The sub-$70,000 large SUV segment is hotly contested, with 23 models from 15 different manufacturers competing for buyers’ attention.

It includes a mix of ‘proper’ 4x4 models, such as the category best-seller Toyota Prado and its rival the Ford Everest, and more on-road oriented SUVs, like the Subaru Outback and Toyota Kluger.

Within this group, Kia’s Sorento SUV managed 8,366 sales in 2023 to secure a respectable sixth place on the leaderboard.

No doubt Kia would love a bit more of the action in a segment that accounted for 126,720 sales, or just over 10% of all new vehicle sales in 2023.

Hence why the Korean car maker leapt out of the blocks in January with a major update to its popular seven-seat family wagon.

The fourth-generation Sorento launched in late 2020 and this update brings fresh styling that draws heavily on the edgy, boxier looks of the new EV9 electric SUV, including a new headlight graphic, cleaner radiator grille and front bumper, and revised rear lights and bumpers.

Elsewhere, there are changes to in-car infotainment and technology that bring it more in line with the look and feel of other late-model Kias.

Now, as before, the Sorento is offered in four different trim grades with each variant powered by either a 3.5-litre petrol V6 driving the front wheels, or a 2.2-litre diesel all-wheel drive (AWD).

Buyers hoping for hybrid (HEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants will have to wait a while longer, with Kia expecting the additional models to arrive before mid-year.

Depending on variant, the updated MY24 Sorento is priced between $3,300 and $3,700 more than the old model, but Kia says this is more than accounted for by improvements in standard features, which we’ll get to.

The V6 petrol Sorento price walk starts at $50,680 (MRLP) for the base S and rises through four variants to the GT-Line costing $65,590, while the diesel S starts at $53,680 and tops out with the GT-Line at $68,590 (MRLP).

The cost difference between petrol and diesel is $3,000 on all variants bar the base S, which, for some reason, asks an extra $3,680 for the diesel.

That’s still reasonable considering that choosing diesel also brings all-wheel drive capability, with Kia expecting the current 80/20 diesel-petrol sales split to continue with this updated model.

Premium paint is a $695 option on all variants, with tyre sizes ranging from 17-inch alloys on the base S, to 18s on the Sport, 19s on the Sport+ and 20-inch on the GT-Line.

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Inside, the base S and Sport feature embossed cloth trim, the Sport+ gets leather-appointed trim and the GT-Line gets the full Nappa leather treatment.

Among the key interior changes with this update is the adoption of a digital dual-screen infotainment system like that recently launched on the battery-electric EV9.

Kia calls it Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) and it includes a new curved instrument cluster and central display screen with a cleaner design and more intuitive menu.

The centre console design has also been tidied up on all grades by ditching the old T-bar auto in favour of a more contemporary-looking shift-by-wire dial previously reserved for GT-Line.

Likewise, all models, including the base S, adopt push-button start and all move to a sleeker dual-purpose capacitive touchpad for HVAC and infotainment, helping reduce switchgear clutter. Tyre pressure monitoring is also standard across the range.

All variants also get remote engine start, previously only available on the two higher grades, allowing the vehicle interior to be cooled or warmed in advance.

The latter is enabled by a valet mode controlled through the Kia Connect App that acts as a smartphone remote control, provided the user is within the range of a traditional key fob.

On GT-Line variants, there’s also a 360-degree camera that provides visuals of the vehicle’s surrounds, presumably for security purposes.

The app also provides the ability to check on driver behaviour, while Sport Plus and GT-Line variant users can remotely open or close the vehicle windows.

For a party trick, Sorento GT-Line drivers can showcase the car’s Remote Smart Parking Assist, which allows the driver to use the key fob to start the car remotely and control forward and backward movements, to allow for easier parking or exiting from tight spaces.

The Sorento’s updated infotainment system incorporates wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Valet Mode, weather forecasts and a calendar.

On GT-Line variants the infotainment screen and instrument cluster are both now 12-3-inch curved displays, while the other variants get the 12.3-inch infotainment display plus a 4.0-inch Multi-Function LCD digital display in lieu of the old analogue dials.

The GT-Line also boasts an enlarged 10-inch HUD which displays information including navigation, speed limit, and full album art if playing media.

All variants come with a seven-year Kia Connect complimentary connected car service that uses telematics systems to transfer real-time data, such as weather and traffic information, plus auto collision notification.

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Significantly, it also enables OTA (over the air updates) for the first time, meaning customers can keep their vehicle up to date with the latest software without needing to visit a dealership.

Elsewhere, the interior features USB-C ports up front on all grades, with the Sport+ and GT-Line also offering the feature in their second and third rows.

All models bar the entry-level S boast privacy glass, with Sport+ and GT-Line passengers able to go further incognito via second-row window shades. The GT-Line also adds enhanced mood lighting, and both it and the Sport+ rock a high-quality 12-speaker Bose audio system.

A digital centre mirror is another handy inclusion on the GT-Line, allowing the driver to swap from traditional, reflective mirror view to camera projection view at the touch of a button.

The system allows the operator to switch to camera view if the mirror view is obscured by rear-seat passengers or luggage.

