Kia’s large Sorento SUV has been facelifted, and will go on sale later this year. According to Kia, changes include a re-engineered bodyshell, enhanced powertrains for best-in-class fuel economy with lower emissions, improved ride, handling and refinement, plus additional convenience and safety features, besides the looks of course.
“Since its introduction in 2009, the second-generation Kia Sorento has achieved more than 620,000 sales around the world. Today, it is manufactured in Korea and the US, attracting over 130,000 US customers last year to rank as the best-selling Kia model in the States for the second year in a row,” said Thomas Oh, Kia’s Executive Vice President & COO of the International Busines Division.
“We have given very careful attention to owners’ feedback, and the upgraded Sorento is not just a comstic exercise but a major step forward for our popular SUV,” Oh added.
Looks wise, there are new new headlamps with LED positioning lights, a new tailgate with LED rear combination lamps, new bumpers (front and rear) with vertical-axis fog lights and a larger area of body-colour surface, and an expanded choice of wheels to include larger diameter (19-inch) alloys.
Inside the five or seven-seater cabin, there are more soft-touch surfaces plus a new LCD instrument cluster, new centre stack with seven-inch display screen, and a new console featuring a straight-gate selector with a leather-booted lever on automatic transmission models.
Offered in black or beige cloth or leather, the interior can be bathed in natural light through a larger optional panoramic sunroof with no centre cross beam and a powered blind. No interior pic was released, though, so we’ll have to wait.
How does the current Sorento look like again? Click here to view.
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Where is pic of so called upgraded interior?
Before facelift, its a JUNK, after facelift its…….ar…. still a JUNK.
True, it really looks like a Junk and in actual fact it is a Junk.
wow fucking beautiful…better than new crv
Dear Dr M and Proton….
Are you learning any of these yet from the Korean Carmaker ??
They have started making good cars …. how about you?
Preve ? Is that it ??
ini akan menjual di malaysia pada bulan september nanti lah…anda akan merasa gembiranya lah jika membelinya
Just a simple facelift makes the rear look soo much better.
Long time reader, and I’ve now decided to post a comment.
Firstly: Gee, too many trolls on here.
Back to the topic;
To those saying that it’s just a facelift, you guys might want to read a little bit more (In other words, Google is your best friend!). The 2012.5/ 2013 Sorento we see here might look the same as the current model with some styling changes but it also sits on a new platform shared with the new gen. Santa Fe. If you guys bothered to search around, Kia mentioned that they will adapt the current Sorento’s body onto the new platform.
when comes to our shores it will be popular if Naza introduce DIESEL VERSION with these specs as Korean Cars are ok with their DIESEL engines compare to Petrol as it DIESEL is more economical and get more mileage.
looks is ok as KIA improving Day by Day.
IMPRESSIVE OVERALL
Trying to sell the same junk with a slight different light, Typical copying Mitsubishi Pajero Sport rear light design, the fog light look damn ugly too.
Junk would alway be junk no matter how you facelift it.
just shut up n go n ride ur ugly CRV… btw the new 2012 CRV is so FREED-Ish.. dont u see? LOL
Honda CRV look like Honda Freed, not KIA Sorento look like Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.
Stupid !
Honda CRV look like Honda Freed, not KIA Sorento look like Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.
Stupid !
how dare you connect this beauty with that Triton+Canopy Pajero Sport? -.-
Trying to sell the same junk with a slight different light, Typical copying Mitsubishi Pajero Sport rear light design, the fog light look damn ugly too.
Junk would alway be junk no matter how you facelift it.
Hyundai De La Junk: From which part u said it looks like a pajero huh? are u blind or somthing? and i think u need to do a lasik surgery la …
waiting for CRDI to come, it will sells
if worry too much on our diesel quality? remove d DPF and add-in another filter. most problem solved except blacky smoke, but who cares if can produce 400Nm
KIA is improving day by day while T n H is going backward day by day ermmm…. LOL =D
Well don’t let our Maserati and Hyundai de la Junk bro see this.. They will flip over and die from anguish… :D :D
Imagination is alway free, but in reality Hyundai KIA is still a junk.
by one day they will eventually be the same? LOL
wow….can’t believe they can actually improve on what was already a rather handsome SUV design! This design is even cleaner and clear-cut….love the simplicity!
When is the CRDI coming to malaysia? if ever?
like the new rear too, less conservative unlike the present one..
the back looks like AUDI Q5?Q7?
