Compare the2022 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2022 Audi Q7

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Q7 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 Q7 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 Q7 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Sorento Hybrid	Q7
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	25%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	186 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	37 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Q7:

	Sorento Hybrid	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	83	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	24 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.56/.53	.57/.7

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 Q7:

	Sorento Hybrid	Q7
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	280	290
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sorento Hybrid the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 136 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q7 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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 Q7’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 Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 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.

Reliability

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.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Hybrid gets better mileage than the Q7:

			MPG
Sorento Hybrid
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	39 city/35 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/33 hwy
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

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 Q7 (3 to 5). This means the Sorento Hybrid produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

The Sorento Hybrid has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Q7’s (37.9 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Sorento Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1100 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The Sorento Hybrid is 9.9 inches shorter than the Q7, making the Sorento Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Sorento Hybrid has .4 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more third row headroom, .4 inches more third row legroom and 3.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

	Sorento Hybrid	Q7
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	37.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	n/a
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	71.6 cubic feet

The Sorento Hybrid has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Q7 doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Towing

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 Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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 Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Model Availability

The Sorento Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Sorento Hybrid owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sorento Hybrid will cost $2665 to $6840 less than the Q7 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sorento Hybrid will be $25599 to $38841 less than for the Audi Q7.

Recommendations

The Kia Sorento outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by over two to one during the 2021 model year.