Kia Sonet Subcompact SUV: What We Know So Far

The Kia Sonet is all set to go on sale in India on September 18, 2020, and yes, it's the first subcompact SUV from the South Korean carmaker in the country. The Sonet is the third product to be launched by Kia Motors India, and we have already driven it and told you all about it in detail. The only thing that is yet to be revealed is the price of the SUV, and before that let us give you a rundown on everything that we know about the newest subcompact SUV in the town.

Also Read: Kia Sonet Review: 1.0 GDI And 1.5 CRDi Tested

1. The Kia Sonet will be offered in two main trims - GT-Line and Tech-Line, and while the former will only be offered in one top-spec variant, the GTX+, the latter will come in five key variants - HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, and HTX+.

Also Read: Kia Sonet: Variants Explained In Detail

The GT-Line trim of the Kia Sonet only comes with one top-spec variant - GTX+

1. The Kia Sonet will be a sub-4 metre SUV and measures 3995 mm in length. The SUV width and height stand at 1790 mm and 1647 mm, while the total wheelbase is 2500 mm long. The Kia Sonet comes with a ground clearance of 205 mm, which is the second highest in the segment, after the Tata Nexon which comes with a ground clearance of 209 mm.
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2. The Kia Sonet comes with sharp design lines and bold styling, featuring the signature Tiger Nose grille with chrome underlines, LED headlamps with LED DRLs, along with a muscular bumper and faux silver skid plates. The SUV also comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED taillamps and roof rails. The GT-Line gets all these but also gets a bit more aggressive styling along with red exterior accents, GT-Line logo on the grille, black bumper inserts and red callipers for front disc brakes.

The Kia Sonet comes with LED taillamps with the signature patter lights and faux skid plates

1. The Sonet also comes with a premium and well-laid-out cabin, featuring dual-tone beige/black interior (Tech Line) or an all-black cabin (GT-Line). The latter also comes with red accents and contrast red stitching. Other features include faux leather upholstery, faux leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, and segment-first ventilated front seats.
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2. The Sonet also gets a long list of gizmos like - a 10.25-inch HD infotainment display with UVO connected car tech, premium Bose 7 Speaker sound system with mood lights, rear AC vents with an air purifier which also gets virus protection. Plus, you also get a wireless phone charger, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control and more.

The Kia Sonet gets a clean dashboard and an interior which is loaded with features

1. In terms of safety, the SUV comes with dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, front disc brakes, central locking, and emergency stop signal as standard. Optional features include - ISOFIX child seat mounts, tyre pressure monitoring system electronic stability control (ESC), hill assists control (HAC), brake assist, and multi-drive modes. The top-spec GTX+ also gets 6 airbags.
2. Under the hood, the Kia Sonet comes with 3 engine options - a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol unit, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine that is offered in two different states of tune.

The Kia Sonet comes with 3 engine options - 1.2 petrol 1.0 turbo-petrol and 1.5 diesel with 5 transmission options

1. The 1.2-litre petrol unit is said to make 82 bhp at 6,300 rpm and a peak torque of 115 Nm at 4200 rpm, and it comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard. The more powerful turbocharged 1.0-litre GDI engine will be tuned to make the same 118 bhp at 6000 rpm and 172 Nm at 1500-4000 rpm. Kia will offer two transmission choices with this engine - 6-speed iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) and 7-speed DCT automatic.
   
2. The diesel-powered Kia Sonet gets two version - 1.5-litre CRDI WGT (Waste-Gate Turbocharger) and 1.5-litre CRDI VGT (Variable-Geometry Turbocharger). The former is tuned to make 99 bhp at 4000 rpm and a peak torque of 240 Nm at 1500 to 2750 rpm, and it comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. The 1.5-litre CRDI VGT engine makes 113 bhp at 4000 rpm and 250 Nm of peak torque at 1500-2750 rpm, and it comes paired with a 6-speed automatic torque converter.

Kia Sonet Review will compete with Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport

1. The Kia Sonet is expected to be priced in India between Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 12 lakh, and it will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport.