If you’re after an SUV with all the bells and whistles, the 2024 Kia Sorento GT-Line sits atop its respective range. It looks purposeful and robust, and yet remains family friendly in its appearance.
Tested here with the 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo diesel powertrain, this all-wheel drive variant is priced from about $72,690 drive away. It’s available in an array of colours including Clear White, Silky Silver, Steel Grey, Mineral Blue or Aurora Black Pearl.
There’s also Gravity Blue, Snow White Pearl, Cityscape Green or Volcanic Sand Brown, with the latter affectionately described as ‘Greige’. The GT-Line is distantly priced from the entry level Sorento S, but there are a lot of features and luxuries worth noting as a result.
Inside, the seats are covered in quilted black Nappa leather, with the driver’s version getting 14-way power adjustment with 4-way lumbar support and a cushion extension. Two seating positions can be stored in memory.
The front passenger seat features 10-way adjustability and 2-way lumbar support. Both front seats are heated and ventilated, while the driver can also enjoy a heated steering wheel on those colder drives.
The outer second row seats also gain heating, with plenty of legroom and adjustability available. There are climate controls and USB ports back there, as well as retractable sunshades and a huge, powered panoramic sunroof to let in extra light.
As with most three row SUV’s, the third row is meant for children, or short people for a short time. For those that do get stuck back there, you’ll find air vents and USB ports (there are no third row airbags though).
All five rear seats include anchor points for fitting child seats, with ISOFIX connectors on the outer second row seats and both third row seats. The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate, which can be opened by remote or proximity to the car.
There is a handle/button you can press but you’ll need a map to find it. As a 7-seater, the Sorento provides 179-litres of boot space with all rows up. Drop the back seats and you score 608-litres, while lowering the middle pews expands that to 1,996-litres.
It proved itself ideal for transporting dining chairs and large flat-packed furniture around during our time with the car. Greeting the driver are two 12.3-inch displays for instruments and infotainment. Kia have taken a less-is-more approach here and it works well.
We also appreciated that the GT-Line has a different instrument layout to the lower spec models as it features blind-spot cameras that display in the dials when the indicators are activated.
Only this variant features the option of two instrument screens, a traditional digital dial layout, and a simplified version which echoes the lower trim levels (although it’s a little to weird to be practical).
As expected, changing drive modes updates the graphics on the instrument display. There’s an array of cameras to help when parking and maneuvering. Those couple with a suite of front, side and reverse parking sensors and guides to make sure you’ll never hit a kerb.
We did find that the sensors may not activate when driving forward into a parking space, even at slow speed, though. On the tech front, you’ll also find a colour head-up display for essential information, allowing you to keep your eyes closer to the road.
Should you find your rear view mirror filled with the heads and faces of occupants seated behind you, it can be changed to view a high resolution, rear spoiler mounted camera, which works quite well.
Cupholders and storage areas abound throughout the interior, all with a chunky look and feel. There is a lot of piano black in the cabin, which can be difficult to keep clean and scratch free, as well as some nice mood lighting for that nightly ambiance.
Like the Sport+ trim, audio comes through a Bose premium 12-speaker system that includes a subwoofer, for decent audio playback. Kia’s native satellite navigation comes with 10-years of traffic information and map updates too.
That said, every trim level comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, meaning you’re spoilt for choice with how you view that. A wireless charging pad is located in the front console, although we did notice the phone gets mighty hot.
The charger didn’t seem to be able to hold the battery level when providing both music and navigation either. Like most new SUVs, the Sorento is easy enough to drive and hides its size well. Steering is light and throttle response is smooth.
The automatic gear selector is a quality touch that comes courtesy of the Genesis parts bin, while paddle shifters behind the steering wheel let you change gears. There is a drive mode selector offering Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart choices.
There are three terrain modes, including Snow, Mud and Sand. The GT-Line rides on 20-inch wheels, but does a good job o f absorbing bumps and maintaining a pleasant ride. A full-sized spare is located under the rear of the car.
A neat party-trick with the GT-Line is that the key fob not only affords remote start, but also includes remote park assist, allowing you to use the key to get in and out of tight parking spaces. It came in handy in multi-level carparks while we were testing.
There’s plenty of safety tech, with lane keep assist only feeling a little intrusive at times. Speed sign recognition is offered in the Sorento and can be shut off if it bothers you. There’s an SOS button in the overhead console, should you need it.
The Sorento is a capable, family friendly 7-seater SUV that offers versatility and comfort in a stylish package. The GT-Line doesn’t hold anything back as the hero car, and is a decent step up from the Sport+ variant. It’s backed by a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
You can find out more about the 2024 Sorento GT-Line by visiting the Kia Australia website, or talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote on your next vehicle purchase, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One.
To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Kia Australia for independent review purposes. Pics supplied.
