Review: The $38,000 Kia Sorento Hybrid 3-row SUV is the affordable, stylish way to stop stressing about gas

• The Kia Sorento Hybrid, a traditional hybrid SUV, starts at $36,590 for the 2023 model year.
• The Sorento Hybrid doesn't need to be plugged in, has 655 miles of range, and gets 37 mpg combined.

When I first saw the Kia Sorento Hybrid SUV, I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. It looked great, sure, and I could drive it across the state of Texas without needing to stop for fuel. But I didn't see myself getting hung up on a $38,000 hybrid SUV.

I was wrong.

The Kia Sorento Hybrid: The perfect middle ground for our electric future

The Sorento is Kia's midsize SUV that comes in both front- and all-wheel drive. It slots in under the Telluride SUV, which has three rows and enough rear cargo space for a few suitcases. The Sorento trades much of that rear cargo space for a third row of its own, but the seats can collapse and make more room in the back.

The Sorento comes in a gas version, which starts at $29,990 for the 2023 model year; a traditional hybrid, which starts at $36,590; and a plug-in hybrid, which starts at $49,890. I got to test-drive a 2022 Sorento with a $445 coat of "Runway Red" paint, a light-gray interior, front-wheel drive, and a traditional hybrid system for a week. It came to $37,820 after the paint charge, a $210 set of carpeted floor mats, and fees.

We're moving into an era of cars with more sustainable power like electricity and hydrogen, and hybrids are the perfect middle ground. They use both gas and electricity, giving drivers more range, reduced emissions, and the ability to quickly fill up on the road instead of sitting at a charging station.

You'll notice the Sorento has two types of hybrid: the traditional one like I had, which charges the battery while you drive, and the more expensive plug-in version that charges at an outlet. The plug-in Sorento offers two major benefits over the traditional: It gets better fuel mileage, and it has 32 miles of electric-only range. That means the average commuter can drive to work with mostly electricity, go home and charge up, then do it again the next day.

Here's how all the powertrains compare on fuel efficiency in combined city-highway driving, according to the EPA:

• Kia Sorento (gas only, FWD): 25 to 26 mpg combined
• Kia Sorento (gas only, AWD): 24 mpg combined
• Kia Sorento Hybrid (FWD): 37 mpg combined
• Kia Sorento Hybrid (AWD): 35 mpg combined
• Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (AWD only): 79 mpg-e with electricity, 34 mpg without

(The numbers listed above are for the 2022 model year, because the EPA doesn't have all the numbers for 2023 yet.)

What stands out: Everything, really

Whenever I review a car, I make a bunch of notes on my phone. They're usually little things like: "Paint looks green in certain lights???" and "WOW this car feels so big in traffic." I paste those notes in a Google Doc and use them to write a review for you.

I have dozens of notes on the Sorento, and all but two are glowing.

Let's start with the appearance. From the outside, the Sorento looks like an averaged-sized SUV. Inside, it feels so much bigger.

My loaner car had three rows with two captains chairs in the middle, and even without a sunroof, its light-gray interior and high ceilings made it feel spacious and airy. The silver interior accents and simple geometric styling were upscale but not over the top, because the Sorento is middle-class luxury that knows its place.

My husband and I took a four-hour trip in the Sorento as soon as we got it, and it was a breeze. The car has 655 miles of hybrid range and got the EPA estimated 37 mpg combined, meaning we didn't have to worry about gas stations or mileage. We just sat back, turned on the car's driver-assistance systems, and enjoyed the drive.

The Sorento glides over dips, bumps, and imperfections in the road, and it has almost no wind noise, even at 80 mph. The steering wheel and gas pedal are effortlessly light, the brakes are grabby, and everyone inside the car has cup holders, pockets, ample storage space, and insulation from the world and road around them.

The Sorento feels ideal for a four-person family. You can have the parents in the front, two kids in the middle, and the occasional extra passenger in the back. The rear cargo area only holds two carry-on suitcases with the third row up, but when it's folded down — like it would be with four people — a whole new world of space opens up.

My favorite part about the Sorento is the context around it. We're in a car market that's obsessed with SUVs — their size, ride height, and overall vibe — and because of that, people will pay more for them.

The average price of a new car today is $48,300, and that number continues to climb. It would be so easy to add a hybrid system to the Sorento and hike the price, because its size and fuel mileage are perfect for a modern car buyer.

Instead, the Sorento Hybrid undercuts the market average by more than $10,000.

What falls short: Kia's infotainment system haunts me

I only had two frustrations in the Sorento, and both were with its infotainment system. The first is common in modern cars — a glossy, touch-based center screen that gets dust, dirt, and nasty fingerprints all over it — and the second is a Kia problem.

Automakers often carry infotainment systems between car models, and I feel very conflicted about Kia's tech. It's easy to learn and use, but when it connects to phones, it has a mind of its own.

Each time I got in the Sorento, it took six to seven seconds for my phone call to connect. That would be fine, except that my call audio ended up in purgatory for that time — it wasn't on my phone or the car, so I couldn't hear the person on the other end until it connected. I never understood why the audio didn't just stay on the phone until the last possible second before flipping into the car's audio system, which is what most other vehicles do.

But that wasn't all. Each time I use a Kia infotainment system, it automatically brings up my Apple Music library to play songs. I don't use Apple Music or know how to delete things from it, so the only thing on there is the U2 album that randomly appeared on everyone's iPhones in 2014.

I feel low-level rage every time I see that album cover, mainly because it feels invasive that a band and a phone company can decide to put things on my phone whenever they want. I see the cover almost every time I get into a modern Kia.

This leaves three possible outcomes: Either Kia reprograms its infotainment to stop force-playing my Apple Music library, I google "How to delete that U2 album from my iPhone," or I continue to be haunted by it forever. I know which one I want see happen.

Our impressions: So good, I'm still thinking about it

I spent a week driving around in the Sorento, with no worries about needing to stop for gas or how much it would cost. Instead, I used that time to think about how upscale it felt, especially for a $38,000 SUV in a market where people buy SUVs for the sake of it.

The more I thought about the Sorento, the more I loved it. It's practical, reasonably priced, and knows what it is and who it's for — and if it's for you, just know you've found a good one.