New Kia Sorento diesel 2024 review: life in the old oil burner yet

Verdict

If you’re not interested in the company car tax benefits of the plug-in hybrid Kia Sorento or its 35-mile electric only range and if the petrol hybrid Sorento’s towing capacity doesn’t quite cut it, the diesel is still a great option in the updated Kia Sorento range. It’s not the quickest or even particularly economical, but a Kia Sorento diesel remains a sensible choice. 

With UK sales dropping by 13 per cent compared to last year in 2024 so far, diesel power has been rapidly falling out of fashion for a few years. Surely an oil-burner is still a great match for a big, seven-seat SUV in 2024, though. Isn’t it? Well, unlike the new Santa Fe from sister firm Hyundai, the new Kia Sorento not only comes with petrol ‘self-charging’ hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but it’s stuck with diesel for the 2024 facelifted model, too. 

Despite not having any form of electrification, the diesel version of the Sorento is still more economical than the hybrid petrol, with Kia claiming an average efficiency of 42.8mpg for the mid-range ‘3’ trim level (43.5mpg for the ‘2’). The ‘3’ HEV in comparison serves up 40.4mpg. That’s still not particularly impressive when the new Skoda Kodiaq with its two-litre TDI will return a combined 50.1mpg - a pretty impressive figure for a seven-seat SUV. 

During our time with the Kia Sorento diesel we found an mpg figure in the mid-40s to be perfectly achievable on a motorway run - but perhaps that shouldn’t be too surprising because despite its size, the Sorento diesel weighs a relatively light 1,929kg. 

Don’t think that low kerb weight makes it a rubbish tow car though. That’s the real trump card of the diesel version of the Sorento. The Sorento PHEV and HEV max out at fairly disappointing 1,010kg and 1,110kg towing weights respectively, while the diesel can tow up to 2,500kg. 

The CRDi 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine is an aluminium block unit rather than the cast-iron block one from the previous-generation Sorento. That makes it 19.5kg lighter, but more importantly for its towing capacity it retains the same torque output at 440Nm. 190bhp makes it the least powerful offering in the current Sorento, but its 9.7-second 0-62mph time is identical to that of the HEV and the 124mph top speed is the highest of any powertrain in the Sorento. Four-wheel drive is standard no matter what Sorento engine you pick. 

For towing duties the diesel is still the default option and off road it seems to be a similar story. The HEV petrol has a small electric motor to take care of any low-rev turbocharger lag, but the responsiveness of the diesel with its extra 73Nm of torque gives it a more sure-footed feel. 

32

It’s fairly smooth too, so long as your right foot doesn’t mash the throttle. There’s a bit of a grumble under hard acceleration, especially if you reach the 3,800rpm mark for maximum bhp (max torque is served up at 2,750rpm). 

Helping to keep things sedate is the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The shifts feel well-polished in ‘Standard’ or ‘Smart’ mode - although we’d avoid ‘Sport’ just as we would in the petrol Sorento offerings as it tends to hold on to gears far too long.

The Kia Sorento might seem like your standard seven-seat ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’, but there’s not much ‘sport’ in its armoury. The front end is on the floaty side, rarely giving you any kind of feedback. Despite the vague steering and lofty ride height the Sorento is still fairly composed in the corners, though. You can keep pushing and it’ll return a decent amount of grip, although sudden directional changes will, unsurprisingly, show up the Sorento’s relaxed nature. 

We’re impressed with the ride in the Sorento, no matter which powertrain or your choice of 17, 19 or 20-inch wheels (19-inch alloys are standard on our ‘3’ here). 

The interior of the new Kia Sorento takes a lot of inspiration from its all-electric EV9 sibling. Physical dials and switches may have been replaced with a strip of touch-sensitive buttons, but it’s a clean design and one that works well while you’re on the move. The two 12.3-inch screens also look pretty neat and the infotainment system is easy to flick through, we’re not huge fans of the black background, however, which makes it harder to see than it should be. With seven-seats as standard, the Sorento remains a great option for those with extended families and tall adults can comfortably make use of the third row for short journeys.