It is time for a detailed comparison of the two best-selling Compact SUVs out there. Kia Sonet against the Tata Nexon, one-on-one to see which SUV is perfect for you!
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.
Tata Nexon front has black element that connect withs the LED headlamps with LED DRLs inside the headlamps that kind of look similar to the rear taillamps and the bottom is the tri-arrow grille with fog lamps at the sides. From the side, it has creases to give it mean look. It has a non-functional roof-rail and rides on the 16-inch alloy wheels. The front and rear bumper are finished in silver faux skid plate. At the rear, it has LED taillamps with two lines within them and has a rear wiper at the rear windscreen with shark fin antenna on top.
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.
As for the Nexon, it has a 7-inch infotainment system placed above the AC vents, and the AC Vents are positioned horizontally. The Nexon does not have the dual-tone dashboard option. It has a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with digital instrument cluster, and single-pane sunroof. It has a rotary dial before the gear lever for drive modes, and the buttons for the ventilated seats are placed at the bottom side of the seat. The Nexon has a leather seat upholstery and an 8-speaker Harman sound system. The seats at the rear are split in 60:40 ratio.
So, from the outside, the Kia Sonet looks much better than the Nexon given that the exterior styling and designing of Sonet is great. The Nexon exterior design is not bad at all, it’s good as well but it’s just that it’s possible it’ll get overshadowed by the Sonet’s design language. Coming to the interiors, again, the Sonet looks much better and spacious with little premium feeling than the Nexon.
| Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3995mm | 3993mm |
| Width | 1790mm | 1811mm |
| Height | 1642mm | 1606mm |
| Wheelbase | 2500mm | 2498mm |
| Ground Clearance | 205mm | 209mm |
| Boot Space | 392 Litres | 350 litres |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 45 litres | 44 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 1,233 kg | 1,315 kg |
When it comes to dimensions, the Kia Sonet measures 3995mm in length, 1790mm in width, and 1642mm in height. The Nexon however, measures 3993mm in length with just 2mm difference, 1811mm in width which is wider by 21mm, and height of 1606mm that is shorter by 36mm. The Sonet has a wheelbase of 2500mm and ground clearance of 205mm whereas the the Nexon has a wheelbase of 2498mm that is 2mm shorter, and ground clearance of 209mm that is higher by 4mm. The Sonet has a boot space of 392 litres, fuel tank of 45 litres, and Kerb weight of 1,233 kg whereas the Nexon has a boot space of 350 litres that is smaller by 42 litres, fuel tank of 44 litres that is smaller by just 1 litres, and kerb weight of 1,315 kg that is heavier by 82 kg.
So, in Dimensions, the Sonet is bigger than the Venue which means that there would be more space and comfort than the Nexon.
| Kia Sonet | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.2-litre petrol |
| Displacement | 1197cc |
| Power | 81.86 bhp |
| Torque | 115 Nm |
| Transmission Options | 5-speed MT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18.4 kmpl |
When it comes to engine options, the Sonet 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 kmpl fuel efficiency. Tata Nexon does not have any non-turbo engines on offer.
| Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre diesel | 1.5-litre turbo diesel |
| Displacement | 1493c | 1497cc |
| Power | 113.48 bhp | 113 bhp |
| Torque | 250 Nm | 260 Nm |
| Transmission Options | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT | 6-speed MT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 19 kmpl | 24.05 kmpl |
Other than the petrol engine, the Sonet and the Nexon has one more powertrain and that is the diesel and turbo-diesel engine. The Sonet has 1.5-litre diesel engine puts out 113.48 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox with 19 kmpl fuel efficiency. The Nexon 1.5-litre turbo diesel produces 113.42 bhp and 260 Nm of torque paired to a 6-speed Manual Transmission and 6-speed Automatic Transmission with a fuel efficiency of 24.05 kmpl.
| Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon | |
|---|---|---|
| Engines | 1.0-litre Turbo petrol | 1.2-litre turbo petrol |
| Displacement | 998cc | 1199cc |
| Power | 118.36 bhp | 118.35 bhp |
| Torque | 172 Nm | 170 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT | 6-speed MT, 6-speed AMT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18.3 kmpl – DCT 18.2 kmpl – iMT | 17.05 kmpl |
Both the Sonet and the Nexon has a turbo petrol engine on offer. The Sonet 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 kmpl fuel efficiency and 18.2 kmpl fuel efficiency in iMT Gearbox. The Nexon on the other hand, , is powered by the 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine that puts out 118.35 bhp and 170 Nm of torque mated to 6-speed Manual and 6-speed Automatic Transmission with fuel efficiency of 17.05 kmpl.
| Features | Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED | Halogen Projector |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel size & Tyre | 16-inch, alloy wheels | 16-inch alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Leather | Leather |
| AC | Auto | Auto |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | Driver and Passenger | Driver and Passenger |
| Instrument cluster | Digital | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 10.25-inch | 7-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient Lighting | Yes | – |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | Yes |
| Air Purifier | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 7-speaker Bose Premium sound system | 8-speakers Harman sound system |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
| Sunroof | Single-Pane | Single-Pane |
When it comes to features, the Nexon misses out on Ambient lighting, bigger infotainment system, and LED Projector headlamps. The Sonet misses out on 8-speaker sound system but the 7-speaker Bose Premium sound system is much better than the 8-speaker Harman sound system. Therefore, the Sonet in features is much better than the Nexon.
| Safety Features | Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Six airbags | Two airbags |
| Camera | Reverse Parking camera | Reverse Parking camera |
| Parking Sensors | Front and Rear | Rear |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| TPMS | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Traction control | Yes | Yes |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Front Disc | Front Disc |
When it comes to safety, the Nexon misses out on Six Airbags. . However, the Nexon is better in safety than the Sonet as it’s got a safety rating of 5-star Global NCAP where as the Sonet is not tested yet so, we don’t know yet, but both the SUVs has the same safety features on offer, and therefore it really depends on you which SUV you consider safest.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Kia Sonet | Rs. 7.79 lakh – Rs. 14.89 lakh |
| Tata Nexon | Rs. 7.80 lakh – Rs. 14.50 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, and the Nexon is priced at Rs. 7.80 lakh for the base ‘XE’ variant and goes up to Rs. 14.50 lakh for the top variant, ‘XZA Plus LUXS Red Dark’ Diesel Automatic. The price difference between the two entry-level models is just Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 39,000 for the top variant.
As for the warranty, Kia is offering 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Sonet and can be extended up to 5 years/1,00,000 km. As for the Nexon, Tata Motors offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period that can be extended for additional 3 year/1,25,000 km.
In the end, the decision to buy which SUV depends totally on you, however, we would recommend you the Kia Sonet as it’s bigger in dimensions meaning it’ll have more space and comfort than the Nexon, offers improved features over the Nexon, and the exterior and interior looks spacious and premium than the Nexon. Moreover, the Sonet is slightly on the expensive side over the Nexon. However, the Nexon has a 5-star Global NCAP rating and is more safer than the Sonet, and the features are similar to Sonet. Which one you would buy?