Kia Sonet Launched In India From Rs. 6.71 Lakh – Variant Wise Prices

Kia Sonet compact SUV is offered in four engine and five transmission choices; more than 25,000 bookings have been made so far

Kia Motors India unveiled the Sonet last month and its intentions to make a big impact in the sub-four-metre SUV space have been clear with a wide range of powertrain as well as transmission options catering to different sets of customers. Moreover, the compact SUV packs premium amenities even in the mid-level trims and some of them are segment first.

The Sonet was first showcased in its concept form at the 2020 Auto Expo and very little details have changed in the production model. The exterior comprises of a sleek front fascia with the signature Tiger Nose grille and sharp headlamps with integrated LED Daytime Running Lights. The bumper has faux air vents and central hexagonal air inlets and a deep fog lamp housing.

Besides the premium chrome touches, you could also see the underbody protecting skid plates, a rather clean side profile with muscular wheel arches, chromed window line, roof rails and blackened pillars with the GT Line trim having red accents all around. The rear gets sporty full-width LED tail lamps, high mounted stop lamp, Kia badge grafted on the tailgate, dual exhaust pipes and an aggressive rear bumper.

Priced between Rs. 6.71 lakh and Rs. 11. 99 lakh (ex-showroom), the bookings of the Sonet have already been soaring in India and the deliveries will commence from this month onwards. The white and grey mono-tone colour schemes along with the dual-tone red and gold shades are so far popular amongst the customers. Moreover, the GTX+ auto trim offered with turbo petrol and diesel have been the most sought after models in terms of booking but they have not been launched yet.

The Sonet is available in as many as six variants: five Tech Line and one GT Line. Tech Line includes the base HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and the HTX+ while the GT Line comes in fully-loaded GTX+ trim. The five-seater measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,790 mm in width (second widest in its class), and 1,647 mm height (tallest of them all), and has a 2,500 mm wheelbase and class-best 211 mm ground clearance.

The all-important performance comes from a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine developing 83 PS at 6,300 rpm and 115 Nm at 4,200 rpm. It is paired with a five-speed manual transmission only in HTE, HTK, and HTK+ variants. The 1.5-litre CRDI four-cylinder turbo diesel comes in WGT (Waste-Gate Turbocharger) and VGT (Variable-Geometry Turbocharger) forms.

The former develops 100 PS at 4,000 rpm and 240 Nm at 1,500-2,750 rpm. It is connected to a six-speed manual (HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+, and GTX+) while the VGT equipped diesel produces 115 PS at 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1,500-2,750 rpm and is linked with a segment-first six-speed torque converter AT (HTK+ and GTX+). The 1.0-litre T-GDI three-pot petrol generates 120 PS at 6,000 rpm and 172 Nm at 1,500 and 4,000 rpm.

It is retailed with a six-speed iMT or a seven-speed DCT making the total transmission choices offered to five across four powertrains. The engine options are indeed shared with the Hyundai Venue but more fuel efficient in some cases with quicker 0-100 kmph times. The diesel MT has 24.1 kmpl, AT with 19 kmpl, petrol MT with 18.4 kmpl and turbo petrol with 18.2 kmpl for iMT and 18.3 kmpl for DCT.

The Sonet will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport, Honda WR-V and the upcoming Toyota Urban Cruiser, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger bound for early next year.

The third product from Kia for India is packed with features and they include six airbags, front and rear parking sensors, wireless charging facility, ventilated front seats, leather seat upholstery, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Kia’s UVO connected enabling 57 in-car features, LED headlamps, ABS with EBD, ESC, HAC, VSM, projector fog lamps, tyre pressure monitoring system, traction control modes in auto, automatic climate control, cruise control, remote engine start with smart key, reversing camera and so on.

TOP 15 FEATURES OF KIA SONET:

• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Kia’s UVO Connect with 57 in-car connective features
• AI based voice recognition and OTR updates
• Wireless Charger
• Six airbags
• LED headlamps with integrated LED DRLs
• Automatic climate control
• TPMS
• Remote engine start with smart key
• Segment-best 211 mm ground clearance
• 392 litres bootspace
• Seven-speed DCT in 1.0L turbo petrol
• iMT Transmission
• Ventilated front seats
• 24.10 kmpl claimed diesel MT mileage

Seven-speaker Bose audio, 4.2-inch MID, multi driving modes in AT, and OTR updates are other notable features. It can be had in seven single-tone colours and three dual-tone shades and is rolled out of Kia’s production facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh for not just India but across 70 global markets as well.