Last year, over the 2020 Christmas holiday period, Kia lent us its latest 2021 Sorento SUV for a test drive. Th product offering at that time included only the gas-powered version, but we knew that a little later in the year, two additional variants would be offered on the market, each benefiting from a form of electrification.
Kia has just confirmed that the first of those, the plug-in hybrid variant, is about to arrive to dealerships. The straight hybrid Sorento will follow later in the year and its prices will be revealed at that time.
But we now know those of the PHEV variant, which will offer an electric range of 51 km: the EX version will be offered at $44,995, which makes the SUV on the federal and available provincial discounts for electrified vehicles. However, the Sorento PHEV's battery size (13.8 kWh) will not allow it to obtain the full subsidy.
Two other trim levels are also available: EX + ($50,595) and SX ($54,995).
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The plug-in hybrid Sorento becomes the first vehicle launched by the brand as part of its Plan S strategy, by which Kia aims to rapidly market seven new fully electric plug-in hybrid models. So we can expect a lot of new things in the coming months and years from Kia.
Those who want to see the vehicle up close can come to the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show (SVEM) which is currently being held at the Olympic Stadium (September 17th to 19th). The model will also be in Quebec from October 1st to 3rd when the SVEM travels there.
Finally, remember that at the heart of the PHEV variant is a 1.6L turbo 4-cylinder engine, which will provide 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque thanks to the addition of the electric technology. All-wheel drive is standard with all three versions and a 6-speed automatic transmission is the engine's traveling companion.
We will of course get back to you with our driving impressions when we test the Soreno PHEV, as well as all the information about the hybrid variant once it has been presented.