SINGAPORE – How do you make a great car better? Make it a hybrid. The addition of petrol-electric technology to most cars is almost always an obvious plus, and it’s no different with the Kia Sorento.
The Sorento Hybrid is very similar to the diesel – the two cars we tested both have the same equipment variation, what Kia dubs ‘SX Tech Pack’. We won’t re-tread what we already wrote about in the review of the diesel, so be sure to check that review out for all the details. It’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that works in tandem with a 59hp electric motor, draining or adding electrons to a 1.5kWh lithium ion battery pack that resides in the floor of the car. Remember that Kia’s also designed the Sorento as a plug-in for other markets, so making space for a small hybrid battery pack here isn’t a worry.
With the SX Tech Pack equipment trim, you also have nearly every nicety you can think of: Wireless charging, electrically-adjustable/air con front seats, a panoramic sunroof, a HUD, even a Bose sound system.There’s also an identical slew of safety systems – adaptive cruise control, 360 parking monitor, and the Sorento’s unique feature – the Blind spot view monitor. It’s extra useful in an age of rampant professional-e-bike-riding-blind-spot-hiders.