The current generation Kia Sorento made its global debut in early 2020 and was then shown to the North American audience in September that year. It went on sale in the United States for the 2022 model and while still generally fresh on the market, it is going to be refreshed soon. Markets outside North America will get the facelift first and we have the first spy photos shot on European soil.
What you see in the gallery below is a set of spy shots with a camouflaged prototype of what we believe will debut as the 2024 Sorento in the United States. This test vehicle is obviously concealed with some fake body panels and a lot of cloth disguise but we know for sure it is the South Korean SUV. We don’t know all the changes the camouflage is hiding, though there are hints at a heavily revised front end.
Gallery: 2023 Kia Sorento spy photos
The front fascia will get a pair of redesigned headlights and it appears that the clusters will have a new layout sitting vertically compared to the horizontal lights on the current model. It’s too early to give generalizations but the new design could be inspired by the Telluride, although with some modifications. A new grille design also seems likely and there could be further tweaks to the lower section of the front bumper.
At the back, there’s even more camouflage but it appears that Kia will keep mostly unchanged. The taillights arrangement looks identical, though there could be tweaks to the internal graphics. The exhaust pipe you see on this prototype is provisional and the final production version will have either pipes integrated into the bumper or completely invisible exhausts.
It’s still too early to talk about mechanical upgrades. The Sorento is currently sold in the United States with a selection of four powertrains, including a base naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 191 horsepower (142 kilowatts). Above it is a turbocharged version of that engine good for 281 hp (210 kW). There are two electrified models using a 1.6-liter engine and generating 227 hp (169 kW) and 261 hp (195 kW) respectively in hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.
