As automakers are having to develop and sell conventional vehicles and EVs at the same time, many have found that it’s best to make them look similar. In the past, we had EVs which looked conventional, such as the e-Golf. But now crossovers with combustion engines are beginning to resemble EVs, and the 2024 Kia Sorento may be a great example of this.
Kia has had a very serious glow-up in the past few years. From a company known for boring compacts like the Forte and Soul, it now offers SUVs that are impossible to get without huge dealer markups. The Sorento is, for lack of a better word, pretty good.
Mid-sized SUV buyers who want three rows of seats at an affordable price flock to this Korean model. We’re already on the 4th generation, and because it went into production in 2020, a mid-life refresh is right around the corner.
Now, we’ve already featured a rendering of the refresh. But because a prototype of the 2024 Sorento was spotted about a week ago, we have a fresh set of digital images which show much more radical updates.
Kia has a tradition of thick double-layered camouflage, with a black tarp hiding all the juicy changes. But everybody could see that the 2024 Sorento was getting new headlights. And using that information, the website Kolesa was able to whip up these shots which show bold new LEDs.
According to them, the headlights of the new Sorento will have a much more rectangular design, a 3D geometric look, squared off at the corners. This very unusual shape is apparently linked to the production Kia EV9 model to form a new design language for the Korean automaker.
Currently, the Sorento’s grille and headlights form one long unit, a bit like how BMWs did a few years back. But the Tiger Nose is changing to a bolder design which gives this family crossover a sporty appearance, reminiscent of the Seltos.
Out back, we’ve got upgrades that we’ve already talked about, namely an LED band going across the trunk to connect four taillight elements. Obviously, Kia will make other small changes to the bumpers.
Kia’s focus is affordability and practicality, but it’s trying to offer eco-friendly powertrain choices across the range. Currently, the Sorento is offered in the United States with four setups. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder is the most common, offering 191 horsepower. There’s also a turbo version with 281 hp, and because these are brand new engines, they’re unlikely to change. Two hybrids are also offered, based on the 1.6-liter turbo. One is a normal hybrid with 227 hp and the other a plug-in hybrid with 261 hp.
