Kia Sorento Hybrid review: A fuelish decision

RISING fuel prices got you down? Let the Kia Sorento Hybrid lift those sagging spirits. It's a big car with 7 seats, yet it sips less petrol than a Toyota Corolla. And it's actually nice.

Start with a BMW X5, subtract some of the surefootedness and pretty much all the prestige, and you're left with the Sorento, along with S$200,000 that you can either spend on wine, women and song, or squander.

If anything, it's hard to imagine that nearly half the S$216,999 price tag is for the certificate of entitlement alone, because the remainder (roughly half of which is for taxes) buys so much car.

Granted, the Sorento isn't quite as large as an X5, but like the burly BMW it's a sport utility vehicle with plenty of presence on the road, and just about every feature known to modern motoring.

It has modcons up the wazoo, with all manner of pleasant frippery (a huge glass roof, ventilated front seats, third row air-con, you name it) and useful driver aids (active cruise control, blind spot cameras, lane keep assist, you get the picture).

In fact, it's easier to name what the Sorento doesn't have: wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, so don't toss your cables out just yet.

But the Sorento's trump card, especially in the wake of Putin's war, is its hybrid tech. It's not the mild kind that saves fuel by the droplet, but the flow-blown sort that people who eat fake meat, walk in sandals and wear beads in their hair would applaud.

Under the bonnet is a 1.6-litre, turbo engine paired with an electric motor. Somewhere in the boot is a 1.5 kWh lithium-ion pack that both feeds and is fed by the 57 horsepower motor, so the Sorento never has to be plugged into a wall charger.

With all that going on, the Kia can jog to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds if you're in a hurry, but it can also amble along on pure electricity if you're not. It's especially pleasant at low speeds, when silent electrons waft it along.

Even if the engine has to chip in, it's only a small one, so you end up with something that won't make you shake your fist every time you drive past a filling station.

Kia says you ought to be able to cover 100 kilometres with 5.4 litres, on average. On my single worst drive, the trip computer accused me of burning through the hooch at a rate of 8.2 L/100km, or 53 per cent worse than the official claim. On the other hand, I saw 5.3 L/100km on the display after a drive home from the office in rush hour, and without using the expressways. My guess is, most people would fill up the Sorento's 67-litre tank twice a month.

While everyone is preoccupied with fuelish thoughts at the moment, it's worth remembering that the Kia is also a mighty fine family car, never mind its teetotalling ways. The boot is large, and the middle row chairs tilt and slide so everyone has a decent shot at being comfortable even when every seat has a backside in it.

The suspension obviously has beefy springs to cope with the weight of 7, so bumps sometimes send a jolt through the cabin when the car is lightly loaded. And if it's pretty unspectacular in the handling department, it's at least easy to manoeuvre in tight situations, and the steering doesn't feel sloppy.

There's a 10-year warranty for the engine, and it covers the hybrid system's battery pack.

Given all that, while this isn't the kind of family bus that rouses the loins, it's at least something you can admire and respect. That makes the Sorento worth considering whatever fuel prices are doing. Putin's war isn't going to last forever.

Kia Sorento Hybrid SX Tech Pack

Engine 1,598 cc, in-line 4, turbocharged Engine Power 177 hp at 5,500 rpm Engine Torque 265 Nm at 1,500 - 4,500 rpm Gearbox 6-speed automatic Electric Motor 59 hp / 264 Nm Battery Lithium-ion, 1.5 kWh System Power / Torque 227 hp / 350 Nm 0-100km/h 8.8 seconds Top Speed 193 km/h Fuel Efficiency 5.4 L/100km Agent Cycle & Carriage Kia Price S$216,999 with COE Available Now