KIA really have assorted designs on their models. From Audi to BMW designs and now back to Audi Q5/Q7. Wonder will Audi finally sue them just like few Chinese companies got sued.
so damn idiot la the way you talk, u still don’t know Kia designer worked fro Audi before?
Get the facts right before you bark, dog.
@thgh- actually you looked really stupid coming with this sort of remark. Everyone know the Korean took Peter Schreyer from Audi. That does not mean you have the right to copy the existing Audi models. Hmmm.. who’s barking actually? Looks like the Korean dog eater is getting into you huh?
love this SUV so much…has almost everything SUV should be.. that big quad lamp fog light is my favorite part
I would like to say the rear design matches the overall Kia family look, it is pretty much consistent with the design language as seen on Optima K5.
Wow! So much improvement for a normal facelift. My sorento will look old when it’s here. Heard they improved the suspension bench-marked against Audi Q5/Q7. Fantastic! Bye bye CRV!
Mazda CX-5 is way better looking than this piece of junk.
Evoque is way better looking than junk CX5
Seriously, who buys a mazda?
Korean car buyers……Because they can’t afford a Mazda.
Wake up & check the monthly sales figure then talk.
Who buys a Mazda? Hmmm…I don’t know…9 months waiting list for CX5. What do you think?
Why don’t you check the monthly sales figure. Mazda fares worse than Naza and Kia sales figure separated, not even combined.
And just because you need to wait 99 months, it doesn’t mean anything. It just means that the car is not being sent here.
Proton sales figure is far higher than Naza, Kia And Hyundai combined. Does this mean anything? Lexus, Audi, Volvo sales combined is still lower than Hyundai alone, does this mean Hyundai is so good? Let’s face it, people buy Korean cars is because it’s CHEAP plus more features than the Japanese. How many will buy a Korean car with exactly same specs, same segment and same price?
There’s a lot more Optima, Sportage and Sorento compared to any similar spec’ed Mazda on the road.
Agreed! CX-5 looks classy without being presumptuous. If you are not carrying 7 people, go for Mazda.
I’d agree that CX-5 looks better compared to this but isnt it abit unfair? CX-5 is head to head with the Sportage no?
CX-5 seriously look far more elegant car than this contractors’ car.
which is better looking is just a matter of opinions but please don’t call this a junk
Guys before you call this new Sorento just a FL, please be informed that it will ride on the new Santa Fe chassis and will be offered with similar engine lineup as the Santa Fe.
This is a major model change although the overall appearence still look similar to the current model.
One thing for sure, the wheelbase will be longer and just like the article said, 19″ wheels will be offered. Therefore the fenders will be deeper to clear the big wheels.
Engine lineup for the new Santa Fe includes the world reowned 274hp 2L Theta II GDI Turbo, 2.4L 200hp GDI Theta II. All will come with 6AT.
The new Santa Fe and Sorento will have more car like handling as compared to their current version…. think of them as the Korean Audi Q7 but with just a fraction of the price :)
while useless and stupid toyota still putting the same platform and technology on their Fortuner.
Please…. keep the 2.2 R-Diesel engine in the line-up, tune it to meet future emission standard, and claim the crown of most powerful 2.2 Diesel in Malaysia market..
Current model looks better. This facelift looks sissy for me…
And the rear at a glance I thought of Toyota Fortuner with Kia Optima real lights.
im surprised how they changed the rear that look like a completely different car
Sure look like a completely different car, the rear is completely photocopy from Q7.
Now this is what I called a true FL.
Not just a cosmetic change but major improvement from interior to exterior and even more!
Same thing like Forte last time when the FL version offered a 6-speed gear from previous version, and not just touch here & there only …
better
wow!!i’ll hv a hard time figuring which one to get, santa fe or this…both are loaded with gadgetry Who cares about resale value? I rather be happy in a hi-tech proper suv than a glum face in an old tech piece of truck junk
I love the design of this face-lifted Sorento – front and back. Personally i think that it much better than the CX-5.
By the way I have test drive the CX-5, performance is so-so only. The long waiting list is mainly due to no new model launch for this category/ price range.
Japanese car is long established in Malaysia and Korean car is quite new to most of the customers. Thus, your grand-father, father and your “foreman” will tell you boy go for Japanese.
Believe me, if our tax/duty structure change – all the new car prices will go down and less people will go for second hand car. By the time all the second hand car value will crash.
We hope that our car prices will go down and AP given to each of us once in a life-time. And all our brothers here will be able to own a better car of our choice.