Here is another comparison of Maruti Fronx against the Kia Sonet to see out of these two, which is the best SUV that you should buy.
The Fronx design at the front is inspired from their own mid-size SUV, Grand Vitara. It has LED DRLs with tri-rounded LED projector headlamps below the DRLs . The bumpers of the fronx front and rear are finished in faux silver skid plate. It has body classing all over the car with 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels and non-functional roof rails. Moving to the rear, it has LED taillamps with connecting LED light bar and a little spoiler at the top.
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, and body cladding. The rear has LED taillamps which are joined by the reflector strip to make it look like one unit.
The Fronx dashboard has the same layout as other Maruti cars such as the Brezza and Baleno with the same three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with analog instrument cluster and the 9-inch infotainment system with AC vents below positioned horizontally. The Fronx has dual-tone option for the dashboard and it also have 6-speaker Arkamy’s sound system.
The Kia Sonet dashboard has the same layout as the Seltos as it has 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system integrated with digital instrument cluster that also has analog dials at the edges. The driver and the passenger get ventilated seats, the AC vents are positioned vertically and the brake, accelerator, and clutch pedals finished in chrome. Then there is dual-tone color options for the dashboard as well. It also has 7-speaker Bose sound system.
| Maruti Fronx | Kia Sonet | |
| Length | 3995mm | 3995mm |
| Width | 1765mm | 1790mm |
| Height | 1550mm | 1642mm |
| Wheelbase | 2520mm | 2500mm |
| Ground Clearance | 190mm | 205mm |
| Boot Space | 308 Litres | 392 Litres |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 37 litres | 45 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 1,060 kg | 1,233 kg |
As you can see at the dimensions of both the car, Fronx and Sonet have the same length of 3995m. The Fronx has a width of 1765mm which is 25mm less than the Sonet’s 1790mm width. The Fronx has a height of 1550mm which is 72mm shorter than the 1642mm height of Sonet. The Fronx has 2520mm wheelbase which is 20mm longer than the Sonet’s 2500mm wheelbase. The Fronx has a ground clearance of 190mm which is 15mm less than the 205mm ground clearance of Sonet.
The Fronx has a boot space of 308 litres which is 84 litres less than the Sonet’s 392 litres boot space. The Fronx has a fuel tank of 37 litres than the 45 litres fuel tank Sonet has. The Kerb Weight of Fronx is 1,060 kg which is 173mm lighter than the Sonet’s 1,233 kg kerb weight.
| Engine | 1.2-litre 1.2L Dual Jet, Dual VVT | 1.0L Turbo Boosterjet |
| Displacement | 1199cc | 998cc |
| Power | 87.29 bhp | 100 bhp |
| Torque | 113 Nm | 147.6 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 5-speed MT, 5-speed AT | 5-speed MT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 21.79 km/l – MT 22.89 km/l – AT | 21.5 km/l – MT 20.01 km/l – AT |
Maruti Suzuki Fronx has two engine options on offer – 1.2-litre Dual Jet, Dual VVT petrol engine, which produces 87.29 bhp and 113 Nm of torque paired to a 5-speed Manual Transmission with fuel efficiency of 21.79 km/l on Manual and 5-speed Automatic Transmission with fuel efficiency of 22.89 km/l. The other is the 1.0-litre Turbo BoosterJet petrol engine which produces 100 bhp and 147.6 Nm of torque mated to a 5-speed Manual Transmission with fuel efficiency of 21.5 km/l and 6-speed Automatic Transmission with fuel efficiency of 20.01 km/l.
| Engine | 1.2-litre petrol | 1.0-litre turbo petrol | 1.5-litre diesel |
| Displacement | 1197cc | 998cc | 1493cc |
| Power | 81.86 bhp | 118.36 bhp | 113.48 bhp |
| Torque | 115 Nm | 172 Nm | 250 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 5-speed MT | 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18.4 km/l – MT | 18.3 km/l – DCT 18.2 km/l – iMT | 19 km/l – AT |
| Top Speed | 165 kmph | 170 kmph | 160 kmph |
Kia Sonet 2023 is available with two petrol and one diesel engines. The 1.2-litre petrol produces 81.86 bhp and 115 Nm of torque paired to 5-speed Manual Transmission only and no Automatic Transmission with fuel efficiency if 18.4 km/l and top speed of 165 kmph. Then there is the newly introduced 1.0-litre turbo petrol that produces 118.36 bhp and 172 Nm of torque paired to a 6-speed iMT Transmission and 7-speed DCT Transmission with fuel efficiency of 18.3 km/l on DCT Transmission and 18.2 km/l on the iMT Transmission with a top speed of 170 kmph.
Then lastly, there is 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 113.48 bhp and 250 Nm of torque paired to a 6-speed iMT Transmission and 6-speed Automatic Transmission with 19 km/l fuel efficiency on Automatic and has a top speed of 160 kmph.
| Features | Maruti Fronx | Kia Sonet |
| Headlamps | LED | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel size & Tyre | 16-inch, alloy wheels | 16-inch, alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Sunroof | – | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Fabric | Leather |
| AC | Auto | Auto |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument cluster | Analog | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 9-inch | 10.25-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Charger | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | – | Yes |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 6-speaker Arkamy’s sound | 7 speaker Bose sound |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
As you can see at the features list, the Fronx misses out on features such as Ventilated seats, sunroof and ambient lighting which the Sonet does have.
| Safety Features | Maruti Fronx | Kia Sonet |
| Airbags | Six Airbags | Six Airbags |
| Camera | 360-degree camera | Reverse-parking camera |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Traction control | – | Yes |
| TPMS | – | Yes |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| Heads-up Display | Yes | Yes |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Start Assist | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Front Disc | Front Disc |
As you can see, the Fronx misses out on two safety features – Traction control and Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) which the Sonet does have giving an edge over the Fronx while the latter has 360 camera and the Korean compact SUV comes with front parking sensors & rear camera.
| Model | Price (On-road) |
| Maruti Fronx | Rs. 8.39 lakh – Rs. 15.12 lakh |
| Kia Sonet | Rs. 9.05 lakh – Rs. 17.78 lakh |
The Fronx starts at Rs. 8.39 lakh for the base Sigma variant and goes all the way up to Rs. 15.12 lakh for the Alpha Turbo DT Automatic variant where as the Kia Sonet starts at Rs. 9.05 lakh for the HTE variant and goes all the way up to Rs. 17.78 lakh for the X-Line AT variant.
In the end, the decision to buy which car depends totally on you, however, our recommendation would be to buy the Kia Sonet because of slight additional features over the Fronx even though the Sonet doesn’t get the 360-degree camera. Which one would you choose?