt-and-slide moonroof, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
It also has a premium woodgrain-look power-adjustable steering wheel with paddle shifters, leather-accented, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-range 4WD, as well as 4WDing-suitable driver-assist systems, such as crawl control and multi-terrain select (both for off-roading), adaptive variable suspension (with three modes: comfort, normal and sport), rear air suspension and Toyota's 'Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (KDSS).
Driver-assist tech includes 'Toyota Safety Sense' (including 'Pre-Collision Safety System' with pedestrian detection, 'High Speed Active Cruise Control' and more).
A flat tailgate option (which moves the full-size spare wheel from the rear door to the Prado's underbody) is available for the Kakadu. Our test vehicle has it.
Worth noting that choosing this option reduces your fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres, because you sacrifice the 63-litre sub-tank so the spare tyre can be fitted underneath the vehicle.
Kakadu interior seat trim choices are beige leather accented or black leather accented.
Exterior paint choices include 'Graphite', 'Espresso Brown', 'Glacier White', 'Crystal Pearl', 'Silver Pearl', 'Peacock Black', 'Eclipse Black', 'Ebony', 'Wildfire' and 'Dusty Bronze' (premium paint, on our test vehicle). Premium paint costs $675 extra.
There are accessories aplenty available for the Prado, but there are also bundled packs which incorporate several accessories to suit your lifestyle.
The 'Adventure Pack' includes an alloy bull bar (commercial), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), snorkel, roof rack with alloy roof tray (both sold separately) and weather-shields (left and right sold separately).
Then the 'Weekend Getaways' pack includes a nudge bar (black), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), bonnet protector (tinted), roof racks with bike carrier (both sold separately), tow bar, tow ball and trailer wiring harness.
Until the hybrid grades arrive, the Sorento carries over its petrol and diesel engines.
That means a 3.5-litre V6 pumping out 200 kilowatts of power and 332 Newton metres of torque. This powertrain drives the front wheels only via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The other option for now is Kia’s 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine delivering 148kW/440Nm, and this is the punchier powertrain. The diesel is all-wheel drive and uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Kia has made no changes to the engines for this facelift, but meaningful changes have been made by Kia’s local tuning program to improve ride and handling.
The Kakadu has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 150kW at 3000-3400rpm and 500Nm at 1600-2800rpm – and that's matched with a six-speed automatic transmission.
This is a solid not dynamic combination, which is fine with me because it yields a drive experience that's equal parts relaxed, assured and undemanding.
Our test Prado has a full-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range.
Note: the Prado has a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and issues linked to those systems have been well documented, so head to our Toyota Prado problems page to stay up to date with any DPF details.
The next-generation Prado will feature five powertrains globally, however, Australia will only get a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the current model's 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW and 500Nm), with identical power and torque outputs as the existing engine.
The new hybrid engine will be matched to a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.
It will have full-time all-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case, a centre diff lock, a electronic locking rear diff and a button-operated swaybar disconnect system – not Toyota's KDSS – aimed at yielding improved wheel travel while off-roading.
The V6 petrol Sorento is thirsty, consuming an average of 9.8 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle - a fair bit more than the Kluger four-cylinder petrol’s 8.5L figure.
The diesel sips 6.0L/100km, making it the efficiency winner - at least until those hybrids arrive.
The Prado has an offical fuel consumption figure of 7.9L/100km (on a combined cycle).
I recorded 13.4L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing – but the Prado never seemed to have to work hard.
It has 87L fuel tank capacity – that's 63 litres less than any Prado that does not have the flat tailgate, and going by our on-test fuel-consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 650km.
The Prado with the rear-mounted spare has a 150-litre tank so, based on my fuel figures, you could reasonably expect about 1120km from a full tank.
Another area that, arguably, the Sorento didn’t require much improvement is how it drives. And while Kia has made no changes to the powertrains, the company’s local tuning arm has waved its magic wand and made tweaks to the suspension and dampers in a bid to improve ride and handling.
And ride is something the Sorento excels at. Without doing a back-to-back test with the pre-update model, it’s hard to know how different the ride quality is. But on the drive route from Melbourne up through the Yarra Valley, the Sorento GT-Line - with 20-inch wheels - glided over some huge potholes, and maintained composure on rough, uneven roads.
The Sport+ petrol 2WD coped well on an unintentional detour up through an unsealed mountain pass, although it lost traction briefly once in very wet and slippery conditions.
Similarly, the GT-Line AWD diesel’s ride is hard to fault.
According to Kia, the changes under the skin have helped reduce body roll, and there was very little role, even when darting through the very twisty Chum Creek road.
While the V6 is responsive and powerful, it is noisier than the diesel which was so smooth and quiet I had to check that it was, indeed, the diesel that I was driving. The oil burner is also quick off the mark with little to no turbo lag.
Without having driven the update hybrid and plug-in hybrid, the diesel Sorento is definitely the pick over the V6 petrol.
On the road, the cabins of both engine grades are well insulated from outside noise. This helps give the Sorento a more premium vibe than its direct rivals.
