Kia Officially Joins The Uber Competitive Sub-4m Segment With The Sonet

• Offered in the Tech Line and GT Line trims with six variants spread across them.

• Loaded with features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen, LED sound mood lighting, UVO connected car tech and more.

• Powered by 1.2-litre petrol, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol, and 1.5-litre diesel engine options with five transmission combinations on offer. 

• Rivals the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, and Mahindra XUV300.

The long wait for the Kia Sonet is finally over as Kia Motors has launched the sub-4 metre SUV in India with prices ranging from Rs 6.71 lakh to Rs 12.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Kia’s third model in the country after the Seltos SUV and Carnival MPV, it sits in the uber -competitive sub-4 metre segment which includes big hitters such as the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport. And well, the Sonet looks to enter this segment with a bang considering what it's got on offer.

*All prices ex-showroom, Delhi

The Sonet is offered in two trims, Tech Line and GT Line, with six variants spread out between them:  HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+ and GTX+. Each variant also gets its own set of colour options. Despite being based on the Hyundai Venue and sharing its powertrains, the Sonet stands out.

On the outside, it sports a bold design with most of the concept’s design traits retained. Notable bits include the ‘Tiger Nose’ grille, sleek LED headlamps with LED DRLs, daytime running lamps, 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels with squared-off wheel arches, upright stance, and a swanky set of LED tail lamps. The GT Line is sportier with a revised air dam, blacked-out skid plate, red accents on the front grille, bumper, side skirts, alloy wheel hub and brake calipers.

Heading inside, you’re treated to an extensive list of equipment. The Sonet gets a 10.25-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering-mounted audio controls, UVO connected car tech, electric sunroof, climate control, cruise control, a Bose sound system, LED sound mood ambient lighting, drive modes, traction modes and ventilated seats. Safety is taken care of by six airbags, ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, electronic stability control, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Under the hood, the Sonet is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with various transmission combinations. While the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines are offered with a manual transmission, the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol gets the iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) clutchless manual only. Automatic transmission options are only available for the 1.5-litre diesel and 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engines. Here’s a better look at how the powertrain and transmission options  are spread out:

The Kia Sonet will face stiff competition in the sub-4 metre SUV segment with rivals like the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300 as well as the upcoming Toyota Urban Cruiser. But it’s safe to say it is on the right track with about 1,000 bookings daily, taking the total count to around 25,000 so far.