Check out our list of top ten features available on the soon-to-be-launched Kia Sonet’s base ‘HTE’ variant
Kia’s first sub-4-metre SUV for the Indian market was officially unveiled a few weeks back, and recently, its official brochure was also leaked online. On it, the South Korean manufacturer had mentioned all the features it’s going to offer on the different trim levels of the Sonet.
If you’re wondering whether the base model of the Sonet (HTE Trim) would have a decent load of equipment on offer, then keep reading ahead. Here, we discuss the top ten highlights of the Kia Sonet HTE, i.e., its base variant.
1. LED taillights
Even on the base variant, the Sonet gets a pair of beautiful looking LED taillights, which are connected by a reflector bar running horizontally between them. This gives the taillamps a single-piece look, which looks rather upmarket.
Sadly, the headlamps are regular halogen units here, not LED like on the higher trims. There are a few other design details worth mentioning, like the faux skid plates and the signature ‘Tiger nose’ grille.
2. Premium Interior
The interior of this subcompact Kia SUV looks as impressive as the exterior. It gets an all-black interior theme, premium fabric upholstery for the seats, and premium roof lining, along with chrome garnish for the AC vents. All of these elements add a premium-ness to the car’s cabin. Sadly, the base trim does not get an audio system, not even a basic 2 DIN unit.
3. Digital Instrument Cluster
Across all trims of the Sonet, we get a semi-digital instrument cluster as standard. On the base trim, we see a 3.5-inch monochrome instrument cluster, flanked on either side by dials for tachometer and temperature/fuel gauge. Although you don’t get a multi-colour TFT instrument cluster, this one is still quite cool to look at, and is unique in its design, especially in this segment.
4. Electric ORVMs
Adding to the premium feel of the car, Kia has given the Sonet electrically-operated wing mirrors across all the trims. These mirrors are also auto-folding type, i.e., they fold in every time you shut the engine down.
5. Tilt-Adjustable Steering
The steering wheel of the base variant Kia Sonet is tilt-adjustable, to allow the driver to choose a suitable driving position. Sadly, you don’t get reach adjustment in here, not even on the top-level trims, which is a slight disappointment, to be honest. The Kia Seltos gets reach as well as tilt adjustment for the steering wheel, and it would’ve been great if it was offered on its younger brother as well.
6. Centre Locking
To take care of vehicular security, Kia is offering centre locking system as standard on its little crossover. Mostly, the base models skip on a few security features in order to maintain an affordable price tag, but as Kia’s offering is on the premium side of the spectrum, it keeps a lot of security as well as convenience features on-board on the base trim.
7. Rear AC Vents
Keeping in line with premium-ness of the cabin, the Sonet will also get AC vents for the rear seat. The vents are integrated into the floor console, peeping at the rear passengers from between the front seats. This is an extremely useful feature to ensure the comfort of rear seat occupants, especially in the brutal summers of India.
8. Front And Rear USB Charging
The Kia Sonet offers multiple charging ports to its occupants. The vehicle gets a 12 volt charging socket and a USB port in the centre console, in the cubby space just ahead of the gear lever. Apart from that, there is another USB port above the rear AC vents, which adds convenience for the rear passengers.
9. Safety Features
Safety is well taken care of in the Kia Sonet, with dual airbags (driver and front passenger) as standard. Other safety features on offer include antilock braking system, electronic brakeforce distribution, rear parking sensors, emergency stop signal, and disc brakes for the front wheels.
10. Diesel Engine Option
The base ‘HTE’ trims of the Kia Sonet is available with a petrol as well as a diesel engine option. The petrol motor is a 1.2-litre unit, which generates 83 PS and 115 Nm, while the diesel mill is a 1.5-litre unit that produces 100 PS and 240 Nm. In the interest of affordability, these powerplants only come mated to manual transmissions on the base trim. The 1.2 petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and the 1.5L diesel comes paired to a 6-speed manual unit.