Compare the2022 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2022 Audi Q5

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sorento Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Sorento Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Sorento Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and front parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Audi Q5:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Sorento Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Q5’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 93 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 32nd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 20th.

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Hybrid gets better mileage than the Q5 running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Sorento Hybrid has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q5 (5 to 7). This means the Sorento Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q5 every 15,000 miles.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Hybrid is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Q5.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Q5 45 TFSI’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Sorento Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Q5 can only carry 5.

The Sorento Hybrid has .7 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5.

The Sorento Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q5.

The Sorento Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Q5’s in every dimension:

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sorento Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Sorento Hybrid has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q5 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sorento Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Sorento Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Sorento Hybrid owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sorento Hybrid will cost $330 to $3385 less than the Q5 over a five-year period.

The Sorento Hybrid will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sorento Hybrid will retain 48.48% to 49.14% of its original price after five years, while the Q5 only retains 46.6% to 47.73%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sorento Hybrid will be $13261 to $24592 less than for the Audi Q5.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 8% during the 2021 model year.