Should you pay little extra for the Kia Seltos for the comfort and space or buy the top model Sonet which has almost the same features as the Seltos? Why don’t we compare the two models against each other to find that out!
The Sonet has the blacked-out tiger grille with cube look fog lamps at the bottom sides and dual-tone treatment for the front bumpers and creases on the bonnet for that aggressive sporty look. The headlamp has an LED DRLs in it which is also used for the indicators as well. The side of the Sonet looks great with the 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome door handles, black non-functional roof rails, chrome line at the bottom frame of windows, and thin wheel arches. The rear has LED taillamps which are joined by the reflector strip to make it look like one unit, small roof spoiler, and shark fin antenna.
From the outside, the Kia Seltos has the Kia’s signature nose grille which is basically having hexagonal shape in the grille, quad-cube shape LED headlamps with curved L shaped indicators below the headlamps and the fog lamps are LED in cube-shape positioned vertically. The front nose of the Seltos is covered by the Chrome that contributes towards the front design of the SUV. The bumpers of the SUV are skid plate finished in white. The bumpers has cuts for the aggressive look. Moving to the side, it has thin wheel cladding for the 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails on the top, chrome line on the bottom of the window lamp that extends till the D-pillar. From the rear, it has LED taillamps that a chrome bar with KIA logo at the center, roof spoiler and shark fin on top, and rear wipers on the rear windscreen.
The Kia Sonet dashboard has the same layout as the Seltos as it has 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system placed above the AC vents and the AC vents at the sides are vertically positioned. The Sonet does not have dual-tone dashboard option unfortunately. It has multi-function three-spoke steering wheel with digital instrument cluster, the pedals finished in metallic silver, and has a single-pane sunroof. It has two USB ports at the front and two at the rear, and it has buttons for the ventilated seats for the driver and the passenger seats. At the rear, the seats have 60:40 split with recline option as well. The Sonet also has ambient lighting with 64 colors on offer and it has 7-speaker Bose sound system.
For the Seltos, it has the 10.25-inch infotainment system integrated with the digital instrument cluster for one seamless display. The infotainment system is placed above the AC Vents and the AC Vents at the sides are positioned vertically. The Seltos doesn’t have the dual-tone dashboard theme option unfortunately. It has three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, single-pane sunroof, and metallic finish on the pedals. Tt has rotary dial for drive modes, buttons for ventilated seats, wireless charging pad, air purifier, two charging ports at the front and rear, and sun-blinds for all the windows. The rear seats are split in 60:40 ratio with recline option as well. It also has ambient lighting inside with 64 colors option. The Seltos has the 8-speaker Bose sound system.
| Kia Sonet | Kia Seltos | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3995mm | 4315mm |
| Width | 1790mm | 1800mm |
| Height | 1642mm | 1645mm |
| Wheelbase | 2500mm | 2610mm |
| Ground Clearance | 205mm | 190mm |
| Boot Space | 392 Litres | 433 litres |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 45 litres | 50 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 1,233 kg | 1,480 kg |
When it comes to dimensions, the Kia Sonet measures 3995mm in length, 1790mm in width, and 1642mm in height. The Seltos measures 4315mm in length which is longer by 320mm, the width of 1800mm which is 10mm wide, and height of 1645mm which is taller by 3mm. The Sonet has a wheelbase of 2500mm and ground clearance of 205mm whereas the Seltos has a wheelbase of 2610mm that is longer by 110mm, and ground clearance of 190mm which is 15mm less. The Sonet has a boot space of 392 litres, fuel tank of 45 litres, and Kerb weight of 1,233 kg whereas the Seltos has a boot space of 433 litres which is 41 litres bigger, fuel tank of 50 litres that is 5 litres bigger, and kerb weight of 1,480 kg that is heavier by 247 kg.
| Kia Sonet | Kia Seltos | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.2-litre petrol | 1.5-litre NA petrol |
| Displacement | 1197cc | 1497cc |
| Power | 81.86 bhp | 113.43 bhp |
| Torque | 115 Nm | 144 Nm |
| Transmission Options | 5-speed MT | 6-speed MT, IVT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18.4 km/l | 16.8 km/l |
When it comes to engine options, both the Sonet and Seltos has a petrol engine on offer. The Sonet has the 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 81.86 bhp and 115 Nm of torque mated to a 5-speed Manual Gearbox with 18.4 km/l fuel efficiency. The Seltos has the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine that puts out 113.43 bhp and 144 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed Manual and IVT Gearbox with 16.8 km/l fuel efficiency.
