2022 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid: Kia Launches First Mainstream 3-Row PHEV
Many good things come in threes — after all, it’s a magic number — and the 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid is the third vehicle in Kia’s redesigned Sorento lineup. When Kia first announced that a plug-in model would be added to its stable, it was vague about the details, but we now know it will go on sale as a model-year 2022 SUV. Kia announced a slew of new information about its first three-row plug-in hybrid SUV, including more specific range and fuel economy figures.
Related: 2021 Kia Sorento Review: A Middle Child Deserving of the Spotlight
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What We Know: Power, Range and MPG
The plug-in hybrid will join the regular Sorento, which was redesigned for 2021, and the Sorento Hybrid, which was new to the lineup. The PHEV (which is to say, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) will use a version of the hybrid’s turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission, paired here with a 13.8-kilowatt-hour battery and 66.9-kilowatt electric motor. The setup is good for 261 combined horsepower, more than the hybrid model’s combined rating of 227 hp. All-wheel drive is standard. The SUV will be built in Hwasung, South Korea, alongside the Sorento Hybrid.
Kia previously said it expected the plug-in to be good for 30 miles of all-electric range. The automaker confirmed today it will have an all-electric range of 32 miles and a projected rating of 79 mpg-equivalent, both corroborated by the EPA. Kia says the new Sorento PHEV provides more electric-only driving miles than any other three-row SUV — but there are relatively few competitors, and the automaker admits the new model is the only mainstream PHEV with three rows.
The luxury-focused 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge three-row SUV is good for just 18 miles of range, while the smaller five-seat Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is good for just 24 miles of electric-only range. But if all you need is two rows, the plug-in 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime offers 42 miles of all-electric range.
The 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV will come in two trims, SX and SX-P, both of which stand out from the rest of the Sorento lineup with unique rear badges, a plug port on the rear quarter panel, 19-inch wheels and Syntex faux leather seats (real leather is available).
It will also come loaded with standard safety and driver-assist tech, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-centering steering, a blind spot warning system with side-view monitors, and cyclist detection integrated into its automatic emergency braking.
What We Don’t Know: Pricing and Release Date
What we still don’t know is the vehicle’s price or on-sale date. Kia said the 2022 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid will be eligible for a $6,587 federal tax credit, but pricing will come closer to its on-sale date at the end of 2021.
More From Cars.com:
- 2021 Kia Sorento: 6 Things We Like and 3 Things We Don’t
- 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid Review: Big Vehicle With Small-Vehicle Fuel Economy
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