After the carmakers had great success with its Seltos SUV and Carnival MPV, now Kia Motors India will enter into the sub compact SUV segment with its Sonet car which comes under 4 metre. Here are all the details of Kia Sonet covered including its engine options, launch date, segment first features and others.
What is Kia Sonet?
Kia Sonet is a sub-four metre 5 seater compact SUV that will be introduced by the South Korean carmakers in India to take on the likes of already established players including cousin Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Ford Ecosport, Tata Nexon, Honda WR-V, Maruti Vitara Brezza.
Kia Sonet – Exterior
The carmakers pays a lot of attention to the looks and design of their cars and Sonet won’t be any different. Upfront, it gets tiger nose signature grille with hyper silver metallic surrounds and LED headlamps with integrated thick LED daytime running lamps.
Fog lamps will be projector. Air intakes are present to ensure better aerodynamic efficiency along with faux skid plates at the bottom end of the front bumper as well. Sharp cuts and creases can be seen at the bonnet.
Coming to the side, the 16-inch distinctive alloys wheels are the highlight along with sharp creases flowing along the sides. Wheel arch cladding and side body cladding are present in black colour. Like the Seltos, Sonet also gets chrome belt line. Silver roof rails also enhances its SUV’s look.
It is the rear profile of the Kia’s compact SUV which really stands out. The LED tail lamps are beautiful sculpted and borrows the heartbeat effect from its big brother. Also these tail lights are connected as well. At the lower end, big size rear bumpers are there as well.
The design of the car plays a big role in the success or the failure of the car and surely like the other Kia cars, the compact SUV is a attention stealer as well.
Kia Sonet – Interior
The cabin of Kia Sonet will look somewhat similar to that of 2021 spec Kia Sorento of the international markets. Steering wheel unit is derived from Kia Seltos along with the instrument panel. Infotainment system size is 10.25-inch like the Seltos and is segment largest as well.
Below the infotainment system screen, is automatic ac panel which is surrounded by air con vents in silver finish. Other elements including door handles style, door armrest and others have been carry forwarded from the Seltos mid size SUV.
Other interior features includes front and rear armrest, rear ac vents, smart air purifier, adjustable headrests for front and rear occupants, leather seat upholstery and steering wheel and much more.
Kia Sonet – Engine Options
Kia Sonet will feature the same engine options as that of Hyundai Venue which includes 1.2 litre MPI Petrol, 1.0 litre Turbo GDI Petrol and 1.5 litre diesel.
| 1.2 L Petrol | 1.0 L Turbo Petrol | 1.5 L Diesel | |
| Engine | 1.2 L 4 Cylinder MPI | 1.0 L 3 Cylinder Turbo GDI | 1.5 L 4 Cylinder U2 CRDi |
| Displacement | 1197 cc | 998 cc | 1493 cc |
| Power | 82 BHP | 118 BHP | 99 BHP |
| Torque | 115 NM | 172 NM | 240 NM |
| Transmission | 5 Speed MT | 6 Speed MT / 7 Speed DCT | 6 Speed MT / 7 Speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency (Expected) | 16.7 kmpl | 17.5 kmpl | 22.7 kmpl |
- The 1.2 L MPI Petrol available with 5 speed manual gearbox makes 82 BHP and 115 NM. Available with 5 speed manual transmission, it is expected to have ARAI rated mileage of 16.7 kmpl.
- Most popular and top selling turbo petrol engine of Venue in the Sonet SUV will make 118 BHP and 172 NM of peak torque. It comes with 6 speed manual and 7 speed DCT automatic.
- Kia Motors India will provide both the transmission options in its Diesel engine whose power and torque figures are 99 BHP and 240 NM.
Kia Sonet – Features
Like the Carnival and Seltos which are highly feature rich compared to their competitors, Sonet will be loaded with all the bells and whistles as well. Also a number of features available in Seltos will be provided by the carmakers in Sonet and apart from this, it will have certain first in segment features which will make the SUV a success. Some of the top features that Sonet will offer are:
- 8 speaker Bose Sound System
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay, android auto, mirror link, navigation, voice commands
- UVO Connect
- Front Ventilated Seats
- Air Purifier
- LED headlamps and tail lamps
- Cruise Control
- Electric Sunroof
- Automatic air conditioning
- Push Start Button with Keyless Entry
- Wireless Charging
Kia Sonet – Safety
A long list of safety features will be provided by the carmakers in their upcoming compact SUV to threaten the segment’s kings.On the safety front, equipments includes 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, Rear parking sensors with reverse parking camera, high speed alert system, emergency stop signal, rain sensing wipers, auto headlamps, rear defogger, rear wiper plus washer, auto dimming IRVM, ISOFIX Child seat anchorages, tyre pressure monitoring system.
Kia Sonet – Platform
Advanced K1 platform will underpin the Sonet SUV. This is the same platform which the Hyundai Venue SUV uses which was launched in India back in 2019 and has been quite popular in its segment.
Kia Sonet – Price
Kia Sonet will be launched at a slightly premium rate over the Hyundai Venue. It is expected to be priced in India between Rs. 6.95 Lakhs and Rs. 12.2 lakhs (Ex Showroom). With this price sticker, it is a bit costly than Venue but cheaper than the XUV300, which is the most expensive offering in the segment.
| Price (Ex Showroom) | |
| Base Model | 6.95 Lakhs |
| Top Model | 12.2 Lakhs |
Kia Sonet – Launch Date
Kia Motors India will launch the Sonet compact SUV in India in August 2020. The introduction of the SUV was earlier scheduled for July 2020 but has been delayed due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The production of the Sonet SUV has begun at the carmakers Anantapur Plant.
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