| Kia Sonet | Kia Seltos | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre diesel | 1.5-litre diesel |
| Displacement | 1493c | 1493cc |
| Power | 113.48 bhp | 113.48 bhp |
| Torque | 250 Nm | 250 Nm |
| Transmission Options | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 19 km/l | 21 km/l – MT 18 km/l – AT |
Both the SUVs has one diesel engine on offer and in fact both has the same 1.5-litre diesel engine. Both has the power of 113.48 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox. The fuel efficiency in Sonet is 19 km/l and in Seltos it is 21 km/l in Manual and 18 km/l in Automatic.
| Kia Sonet | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.0-litre turbo petrol |
| Displacement | 998cc |
| Power | 118.36 bhp |
| Torque | 172 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18.3 km/l – DCT 18.2 km/l – iMT |
While Seltos doesn’t have any turbo engine on offer, but the Sonet has a turbo petrol engine. It has the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine which produces 118.36 bhp and 172 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 7-speed DCT Gearbox with 18.3 km/l fuel efficiency and 18.2 km/l fuel efficiency in iMT Gearbox.
| Features | Kia Sonet | Kia Seltos |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel Size & Type | 16-inch alloy wheels | 18-inch alloy wheels |
| Sunroof | Single-pane | Single-Pane |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Leather | Leather |
| Powered Seat | – | Yes |
| Leather-wrapped steering wheel | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient Light | Yes | Yes |
| Rain-sensing Wipers | – | Yes |
| AC | Auto | Auto |
| Rear AC vents | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument Cluster | Digital | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 10.25-inch | 10.25-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Wireless | Wireless |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Heads-up Display (HUD) | – | Yes |
| Sound System | 7 speaker Bose Premium sound system | 8-speaker Bose Premium sound system |
| Cooled Glovebox | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-dimming IRVM | Yes | Yes |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
As you can see, when it comes to features, both the Kia SUVs are loaded with them. However, the Sonet misses out on Rain-Sensing Wipers and Heads-up Dispaly (HUD) which is on the Seltos. Thus, Seltos has better features on offer than the Sonet.
| Features | Kia Sonet | Kia Seltos |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Six airbags | Six airbags |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | Reverse parking camera | 360-degree camera |
| Parking Sensors | Front and Rear | Front and Rear |
| TPMS | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| VSC | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Front Disc | Yes |
| ISOFIX anchorages | Yes | Yes |
Even when it comes to safety, both are very-much loaded with safety features. However, the Seltos has 360-degree camera, and all Disc Brakes while the Sonet’s Front wheels has Disc Brake and has reverse-parking camera on offer. Thus, here Seltos is better in safety than the Sonet.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Kia Sonet | Rs. 7.79 lakh – Rs. 14.89 lakh |
| Kia Seltos | Rs. 10.89 lakh – Rs. 19.65 lakh |
The Kia Sonet starts at Rs. 7.79 lakh for the entry-level ‘1.2 HTE’ variant and goes up to Rs. 14.89 lakh for the ‘X-Line Automatic’ Diesel variant which is a top variant. The Seltos starts at Rs. 10.89 lakh for the entry-level ‘HTE’ variant and goes up to Rs. 19.65 lakh for the top variant, ‘X-Line Automatic’ Diesel. The price difference between the two entry-level variant is Rs. 3.1 lakh and Rs. 4.76 lakh for the top variant.
As for the warranty, Kia is offering 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Sonet and Seltos and can be extended up to 5 years/1,00,000 km.
In the end, the decision to buy which SUV depends totally on you, however, we recommend you the Kia Seltos over the Sonet as the reason for that is the comfort on offer. The Seltos is bigger than the Sonet in dimensions offering more space and comfort for both the front and rear passengers. It also has slightly more features such as the 360-degree camera, 8-speaker Bose Premium sound system, and Rain sensing wipers, just to name a few. However, if your budget or you’re not looking to buy a car as big as Seltos, then the Sonet is definitely a right choice for you. What will you choose? Let us know which SUV you choose!