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What's the difference?
Is it a station wagon or an SUV? It's kinda both. The new Outback AWD Sport XT has the AWD capabilities of an SUV but the concise handling of a station wagon and it's a wonderful combo for a family car.
The Sport XT is one of the two models Subaru is offering with a new turbo-petrol engine (hurrah) and it sits second from the top in the line-up but how does it stack up after a week with my family of three? Check it out below.
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 Subaru Outback AWD Sport XT has been a great car for my family this week. It was popular with everyone and for good reason. It has loads of space, it's easy to handle and now has the grunt under the bonnet to satisfy me as a driver. However, you are paying for that grunt with the thirsty engine and that could become tiresome with the rising costs of fuel. At this price point, I also didn't love the weird-feeling material on the seats but it still impressed with its practicality and the safety features.
My son enjoyed being in this and loved the green accents and cool 'army' green colour. It was also a great height for him to get in and out of unassisted.
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.
Subaru has been pushing for sharper robust shapes lately and this is no different. It's a large car being 4870mm long and 1875mm wide but it still feels like a station wagon with that 1670mm height!
Everything is proportional and well sculpted with a long nose being complemented by sharper accents, like the rear tail-lights that jut out.
There are some areas of interest, like the green accents on the roof rails and black plastic body moulding, that tie in nicely with the contrasting green stitching of the interior trim.
The interior is pleasing to look at with the two-tone synthetic leather trim throughout, tapered cutaways in the dash and doors, plus stacks of soft touchpoints.
The only thing I don't really like is the 'water-resistant' material in the middle of the seats. It feels very synthetic and I wonder how it will wear over time.
Overall, it's a very handsome car, inside and out.
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.
I love how roomy the interior is. Taller occupants will be singing its praises (from both rows).
The 213mm ground clearance also makes this the perfect height to get in and out of, for my six-year old all the way to my 72-year old father. No grunts or complaints were heard this week!
Individual storage is great with a large glove box, middle console with a shallow shelf, two cupholders and drink bottle holders in the first and second rows plus double-sleeved map pockets in the second row.
Boot storage is good with 522L of capacity and a level load space – perfect for sliding in a pram or luggage.
There's no underfloor storage because of the full-size spare tyre but there are little pockets on the side of the wheel arches for smaller items. You can bump up the storage to 1783L when the back row is folded flat.
Considering Subaru's sponsorship of the ski fields, I was surprised that the back row only has a 60/40 split fold configuration and not a 40/20/40, which would allow for internal stowage of longer gear… like skis. However, you do get strengthened roof racks with anchor points for bigger gear.
The amenities in each row are pretty good, too. The rear seats enjoy directional air vents, USB ports, reading lights and heated outboard seats.
I enjoyed using the tech this week, it's easy to use and looks good. My favourite combo.
The 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system has built-in satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It was ridiculously easy to connect my iPhone and I like the Bluetooth connectivity, too.
There is a USB-A and USB-C port and (unusually) an 'aux' port in the front row, but backseat passengers can also stay charged up with two USB-A ports. There are two 12-volt sockets for other charging options but basically, you're sorted with outlets.
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 Sport XT will cost you $52,190, before on road costs, but you get a lot of features fitted as standard, which makes it feel like you're getting your money's worth.
Some of those features include, electric heated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, 18-inch alloy wheels, a full-size spare tyre and a large 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system.
And that's just a 'few' of the features! Even the entry-grade has great specs, if you didn't want the extra power from the turbo-engine.
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 model has the new 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol 'boxer' engine with a maximum output of 183 kilowatts and 350 Newton metres of torque. That's a big step up in power from the previous non-turbo engine.
The continuously variable auto transmission is relatively smooth and the combo means this handles open-road and urban conditions well.
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 official combined fuel cycle figure is 9.0L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 9.6L/100km but that was after heavy open-road driving this week.
Unfortunately, it's thirsty and urban-dwellers will feel that the most at the bowser, but the upside is getting the extra grunt from the turbo.
The Outback has a relatively small 63L fuel tank for its size and only takes premium fuel (95 or higher).
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.
I thoroughly enjoyed driving this. The engine is powerful enough to easily handle winding mountain roads, always a plus in a big family car, but the pick up is also good and you can zip across traffic or overtake when needed.
The cabin is delightfully quiet and the suspension creates a smooth ride without being floaty.
The tight 11m turning circle and accurate steering means cornering feels concise and controlled.
It's pretty easy to manoeuvre this around but you'll miss having front parking sensors in a tight car park because the nose is deceptively long.
I like how crisp the image is from the reversing camera but it's disappointing that it doesn't have a 360-degree view camera for where this Sport XT sits in the model range.
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 safety features are well-stocked in this and it has items I always like to see on a family car, like LED daytime running lights, automatic emergency braking, rear emergency braking, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, but not front parking sensors, which you'll miss.
A highlight is the 'Driver Monitoring System' which is a fantastic feature.
The system literally watches you and scans your face for signs of drowsiness and distraction. If it detects them, it will sound an alert and a pop up comes on in the instrument panel.
I tested the sensitivity a lot this week and couldn't stump it. Thumbs up.
The Outback has seven airbags, but it is missing the newer front centre airbag, which is a shame.
It's been awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done recently in 2021.
There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tether child seat anchors.
The back seat is wide enough that, with the right seats, you should be able to fit three side-by-side.
There is enough room for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.
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.
On-going costs are always something to consider and the Outback comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.
You can choose either a three- or five-year capped-priced servicing plan, the services average on the more expensive side at $515 annually on the five-year plan.
Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
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.