Compare the2022 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Both the Sorento Hybrid and Outlander PHEV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Outlander PHEV’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Compared to metal, the Sorento Hybrid’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a metal gas tank.

The Sorento Hybrid has standard 911 Connect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Outlander PHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Sorento Hybrid with standard seats is safer than the Outlander PHEV:

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

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 Outlander PHEV is not a “Top Pick.”

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento Hybrid’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Sorento Hybrid’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Outlander PHEV’s camshafts. If the Outlander PHEV’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 5 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (227 vs. 221) than the Outlander PHEV’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

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

The Sorento Hybrid has 6.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Outlander PHEV (17.7 vs. 11.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Sorento Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outlander PHEV:

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Outlander PHEV are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Sorento Hybrid has larger tires than the Outlander PHEV (235/65R17 vs. 225/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Hybrid EX has standard 19-inch wheels. The Outlander PHEV’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 Outlander PHEV; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Sorento Hybrid has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Hybrid’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Outlander PHEV (110.8 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Hybrid is 4.4 inches wider in the front and 4.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Outlander PHEV.

The Kia Sorento Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

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

The Sorento Hybrid has 3.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outlander PHEV (105.3 vs. 102.1).

The Sorento Hybrid has .5 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 2.8 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outlander PHEV.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento Hybrid’s optional second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento Hybrid. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento Hybrid’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outlander PHEV’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento Hybrid and the Outlander PHEV have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outlander PHEV prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sorento Hybrid’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Outlander PHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Sorento Hybrid has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Sorento Hybrid. The Sorento Hybrid’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a navigation system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento Hybrid EX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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

The Kia Sorento outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.