Kia Corp has been working on green and eco-friendly vehicles for some time now. For a little over a decade, really, with the Kia Optima Hybrid the first to make headlines, followed by the Kia Soul EV in 2013. In today’s world, we have the Kia EV6, the first all-electric vehicle to come from the automaker. This means no internal gas combustion engine-powered cousin predates it. However, Kia Corp is no stranger to taking a good thing and turning it a little green. The Optima and Soul aren’t the only ones to try electric motor juice. With all of the recent popularity over the Kia Sorento, it was only a matter of time until Kia announced the 2022 Sorento Turbo Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) SUV, heading to dealerships soon.

It’s a simple change, with the Sorento PHEV now powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, combined with a 66.9 kW electric motor, the new plug-in hybrid SUV can generate a total of 261 horsepower. What will really put the new Sorento PHEV on the front page is its pure electric driving range. Currently the best of any other 3-row PHEV SUV currently on the market, the Sorento PHEV can drive 32 miles on a fully charged electric motor before the gasoline engine kicks in. The total driving range is 460 miles with the battery starting at 100-percent and a full tank of gas.

“The Sorento PHEV’s rare combination of drivability, efficiency and spaciousness will make it a compelling choice for our customers…We’re proud to have it join the popular Sorento model range while also playing a pivotal role in the launch of Kia’s Plan S electrification strategy.” - Sean Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America

Offered in two trims, the new 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV SX and SX-P share many features. This all starts with 19-inch wheels, three-row seating with second-row captain’s chairs, Syntex synthetic leather seating, and the 10.25-inch high-resolution color touchscreen display may be standard on both, with UVO link standard with a trial subscription on all 2022 Kia models. Perforated leather seats are available, along with an aluminum sport pedal to class up the cabin interior.

If consumers go with the SX-P, we’d be lying if we didn’t say it’s definitely a step up. For tech-lovers, the SX-P transforms the cockpit with a 12.3-in. full digital meter cluster, a first for any Kia SUV, Surround View Monitor for a360-degree look all around the vehicle, Blind View Monitor that projects a live video feed of the driver’s blind spots, and an electrochromic rear-view mirror. It seems like the Bose premium sound system, available with 12 high-performance speakers, and the wireless smartphone charging pad are available add-on options if not standard.

Kia Corp has also been adding a great suite of safety features as a standard to modern models, the Kia Drive Wise Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) suite. Each of these features can be found as a standard on the Kia Sorento PHEV: Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist – Rear (BCA-Rear) with parallel exit, Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) – Junction Turning (FCA-JT), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Navigation Based Smart Cruise Control-Curve (NSCC-C), Parking Distance Warning-Reverse (PDW-R), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Safe Exist Assist (SEA).

The best part? When you shop for a new car online with NowCar, you can already start customizing your 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid.

Photo Source/Copyright: Kia