Kia Sonet will go on sale in September and it will be offered in Tech Line and GT Line trims with manual and automatic transmission options
Kia Motors India has already commenced pre-bookings for the recently unveiled Sonet in the domestic market. Reservations are taken for an initial token of Rs. 25,000 ahead of its official price unveil sometime in September. The test drives for the Sonet are expected to commence in the coming days across the country and it has been reaching dealerships for display.
In just a day, the compact SUV crossed 6,500 bookings and the 10,000 mark was reached in a short span of time. The highly preferable variants from the customers are base diesel auto, top-spec diesel auto and the turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine equipped DCT automatic trim. The sub-four-metre SUV is the third product from the South Korean manufacturer for India.
Kia entered the domestic scenes last year courtesy of the Seltos while the Carnival premium SUV debuted at the 2020 Auto Expo. The Sonet will strengthen the brand’s SUV portfolio and it will become the most affordable offering, as the price bracket is expected to be around Rs. 6.75 lakh and Rs. 12 lakh (ex-showroom) with a wide range of engine choices and equipment level.
To be available in Tech Line and GT Line variants, the Sonet will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Honda WR-V and the upcoming Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. The Toyota Urban Cruiser, rebadged Vitara Brezza, is also entering the fray next month in the highly competitive space.
The Sonet will be sold in 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol, 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engines. It has several mechanical commonalities with the Hyundai Venue as the power and torque figures remain identical too. The bigger petrol kicks out 82 bhp and 115 Nm while the turbo petrol kicks out 118 bhp and 172 Nm.
The oil-burner, on the other hand, develops 99 bhp and 240 Nm in the six-speed manual trim and 113 bhp and 250 Nm in the segment-first six-speed AT. The gasoline unit can be had with either a six-speed manual (iMT) or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and the 1.2-litre petrol is paired with a five-speed MT.