The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently tested the 2025 model year Sorento. Although the front-biased crossover aced the original moderate overlap front crash test, it was rated marginal in the updated test.
Before going any further, let's talk about what makes the updated one more difficult than the original. Back in 2022, the nonprofit organization introduced back-seat protection to the mix, with the rear-seat dummy representing a 12-year-old child or small woman. The reasoning behind the smaller dummy is pretty straightforward, for children and small women are prone to submarining.
Submarining is the scenario in which the rear-seat occupant slides forward beneath the lap belt, greatly increasing the risk of abdominal injuries. Furthermore, the shoulder belt could move upward, therefore compromising the effectiveness of the restraint system in the event of a crash. That said, what made the IIHS mark down the 2025 model year Sorento?
For starters, dummy sensors indicated a moderate risk of injury to the head or neck. It's hardly a surprise given that moderate overlap front crash tests are performed at 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour), with the subject vehicle hitting a stationary barrier with 40 percent of the vehicle's front overlapping.
As you can tell from the attached video, the lap belt moved from the pelvis area onto the abdomen of the rear dummy. On the other hand, the shoulder belt remained in the ideal position. Overall, the Sorento performed marginally in this crash test, meaning that Sorento qualifies for a Top Safety Pick accolade instead of Top Safety Pick+.
Photo: IIHS on YouTube
It's a bit of a shame, and it's even more so because the IIHS gave the Sorento the highest rating available in all other crashworthiness tests. Be that as it may, the rating awarded for headlight performance and LATCH ease of use is acceptable. As far as the headlights are concerned, high-beam visibility was deemed inadequate on the left side of the road. The lower child seats anchors, meanwhile, are located too deep in the outboard seats.
Slotted between the five-seat Sportage and family-sized Telluride, the Sorento is a three-row affair as well. But as opposed to the naturally aspirated V6-powered Telluride, the Sorento comes with a couple of I4s.
The free-breathing version is best described as adequate, for it makes 191 ponies and 181 pound-feet (245 Newton-meters) of twist. Stepping up to the turbo results in 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet (422 Newton-meters), with said twist obviously delivered at lower engine speeds. Care to guess which one is better at the pump? The answer is naturally aspirated, with the EPA listing 26 miles to the gallon (9.0 liters per 100 kilometers) compared to 23 (10.2) for the turbocharged mill.
Those in the market for the most efficient Sorento available should consider the front-drive hybrid's 1.6-liter turbo inline-four hybrid setup, for it promises 36 miles per gallon (6.5 liters per 100 kilometers). Alternatively, the Sorento PHEV boasts an estimated all-electric range of 31 miles (50 kilometers).
| Two new EVs were tripped up by the small overlap test, while popular models from Nissan and Kia fell short in the updated moderate overlap crash test.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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