First drive: 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid tackles altitude sickness

• The Sorento Hybrid AWD averaged 32.7 mpg during one vacation in the Rockies
• Center differential lock and snow mode alleviate the anxiety of snow landings
• The SX Prestige trim handles altitude better than at least one Homman

If I were to die today, my teenagers might write something that said, “Drink more water.” It is my most frequent parental guidance, the panacea for all that ails you.

A version of this suggestion was said at least a dozen times before landing from Chicago in Denver for the Christmas holidays. We flat-earthers rolled up beyond the Mile High City in our updated Kia Sorento hybrid, loaded with three sets of ski gear, six pieces of luggage, and enough room left over to recline the second-row captain’s chairs for a long nap on the three-hour drive. In the Rocky Mountains.

We got hydrated enough for a bathroom break at 10,000 feet in Fairplay, Colorado, before landing in Salida, at 7,200 feet. Late that night, altitude sickness broke out for the first time in my life.

The headaches, body aches and nausea were bad enough for the teens not to point out the irony. They skied with the family while I recovered, as lethargic as Sorrento.

From below my window, her new face looked up at me, telling me to hit the slopes. Its wider, bolder grille imprinted the vertical front fascia, and the stacked headlights and bounce lights wished me some level of vacation adventure. to 2025 Sorento Hybrid The same updates applied to the gas-only model follow in 2024. The straighter, straighter end is reminiscent of old SUVs, but it’s still within its crossover body, yet it’s not as blocky a Lego car as the related Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid that won this post Best Car to Buy 2025 Award.

I quickly returned to swimming with fluids and joined them the next day Sorento six passengers Loaded with family and gear.

The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid features a smarter interior design

The best updates happen inside, where Kia has cleared out its busy center stack and dual air towers for a streamlined 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that flows into a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone compatibility. I appreciate the little things more after being sick. Below the screens is a tactile menu bar that either controls climate settings or acts as infotainment trigger buttons. Everything is nicer and neater, and with dedicated toggle switches for the heated seat rather than burying that functionality in the touchscreen.

The road ascends to the vicinity of a mountain river that cuts through the valley of farms and wilderness. I stepped up to the triple line, and the 6-speed automatic found its groove in Intelligent mode to about 3,500 rpm without taxing the engine enough to disrupt the cabin’s tranquility.

The Kia uses the same 1.6-liter inline-4 engine as the winner Hyundai Santa Fe HybridAn electric motor with a capacity of 47.7 kilowatts is placed between the engine and the 6-speed gearbox to generate a power of 231 horsepower. An old pickup truck weighed down by a day’s work or a life was encouraged to move uphill, so I dialed up Sport mode, and moved the paddles down for easier access to 271 lb-ft of torqueand the truck drove uphill without a second thought.

In Eco or Smart mode, the paddle shifters become regenerative braking settings, with up to four different levels; It can cruise like a regular gas car, or be pushed down to the more assertive level, L3. It wasn’t as smooth as most electric cars, as there was a lot of grip once you let off the throttle rather than a gradual transition between the two. I preferred the L2 for the smoother handoff between acceleration and braking.

Since I’m fairly accustomed to this hybrid setup used by Hyundai and Kia, I barely noticed the transmission shifting at low speeds when on electric power only, until about 18 mph. Some drivers accustomed to single-gear electric cars or continuously variable hybrid transmissions with no real gear shifts may be surprised by the gear changes on electric power, but it returns to normal soon. Otherwise, the dance between motor and drive is smooth enough to be unnoticeable.

For passengers in the luxurious SX Prestige model, it was quiet and comfortable enough for a long nap. Heated captain’s chairs in the second row helped, but at this point in our trip, all four of our heads were up with excitement. We had the third row down, and three sets of skis positioned across the back from the captain’s chairs. There were plenty of other shipping places for shoes and the rest.

The post-ski trip back down, even without an après-ski beer, made me better appreciate the comforts and smarts the Sorento Hybrid offers. Of course, the top SX-Prestige model had luxury-like appointments with a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a power nap-inducing lumbar support and bolster support, and a panoramic sunroof, which made it all the better for watching the coming storm. .

The Kia Sorento’s hybrid all-wheel drive system handles snow and ice

During the second half of the ski day, the resort closed all but two lifts due to 60 mph winds. Swirling clouds obliterated the 14,000-foot peaks and cut off visibility on the slopes and on the road. We closed the screen on the sunroof, a stark contrast to the morning when my daughter leaned back in the front seat to stare at the frozen trees and blue sky.

The storm lowered temperatures and snow and sludge hid icy patches on the winding slope to the house. He turned the dial to Apply ice I pressed the center differential lock button. It distributes torque evenly between the axles to ensure optimal control and balance versus efficiency. But as we were going downhill, the hybrid system used mostly electric power. Using the paddle shifters for engine braking was not an option since the battery was full. The gear dial that replaced the previous model’s mechanical transmission also meant I couldn’t operate it in manual mode and let the engine rev higher to maintain the brakes. Kia will probably thank me for this. Snow mode shortened first gear, but seemed to delay shifts otherwise to allow the engine to rev higher and generate more torque, so it served the same purpose without having to fiddle with the controls.

We made it home safe and sound, the adrenaline from the ski day and over-hydration having completely cured the altitude sickness. The Sorento Hybrid helped alleviate the stress of driving in the mountains, providing comfort during the eventual three-hour drive down the range to Denver.

Over 380 miles, up and down nearly a mile of total elevation, and loaded with three adult passengers and ski gear, averaging 32.7 mpgshadow of EPA estimates 34 mpg combined. With big 17.7-gallon gas tankThe Sorento only needed to be refilled once during our travels, and that was on the way to the airport. This has helped neutralize the financial sickness of any family vacation, whether on a hike or otherwise.

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2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige AWD

Base price: $40,065, including $1,375 destination charge

Price as tested: $49,090

Payment system: 1.6-litre turbo 4 with 227 hp and 47.7 kW with 6-speed automatic transmission; Four-wheel drive

EPA fuel economy: 34/34/34 mpg