No More Diesel-iMT Powertrain In India, As Kia Discontinues It For The Sonet, Seltos And Carens

Quick Highlights 

• Kia Sonet, Seltos and Carens no longer get the diesel-iMT powertrain option 

• The powertrain is now available only with the turbo-petrol variants of all three SUVs

• The variant lineup of all three SUVs has been rejigged, with new variants added

• Gravity editions discontinued for the Sonet and Seltos 

• The Sonet is priced from Rs 7.99 lakh, the Seltos from Rs 11.13 lakh and the Carens from Rs 10.6 lakh 

Intelligent Manual Transmission popularly called iMT is a unique gearbox option which provides the control of a manual while giving the driver the convenience of not having to use a clutch. Kia offers this technology with all three –  Sonet, Seltos and Carens SUVs, and used to offer it with both diesel and petrol configurations. However, the Korean marque has now discontinued the iMT gearbox from the diesel variants of these SUVs and also reshuffled the variant lineup along with adding a few new ones! 

Here’s a closer look at the updates: 

Kia Sonet

Kia has discontinued the mid-spec diesel-iMT variants of the Sonet. Additionally, a new mid-spec HTK+ (O) variant has been added to the lineup, and that makes premium features more accessible. The new variant is available with both NA petrol and turbo-petrol engine options. The stealthy-ing Gravity Edition has been discontinued as well.

Here’s a look at all the powertrain options of the Sonet: 

The diesel engine can now be had with both 6-speed automatic and 6-speed manual only. 

Kia Seltos 

In addition to the diesel-iMT mid-spec variant being discontinued, the Seltos also gets some new mid-spec variants including HTK(O), HTK+(O) and HTX (O). These new variants make certain features more affordable across the variant lineup. The higher-spec GTX trim along with the Gravity Edition variants have been discontinued. 

Here’s a look at the Seltos’ powertrains: 

Kia Seltos
1.5-litre naturally-aspirated (NA) petrol	1.5-litre turbo-petrol	1.5-litre diesel engine
115 PS	160 PS	116 PS
144 Nm	253 Nm	250 Nm
6-speed manual / CVT automatic transmission	6-speed iMT/ 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch automatic transmission)	6-speed manual / 6-speed automatic transmission

Kia Carens 

Just like the Sonet and Seltos, the diesel-iMT variant has been discontinued on the Carens as well. However, the Carens continues to get the Gravity Edition. The Luxury trim which was positioned between the Prestige Plus (O) and Luxury Plus has now been delisted. Additionally, Kia has rejigged the variant-wise powertrain options as well. 

Here is a look at its engine options: 

Kia Carens
1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine	1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine	1.5-litre diesel engine
6-speed manual	6-speed iMT and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT)	6-speed manual and 6-speed torque converter
115 PS	160 PS	116 PS
144 Nm	253 Nm	250 Nm

Prices And Rivals 

The Sonet is priced from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15.70 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up against subcompact SUVs like the Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon, Skoda Kylaq, Hyundai Venue and Maruti Brezza. The Seltos’ prices range from Rs 11.13 lakh to Rs 20.50 lakh and it locks horns with the Honda Elevate, Maruti Grand Vitara, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and Hyundai Creta. The Carens’ prices range between Rs 10.60 lakh and Rs 19.70 lakh and it competes with Hyundai Alcazar as its chief rival. 

Diesel-iMT was a combination that would make longer journeys and driving in stop-go traffic slightly more convenient when compared to a manual and slightly more affordable when compared to an automatic transmission. We believe that the lack of love shown for this particular powertrain could be a reason for its discontinuation. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.