Compare the2024 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

Both the Sorento Hybrid and Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Sorento Hybrid has standard Autonomous Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Land Cruiser doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Rear that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Sorento Hybrid uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 165 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Land Cruiser has not been tested, yet.

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 Land Cruiser’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Land Cruiser. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Land Cruiser ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

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

Regenerative brakes improve the Sorento Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sorento Hybrid’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Sorento Hybrid’s optional tires have a lower 55 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (37.9 feet vs. 40 feet).

The Kia Sorento Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1050 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Sorento Hybrid is 4.4 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser, making the Sorento Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento Hybrid is 9.4 inches shorter in height than the Land Cruiser, making the Sorento Hybrid much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Sorento Hybrid’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Sorento Hybrid has 4.2 inches more front headroom, 8.4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.8 inches more rear headroom and 14 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

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

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Land Cruiser have standard heated front seats. The Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Land Cruiser.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Land Cruiser.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.