Kia teases its new Sorento, now with a taste of Telluride
The big tiger-nose grille is bolder than before, and the taillights clearly take a page from the Telluride.
Kia designs continue to look pretty freaking good.
Kia scored a real home run with its full-size Telluride SUV -- dealers are selling all they can get their hands on -- and it certainly looks like the same design trends will trickle down to the model's baby sibling, the Sorento .
On Tuesday, Kia showed the first couple of teasers for the new vehicle and confirmed it will make its global debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. We're treated to a shot of the front end, and a teaser from the rear. Both photos tell us a lot.
Let's start with the front, which rocks a far larger and stretched tiger-nose grille. The same sort of treatment has continued to morph with new Kia vehicles, and it certainly evokes the bolder take on the grille design from the Telluride. Unlike the Telluride, the headlights appear horizontal in nature with a set of jagged LED accents beneath, which also highlight the grille. The look is a bit reminiscent of the new 2021 Kia Optima, or the K5 in other markets.
A bit of Telluride, and maybe some Ford Explorer back here.
Moving to the back end, it's very Telluride-like. The rather dated taillight design from the current Sorento model is gone, and in its place is a somewhat pinched version of the larger SUV's look. They don't sweep in toward the hatch area like the Telluride, but the vertical look no doubt draws some parallels. To my eyes there's also a little bit of Ford Explorer going on with the chiseled lines in the rear.
The Sorento was, for a long time, the largest Kia utility vehicle in the brand's portfolio. No, I don't count the short-lived Borrego . With the Telluride taking that spot, it'll be interesting to see how Kia sizes the Sorento this time around. Theoretically, the model could shrink a little. Or perhaps it will stay much the same and simply sport fresh duds.
We do know it's the first model to ride on a new midsize platform from Kia, and the brand added it will offer "space on a par with larger vehicles." Hybrid power is also on the table, though we'll see if an electrified powertrain comes to the US.
We'll have the full scoop when the new Sorento debuts on March 3.
