During the shortest of gaps (just a 48-hour window) in an otherwise torrential week of rain in the Cape, we evaluated the 2025 Kia Sorento – the South Korean marque’s premier SUV – on some prime tar and dirt roads in the Western Cape.
This is the 2025 Kia Sorento – it’s essentially a mid-life update for the 4th-gen model that debuted in 2020 on Kia’s N3 platform. The updates seem subtle (we’ll get to those shortly), but perhaps the most notable change is that, with the Sorento, Kia South Africa has resoundingly broken the R1-million barrier.
See also: Kia Sorento (2025) Price & Specs
What’s new?
Upon closer inspection, the 2025 Kia Sorento‘s restyle is quite extensive, especially at the front- and rear ends, where the Korean executive SUV receives new, vertical LED head and tail lamps.
The sculpted bonnet is taller too, lending its visage some heft, complemented by a 3D grille and chunky front bumper. Its newfound “truckiness” is duplicated at the rear for a more planted and purposeful look.
I particularly enjoy the bold chrome diffuser treatment that incorporates the tail pipes, and similarly, the 20-inch bitone alloy wheels shod in dirt-friendly rubber. The result is a more masculine Sorento – one that’s meant to match its bark with a diesel-powered bite.
Unlike its Hyundai Santa Fe cousin, the Kia foregoes hybridisation for a traditional turbodiesel – a 2.2-litre VGT (variable geometry turbo) inline-4 engine paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.
With this configuration, the 2025 Kia Sorento churns a healthy 148 kW and 440 Nm regardless of which variant you’ve chosen, be it the EX+ (R999 995), SX (R1 199 995) or SXL (R1 299 995).
Does that trio of new-car list prices (correct in June 2025) surprise you? Well, let’s talk about that.
What does it offer?
As more Chinese brands’ models flood the R500k to R800k bracket of the new-car market’s crossover and SUV segment, you might wonder: “Where does that leave legacy brands such as Hyundai and Kia?”
Simply put, the Koreans are focusing on their strength: creating great cars with their 20-year advantage (over the Chinese) in our market, and for Kia, that means leaning into the luxury aspect of their vehicles.
The 2025 Kia Sorento doesn’t compete with Chery, GAC, Haval, Jaecoo and Omoda models; it’s meant to take on the German premium brands. In that context, its value proposition makes much more sense.
Think of the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC – the revised Sorento undercuts them by about R100k. If you start adding options to one of those Teutonic offerings (to match the Sorento’s standard spec), you’ll quickly inflate your sticker price by another half a million rand.
Still, it’s a gamble to ask your customer if they’d rather own a R1.2-million Kia or a R1.4-million BMW…
But Kia has bundled features excellently. The base EX+ includes 6 airbags, electronic parking brake, ESC, trailer assist, front/rear PDC, a reverse-view camera, keyless entry & start, a wireless charger and more.
There’s also an Apple CarPlay/Android Auto-compatible 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that pipes out audio via 6 speakers, as well as a panoramic sunroof, dual zone air-con, and cruise control.
It’s feature-rich, and only grows in spec as you jump from 1 trim grade to the next. The mid-range SX variant boasts a larger array of electronic safety systems and a smart tailgate, and the flagship SXL is further enhanced with a luscious 12-speaker Bose audio system, head-up display and mood lighting.
We spent the test period at the multifunction helm (which is clad in leather, as are the seats, across the 2025 Kia Sorento range) of a 2.2 CRDi SX 8DCT AWD variant and didn’t want for anything…
What is it like to drive?
Clambering aboard the updated Sorento revealed a luxurious living space, comfortable and airy, with more than enough space for middle-row occupants, while a pair of 3rd-row seats is optional.
The driver’s pew was particularly pleasant – it’s an impressive cockpit if also a familiar one, mostly on par with the outgoing model and reminiscent of the Carnival (which is the Sorento’s MPV sibling and one of our favourite cars for long road trips).
On that note, it was time to shift into D and lean on the accelerator pedal. Our route was a scenic one, meandering along Sir Lowry’s Pass and Clarence Drive – 2 stalwart routes that allowed us to bend and contort the Sorento’s chassis, meter out its performance and get a feel for its suspension and braking.
The Sorento unwinds favourably the way a torquey diesel should, with overtaking a breeze to conduct. The soundtrack is muted, and that’s just fine in a turbodiesel 4-pot! Midrange torque is there when you need it, gobbling up the long and twisty ascent that ascends Steenbras Dam.
The suspension is refined, introducing a natural amount of pitch and wallow without inducing much notable roll – the 2025 Kia Sportage, although no high-performance corner carver, is made of sporty SUV stuff; it’s a testament to a firm that’s been producing this class of product for decades.
As we detoured off the N2 on a particularly winding gravel section, the Sorento impressed again with its surefootedness, and there’s the objective fact (fight me, if you like) that it just looks right in this setting.
The Sorento is no 4×4, it’s an all-wheel-drive softroader, but when the road underneath you turns brown, it can hold its own. Here, on a slushy Highland Drive, it gripped when pushed and, thanks to great tactile feedback from the steering wheel, could be placed just so, making avoiding potholes a doddle.
What does the 2025 Kia Sorento cost in SA?
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi EX+ 8DCT | R999 995 |
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi SX 8DCT AWD | R1 199 995 |
| Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi SXL 8DCT AWD | R1 299 995 |
Prices (June 2025) include a 5-year/unlimited km warranty and a 6-year/90 000 km maintenance plan.
New Kia Sorento Specs & Prices in South Africa
Find a new/used Kia Sorento listed for sale on Cars.co.za
Verdict
Look, I’m not trying to sell you a R1-million Kia. I expected that the 2025 Kia Sorento would land around R100k shy of where it ultimately did, but upon reflection, I can understand how we got here.
And I don’t think it would be impossible for Kia to position its Sorento variants there, if it wanted to be especially competitive and make the German brands sweat. Not just those 3, but Volkswagen as well.
Toyota and Ford don’t have a product in this segment either, unless you open it up to ladder-framed 4x4s such as the Fortuner and Everest. But that’s not where the Sorento plays; it appeals to luxury-car buyers.
And based on that, I’ll concede that the 2025 Kia Sorento is fairly priced for what it offers, and ultimately, what it must compete against. Just know, it’s going to be a battle royale.
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