The Kakadu is an easy-driving and very comfortable 4WD wagon.
It's quiet inside the Prado with most external noise kept to a muffled hum.
Steering has a nice weight to it, although it can feel a bit floaty if you're used to a more tightly controlled vehicle. The driver can dial-in their position as the steering wheel is electric tilt-and-telescopic adjustable.
The Kakadu has a 11.6m turning circle and feels nimble along crowded streets and in busy regional centres.
The 2.8 litre turbo-diesel engine and transmission pairing is an unhurried, almost sluggish combination, yielding a relaxed drive experience, but acceleration is gutsy enough to punch the Prado off the mark and get it moving at pace to overtake when needed.
Brakes – ventilated discs at each corner – were able to bring the 2.3 tonne Prado to a rapid controlled stop every time I stomped them into submission during my patented ‘Watch out for that kangaroo!' emergency-braking tests on dry and wet bitumen.
One of the Kakadu's major points of difference with lower-spec Prados is that it has Toyota's 'Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (KDSS), which helps iron out most ride and handling irregularities.
KDSS hydraulically alters tension on the sway bars to suit the terrain; on-road, it tightens them for reduced body roll and more dynamic handling, and off-road it loosens them for greater wheel travel to further improve performance.
The Kakadu also has adaptive variable suspension which can be set to one of three modes ('Comfort', 'Normal' or 'Sport') via an in-cabin switch to help dial-in smooth and well-sorted ride and handling; and its height-adjustable rear air suspension with switchable low, normal or high modes.
The Kakadu's Dunlop Grandtrek AT30 tyres (265/55 R19) are well-suited to on-road driving, but fall a bit short, performance-wise, when 4WDing.
On the loose-gravel dirt track that leads to my unofficial 4WD testing ground, the route had been gouged by deep ruts from recent rains. The Kakadu managed it all well.
And a lot of the credit of that controlled ride and handling is due to KDSS, loosening swaybars to suit the terrain, allowing axles full-stretch articulation as required.
And that's very handy at low speeds when sustaining safe and controlled momentum via maximised traction is the goal.
And this was even more evident when I tackled my favourite set-piece rocky hill-climbs.
The Kakadu trucked over the undulating ground at low revs and with wheels dipping and rising as they stuck to the dirt. Wheel travel in a standard Prado is fine but the KDSS-equipped Kakadu gets even more flex on the move.
It conquered everything with impressive ease, only ever scrambling momentarily for grip because of its tyres.
Swap those with a decent set of all-terrains and you'd instantly make a great off-roader even better.
Steering retains a nice balance at low speeds, throttle response is good (not touchy over bumpy terrain), the driver has plenty of visibility (crucial for low-range highly technical 4WDing that relies so heavily on choosing the correct line) and the Kakadu's dimensions offer off-road angles – of 30.4 degrees (approach), 21.2 (ramp-over) and 23.5 (departure) – that are good for a cityfied SUV wagon.
The Kakadu has plenty of torque across a wide rev range, and front, centre and rear locking differentials.
It also has a raft of driver-assist tech, including crawl control (low-speed low-range cruise control/traction control with five selectable speeds), and 'Multi-Terrain Select' (with off-road driving modes that adjust steering, throttle and traction control to suit the terrain you're on, e.g. rock and dirt, mud and sand etc).
Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3000kg (braked).
The Kakadu has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2990kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5990kg.
For reference, towing capacity on the 2024 Prado is tipped to be 3500kg (braked), but, at time of writing, this was unconfirmed.
The facelifted 2024 Sorento carries over the five-star ANCAP crash safety rating it was awarded in 2020.
The update ushers in new safety tech, specifically Highway Driving Assist in all grades except the base S. It essentially combines the adaptive cruise with stop and go and lane-following assist for freeway driving only.
Note that the curtain airbags do not stretch to cover the third seating row but the Sorento does have a front centre airbag.
Generally the Sorento has a solid standard safety features list on all grades and it includes a safe exit warning, auto emergency braking with a forward collision warning and vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, blind-spot collision assist, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver attention alert and a rear occupant alert.
The Prado has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2011, but that rating expired at the end of 2022 and Toyota has no plans to re-test this generation. As mentioned earlier, the new Prado is not expected here until 2024.
The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations.
The Prado has seven airbags, three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row, and is stacked with driver-assist tech including pre-collision avoidance with AEB, high-speed active cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assistance, automatic high beam, road sign assist and more.
Kia has led the market for some time when it comes to its ownership offer, with its highly regarded seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
The servicing schedule for the petrol and diesel models is every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, whichever comes first, and that’s about standard for the segment.
It also comes with capped-price servicing for seven years. The price ranges from $370 to $817 per service for the diesel and $370 to $763 for the petrol. The average cost over that seven years is $540 for the diesel and $534 for the petrol.
The Prado has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the mainstream market standard.
Maintenance is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, which is more frequent than the more common 12 months/15,000km.
Every new Prado comes with capped price servicing of $260 per service up to the three-year mark, for a total of $1560 over three years.