The upcoming Sonet will become Kia’s most affordable offering in the Indian market, and will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, Maruti Vitara Brezza etc
Kia Motors entered the Indian market with the Seltos, which was launched in August last year. Later on, the Korean carmaker said that it plans to introduce a new product in the Indian market every six months, and went on to launch the Carnival MPV at the 2020 Auto Expo, held in February this year.
Now, Kia Motors is all ready to launch its third product in the country, i.e. the sub-4m SUV Sonet, which is going to be launched next month. Ahead of its arrival, we have put together a list of 5 things that you should know about the Sonet, take a read to know what those 5 things are –
1. Design
Kia previewed the Sonet in a concept form at the 2020 Auto Expo, however, the production-ready version of the car looks largely similar to the said concept. Up front, the Sonet gets Kia’s signature tiger-nose grille, LED headlamps with heartbeat DRLs, stylish looking diamond-cut alloy wheels, and a boot-width LED bar that connects the LED tail lamps.
The GT Line trim additionally features red highlights on the alloy wheels, red brake calipers, red accents on front bumper, front and rear faux skid plates over the Tech Line variants. Inside the cabin, the former gets an all black cabin with leatherette sports seats and contrasting red stitching. The Tech Line trims on the other hand, will be available with four different interior colours and seat patterns including two beige and black dual tone options as well as two all-black themes.
2. Powertrains
The Kia Sonet will be offered with a 1.2-litre NA petrol motor that is rated at 83 PS/113 Nm; a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged TGDi petrol motor that puts out 120 PS of max power and 172 Nm of peak torque; as well as a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates 100 PS power and 240 Nm torque when had with a manual gearbox, and 115 PS and 250 Nm when coupled to an automatic transmission.
The transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox for the 1.2-litre petrol engine, a 6-speed MT and a 6-speed torque converter AT for the 1.5-litre diesel engine, a 6-speed iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) along with an optional 7-speed DCT for the 1.0-litre TGDi turbo-petrol unit.
3. Features
The Sonet has been packed up to the brim with features. Its equipment list includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric sunroof, 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, a premium audio system sourced from Bose, UVO connected car tech, AI voice recognition, a 4.2-inch colour MID, LED sound mood lights, ventilated front seats, an air purifier with virus protection, wireless smartphone charger, auto-dimming IRVM etc.
4. Safety
On the safety front, the Sonet gets six airbags, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assist Control, a tyre pressure monitoring system, automatic headlamps, front and reverse parking sensors, a reverse parking camera with guidelines, Brake Assist Traction Control (DCT only) and Vehicle Stability Management.
5. Price & Rivals
Kia is yet to reveal the pricing for the Sonet, but we expect it to be priced between Rs 7 – 12 lakh (ex-showroom). Upon launch, the sub-compact SUV will go on to rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza as well as the upcoming Toyota Urban Cruiser, Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite.