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2018 Kia Sorento facelift spied

The 2018 Kia Sorento could bring with it a heavily revised new look to bring it more in line with the brand's smaller models, if these images are anything to go by.


Our spy photographers have caught a prototype version of the updated Kia Sorento being sent to undergo winter testing in Sweden, and despite heavy camouflage around the car it is clear that it sports a new front-end design which is similar to the likes of the smaller Sportage and Niro models.

As such the grille has done away with the Kia badge, which looks to have been positioned above the grille in a move that mirrors the smaller Kia SUVs. The headlights and sheetmetal will likely remain the same shape, but the light assemblies could see changes to offer a more triangular appearance when compared with the current stretched out, rectangular look lights.

Speaking of stretched out, it may appear that this Kia SUV is a little longer than the regular Sorento, but that could well be the camouflage playing tricks. The back end images show that the window line appears to have gone unchanged, despite the bulky cladding at the rear suggesting this could be a slightly larger version of the Sorento. After all, it wouldn't be a surprise if Kia were to be testing such a vehicle, having debuted the bulky Telluride concept at the 2016 Detroit auto show...

The changes come just two years after the brand debuted the current-generation Sorento in South Korea, while it has been on sale in Australia in October 2014. Intriguingly, this model has been brandished with a new codename, QM (the previous version is referred to as UM), so there could be some bigger changes in terms of engineering.

The QM model seen here is a front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder automatic variant, according to the sticker on the car's windscreen. Locally we don't get the turbo petrol model - instead, we have a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine or 2.2-litre turbo diesel.

Further details on what to expect of this updated model will surely leak out over the next few months. Stay tuned for that. A global debut of the facelifted version of the Sorento is likely in 2017.

CarAdvice has contacted Kia Australia for comment.

Click the Photos tab above for more images of the 2018 Kia Sorento.

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