Rent Kia Sorento 2023 in Dubai

We deliver the Kia Sorento 2023 to your door anywhere in Dubai inside one to two hours, which is the easy part. The harder question is whether a midsize three-row SUV is the right call for your week, and this recent-year Sorento sits in a useful spot: room for the school run and a small group, a calm highway cruiser, and a value year that rents for less than the newest plate while giving up very little day to day. If you need seven seats some of the time but not all of it, this is the sensible middle.

Who the seven seats actually suit

The Sorento is a genuine three-row SUV, but be clear about what that third row is for. Two kids slot into the back without complaint, and for the school run with car-pool overflow it does the job well. Adults back there are a short-trip proposition, knees up, fine across town but not for an hour on Sheikh Zayed Road. If you regularly carry four or more grown-ups, you'll want to size up to a full-size body like a Tahoe or a Patrol where the third row is built for adults. Most weeks, though, families run five up front with the back row folded and an occasional sixth and seventh seat for the cousins.

Boot space, and the trade-off when the third row is up

This is where honesty matters. With all seven seats in use, the boot behind the third row holds about 357 litres, enough for a couple of soft bags or the weekly shop, not a full airport load. Fold that third row flat and you free up roughly 1,100 litres, which swallows suitcases, a pram and the beach gear without thinking about it. So the working rule for a DXB or DWC run with a full cabin: if everyone's coming, pack light or do two trips. Five people and luggage is where the Sorento is genuinely comfortable.

Engine, drive and how it feels on the road

The 2.5L isn't quick, and at 179 hp with a full load it asks for a firm push to merge briskly onto the E11. It's not strained, just measured. Where it earns its keep is the cruise: settled at 120, quiet enough for a phone call, with the 8-speed auto holding a relaxed gear. The all-wheel drive matters less for off-road and more for stability on a wet underpass or a sandy slip road. Around town the steering is light and it's easier to place than the size suggests.

Refuelling, and what the tank buys you

The 67-litre tank and roughly 24 mpg combined translate to around 600 to 650 km of mixed Dubai driving on a fill. In practice, with AC running hard and city stop-start, plan closer to the lower end. For a normal week of school runs, mall trips and the odd airport drop, that's one fill, maybe a top-up before you hand it back. Don't expect hatchback economy, but for a seven-seater it's reasonable.

Heat, cooling and the third row

Dubai summers push into the high 40s, and a parked Sorento cabin gets brutal. The good news is the AC is strong and the cabin, while roomy, cools faster than a full-size SUV simply because there's less air to move. Front and second-row passengers feel it quickly. The third row gets its own vents, which genuinely helps the kids back there, though it lags the front by a few minutes on the worst days. Crack the windows for the first minute after pickup and it settles fast.

Parking, speed bumps and city size

At just under 4.8 metres long and 1.9 wide, the Sorento is a midsize SUV, not a barge, but it's wider than a crossover and you'll feel that in a tight Marina tower bay or a packed mall level. The reversing camera and sensors do the heavy lifting. The 175 mm of ground clearance clears Dubai's speed bumps and steep mall ramps without scraping, with margin to spare. It's an easy car to place once you've done a couple of car parks in it.

The Dubai admin, briefly

Salik tolls run to your account, and any RTA fines during the rental pass to you, so keep an eye on lane discipline on the busier gates. Child seats are required for under-fours and we can fit one on request. Seatbelts are mandatory in every row, third included, which is worth a reminder when the back seats are full of kids.

The recommendation

Rent the Sorento 2023 if you want a comfortable, easy-driving family SUV with seven seats on call and a value recent-year rate over the latest plate. It's at its best with five people and a loaded boot, or seven for shorter hops around town. If your group is four-plus adults who all need real third-row legroom and full luggage at once, size up to a full-size SUV. If you'll never use the back row and want lighter running costs and tighter parking, drop down to a five-seat crossover. For most families splitting the difference, this is the sensible pick.