Other standard GT-Line features include suede interior trim, premium heated steering wheel, quilted Nappa leather seats with front-seat heating, powered seat cushion extension for the driver, driver-seat memory setting, four-way driver lumbar support, two-way passenger lumbar support, power windows with auto up and down in both rows and a panoramic sunroof.

There are no changes to the Sorento’s generous three-row, seven-seat interior accommodation and it continues to stand out as an impressively well-packaged family SUV.

Boot size is a modest 179 litres with the third row in use, expanding to a handy 608 litres with five seats up, or a generous 1,996 litres with only the front pews in use.

All variants offer remote folding second-row seat release and tilting-type walk-in seat access, with manual third-row folding.

Safety has been enhanced on all variants with junction turning added as a new feature in addition to safe exit warning, blind-sport collision avoidance assist, high beam assist, driver attention alert, multi-collision braking, rear-view camera and parking distance warning (front and rear).

All bar the base S also get Kia’s next-generation highway driving assist (HDA) semi-autonomous driving technology.

HDA functions only when driving on a freeway or motorway and builds on adaptive cruise control by adding stop-and-go capability, combining with lane following assist to keep the car centred in the lane even when driving through a curve.

The GT-Line’s safety kit also now includes a more comprehensive parking collision alert system that adds side parking distance warning to the previous front and rear system, along with blind-spot view monitor, surround view monitor, and rear cross-traffic alert.

We sampled both the petrol V6 and the turbodiesel four-cylinder in a selection of variants over the course of a one-day drive program.

With 200kW/332Nm at its disposal, the V6 is impressively responsive and keener off the mark than the diesel and comes hitched to a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic with sport mode.

But the fact it drives the front wheels only means it can exhibit a little torque steer in certain conditions, such as when accelerating out of an intersection while turning.

Its 9.8L/100km combined-cycle fuel consumption is also 3.8L/100km thirstier than the diesel, and its urban-use figure almost twice as high, which will be reason enough for many people to favour the diesel.

The latter is a smooth and respectably quiet operator with a lower 148kW peak power than the petrol but a gutsier 440Nm of torque, available from 1,750 to 2,750rpm, where the petrol makes its peak torque at 5,000rpm, meaning the diesel is simply more relaxing to drive.

It comes hitched exclusively to an eight-speed wet-type dual-clutch transmission which aids its fuel efficiency and provides a more direct and linear acceleration and shift feel than the torque-converter-equipped V6.

All variants come standard with steering column paddle shifts and both transmissions offer four selectable drives – Normal, Eco, Sport and Smart – with the diesel all-wheel drive gaining an additional three-mode (Snow, Mud, Sand) terrain select system.

The Sorento’s rack-mounted motor-driven electric power-steering system has also been upgraded with new firmware and algorithm to provide different levels of assistance when Comfort or Sport drive modes are chosen.

Towing capacity remains at 750kg unbraked or 2,000kg braked on both petrol and diesel, with a 200kg tow ball download.

The diesel’s tare mass of 1,974kg is 76kg heavier than the petrol, with a GVM of 2,630kg versus the petrol’s 2,600kg, for those doing their towing and payload calculations.

Dynamically, Kia claims significant improvements to ride comfort, better body control and more stable handling, courtesy of new ZF Sachs frequency-dependant dampers.

The shocks vary damping response according to road conditions, enabling a softer ride without sacrificing dynamics and have been specifically tuned for Australian conditions.

Ride quality, even on the 20-inch wheel-equipped GT-Line, is decently compliant, with the smaller-wheeled models presumably having a slight advantage thanks to their taller, higher-profile tyres.

The upside for the GT-Line, aside from the 20s filling the guards more attractively, is that handling is that bit crisper, with sightly better steering feel and response and more sure-footed grip from the wider 255-section rubber.

In summary, Kia’s MY24 upgrades have strengthened the Sorento’s claim to being one of the best, affordable large SUVs on the market.

Dynamically, it’s right at the pointy end of the pack, with Kia’s commitment to local ride and handling development paying clear dividends.

It’s also one of the best-finished and equipped players in this sector, with some of the best available safety and technology.

The base S misses out on some of the good stuff but it’s still quite well-equipped and by the time you get to GT-Line you have an SUV that feels properly premium, without the luxury price tag.

The brand’s seven-year warranty remains one of the best in the business and an additional reason to have the Sorento on your seven-seat SUV shortlist.

Kia Sportage GT-Line 2.2-litre CRDI All-Wheel Drive key info

• PRICE: $68,590 (MRLP)
• POWERTRAIN: 2.2-litre turbodiesel (148kW/440Nm), eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, all-wheel drive.
• ANCAP CRASH RATING: Five stars (2020)
• FUEL CONSUMPTION (combined cycle): 6.0L/100km (158/km CO2)
• FOR: Impressive ride and handling, roomy and hi-tech interior, generously equipped, full-size spare alloy wheel, excellent warranty, strong safety raring.
• AGAINST: Price hikes over predecessor, V6 petrol is thirsty and front-wheel drive only, no low-emissions variants available at launch.