Why we ran it: To see if a plug-in hybrid family SUV like the Kia Sorrento can justify its eco credentials
Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Prices and specs
Life with a Sorento PHEV: Month 5
A seven-seat PHEV sounds like it would be useful, but what was the reality of family and working life over 7650 miles? - 12 January 2022
A pal said to me recently that doing ‘ordinary’ well is hard. And that’s the quandary facing the Kia Sorento: it’s meant to cope with everything life throws at it and has to do that reliably, but without scope for the big Kia to be wacky.
Ever since the Mk1 Volvo XC90 and the Land Rover Discovery 4, seven-seat SUVs can no longer redefine the sector. Those cars got there first so they were the pioneers, in the mainstream at least. All that the likes of the Sorento can do is to refine the formula and that’s where it gets tricky.
The Kia has certainly fitted into our family life effortlessly (mostly – more on that later) but is it a car that we’ll look back on with particularly fond memories? Has any journey been seared into our consciousness?
The answer to the first question is yes. Its adaptability and practicality have surpassed expectations, with the sort of space and storage solutions that meant our family holiday this summer was pretty effortless. Of course, we filled the boot and could have done with a trailer or roof box as well, but that’s more a reflection on the Ward clan’s need to take enough clothes for a full wardrobe change every half an hour.
The cupholders in each rear door and the decent cubby space up front ensured everything was easily to hand and not buried under 15 pairs of boxer shorts. No, this is not sexy (neither the pants nor the practicality, come to think of it) but it’s the sort of thing that matters when your car needs to cope with ordinary.
The seven seats were also handy. They were easy to fold flat and the kids could pile in there without too many issues and were happy when they were installed. Top tip: only put the ones who can do their own seatbelts up in the rearmost seats, as it’s a back-snapping stretch to lean in. If I’m honest, we didn’t use those seats that often, but that’s a reflection of us, not the car. There’s certainly no fault with the Kia’s engineering. And it’s a tribute to the Kia boffins that it’s got seven seats in the first place. There aren’t many PHEVs with seven seats, on account of the batteries taking up vital space, but because the Sorento’s 13.8kWh battery is under the front seats, the full MPV/SUV experience is possible here.
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Why does this car have a 'bong' to tell you the car in front has pulled away? Very astute of KIA to cater to all those drivers who illegally use their mobiles to catch up on emails messages and social media while stuck in traffic and need reminding to actually drive!
PHEV's and BEV's are company car fodder, if your company allowance will cover the lease cost you save a packet on the BIK due to the low CO2 giving a low percantage rate even with the hgh list price. They are no use to private buyers, the cost is too prohibitive. No families are choosing these as private choices.
£300 per month? Not when I checked. The standard PCP offer over 37months requires £4,500 deposit (which you won't get back at the end of trhe term) plus monthly payments of £727. A PCP may ease the short term pain but like they say there is no free lunch and you do not get to rrive a £45,000 car for peanuts!
A 5-10 min search online and you can find these available for immediate delivery from many different brokers on PCH deals - not PCP. Dig around and you'll find them for that money on 3+36 monthly profiles. Get a quote, then take that to your local KIA dealer and ask them to match it. Worked for me with a Proceed.
PHEV's and BEV are.... No families are choosing these as private choices. Plenty of BEV's go to private,
You both must know some interesting families that are paying anywhere near 300 a month for a car, and you are certainly out of touch with what most families are able to afford.
Yep I do know some interesting familes. See plenty of Zoe's, Leaf's and Id3's around, open your eyes, at less than 300 a month and 200 mpg it's not a surprize. Keep up Rich Boy