New Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid DETAILED ahead of on sale in 2021

The new Kia Sorento is getting a plug-in hybrid option, with Kia detailing its powertrain ahead of its arrival in the UK in 2021.

The new Kia Sorento, with its ‘Telluride’ looks, was supposed to debut at Geneva. But Covid put paid to that so Kia rolled out details of the new Sorento online instead, promising a bold new Sorento with the usual petrol and diesel engine options and the promise of a plug-in hybrid to come.

Well, the Sorento PHEV may not actually be here – you’ll have to wait for 2021 to get your hands on one – but Kia has decided to reveal its powertrain details ahead of that.

Kia has taken their 1.6 litre turbo petrol good for 178bhp and mated it to an electric motor for a further 90bhp, but unfortunately it seems the Sorento can’t use the maximum power of both together so the most you’ll get to play with is 261bhp, together with 258lb/ft of torque.

The plug-in bit uses a 13.hkWh water-cooled battery to deliver power to the electric motor, and although Kia hasn’t managed to come up with an EV range for it we’d guess somewhere in the mid-30s, officially, would be right.

Despite the need to accommodate the battery and gubbins, the Sorento PHEV will still be available with a seven-seat option and just the smallest loss of space in the boot.

No word on price for the Sorento PHEV, nor if it’s just a range-topping option or available with a variety of trims, but all will be revealed before the Sorento PHEV goes on sale in early 2021.