The Kia Sonet is the top automobile for 2020. It looks great and has a lot of space. The is of good quality for its price range. As far as we are aware, Kia is dominating the SUV and sub-SUV market.
In This Article...
Is the Kia Sonet a wise investment?
In terms of sales, only the Kia Sorento has been able to rival the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. With the Seltos and later the Carnival, the Hyundai sister brand entered the Indian market. When the brand chose to surprise the market with a car that turned out to be a pretty quick success in India, they were already making respectable sales there. Today’s featured looks at what India wants to know about this Korean automaker’s small SUV. The top 10 queries for the Kia Sonet on Google are listed below.
Is Kia Sonet worth buying?
Undoubtedly, yeah! You can definitely choose this if you are not one of those diehard Maruti Suzuki enthusiasts. You may really enjoy driving this little SUV thanks to the variety of gearbox choices and the special availability of DCT. Just so you know, the best-selling Brezza lacks a DCT. The Kia Sonet’s rear legroom was the only issue we encountered when driving it. If the back passengers are tall, they can encounter a little bit of difficulties. By giving the car a test drive, you can make up your mind. Otherwise, given the features and performance, we would definitely say “yes”!
What is the Kia Sonet’s drawback?
The similarities between the Sonet and the Kia Seltos are immediately apparent as soon as you step into the cabin. Given that the instrument console and 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system are shared with the Seltos, the dashboard has the same design. The touchscreen device supports Bluetooth connectivity, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and other features. Tata Nexon’s sound system, which is sourced from Harman, will face stiff competition from the Kia Sonet’s premium Bose audio system.
The instrument console has a sporty appearance and is easy to read. The front ventilated seats and air conditioning system controls are located on the center console. While the HT Line grade has a dual-tone black and beige interior, the sportier Sonet GT Line variation has an all-black interior with red stitching. The Kia Sonet’s interior, in my opinion, is overly cluttered. On the other hand, the Hyundai Venue’s interior is uncluttered and spotless.
Performance of the Air Conditioning
The new Kia Sonet’s air conditioner performs admirably. Although we were photographing this vehicle in sweltering heat, the air conditioning system is capable of quickly cooling the interior. The SUV also has air conditioning vents for the backseat occupants. A touchscreen is used to control the new Kia Sonet’s integrated air purifier with virus protection.
Comfort of the Chair
This SUV’s primary flaw is that it was designed just to seat four persons. In actuality, a person who is six feet tall won’t find it comfortable. The rear passenger space is cramped, but the front seats are fine. There is extremely little room for back passengers’ legs since it can only fit two adults of ordinary height and a child. The larger profile inside did not correspond to the outside in terms of space. A person of average height can sit upright because to the excellent headroom.
Infotainment on a touchscreen
The Seltos SUV’s 10.25-inch touchscreen is also present in this model. This seems large for this vehicle class; in my opinion, a sub-compact SUV would benefit greatly from a screen size of 7-8 inches. The icons are large, clear, and flexible for a personalized home screen. There is quick and easy connectivity via Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, and there is also onboard navigation. The Sonet’s touchscreen excels in terms of user interface, providing simple controls and superior touch sensitivity.
Quality Plastic and Buttons
The fit-and-finish and plastic quality are among the best in their category. The quality of the buttons is likewise excellent.
Utility Rooms
The 392-liter storage compartment in the Kia Sonet is more than big enough to hold your weekend bags. There are plenty cuby holes for you to store your possessions. The front armrest’s fixed type front armrest has a fairly small interior, compared to the glove box’s respectable size. Good-looking bottle holders are on the doors. A wonderful addition is that the doors also provide space for an umbrella.
Does Kia Sonet succeed or fail?
In less than a year since its launch, the Kia Sonet has sold 1 lakh units. (Image courtesy of HT Auto and Sabyasachi Dasgupta)
Within a year of its launch, the subcompact SUV from Kia has reached a significant sales milestone. The Sonet SUV has reportedly sold 100,000 units since its premiere by the Korean automaker last year.
According to Kia, the Sonet SUV accounts for close to 32% of the company’s total sales in the nation. After introducing the Seltos SUV and Carnival MPV in India, the automaker now has the Sonet.
Is Kia Sonet profitable?
Since it was first introduced in India last year, the Kia Sonet has become one of the most well-liked sub-compact SUVs. In less than a year, the company has sold more than 1 lakh units of this SUV, which is evidence of Sonet’s popularity in India. Without a doubt, the Sonet will be on your list if you’re looking to purchase a new sub-four meter SUV. But should you make a reservation given Sonet’s stellar sales numbers? Well, not until you read the arguments against the SUV that might persuade you otherwise. Please understand that we have nothing against Kia Sonet. In fact, we’ve previously written a piece outlining five reasons why the Kia Sonet should be your next vehicle: utility, features, traction modes, turbo petrol engine, and automatic transmission with diesel engine. However, it is only right that we also highlight the factors that can persuade you to think about a vehicle other than the Kia Sonet in order to better fit your needs. Here are the five factors that may lead you to seek alternatives to the Kia Sonet in your quest for fairness and objectivity.
How reliable is Kia?
Maintaining the factory-recommended maintenance plan and taking care of problems as soon as they appear are the best ways to maintain your Kia in good working order. Any material or workmanship flaws should be covered by the Kia guarantee that comes with new and certified pre-owned cars, but these protections ultimately run out.
If your car needs repairs after the first warranty period has passed, an extended warranty might assist cover the cost of such unforeseen expenses. Kia has an extended warranty that may be purchased directly from the company, but you can also acquire coverage from third parties.
Independent extended warranty providers frequently provide more options for coverage, older vehicle coverage, a larger network of repair facilities, and more comprehensive benefits. Endurance and CarShield are two companies that we suggest.
Endurance: Best Coverage
Up to 8 years or 200,000+ miles of additional warranty coverage are possible with Endurance. Additionally, Endurance offers some of the market’s most comprehensive contracts. There are five different coverage options available, ranging from straightforward powertrain coverage to complete bumper-to-bumper warranty protection.
CarShield: Best Value
Additionally, CarShield provides extended warranty protection for cars with up to 300,000 miles on the odometer, potentially doubling the Kia factory warranty’s scope of coverage. CarShield offers a solid reputation in the market, a wide range of coverage options, and some of the most affordable contracts available.
For more information, see our comprehensive CarShield review. To get a free, no-risk CarShield quote, click the button below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kia is a dependable automaker. Overall, Kia receives a reliability rating of 4.0 out of 5.0 on RepairPal, placing it third overall (out of 32 brands).
Both Kia and Toyota are well-known for their dependability, and both have a 4.0 out of 5.0 RepairPal reliability rating. Kias may be marginally more reliable, while RepairPal puts Toyota seventh overall and Kia third.
Kias require an average of 0.2 unforeseen repair shop visits year, according to RepairPal. This is half of the 0.4 visits per year average for all brands. You have a one in five risk of needing an unforeseen repair each year, according to this statistic.
Previously, the Kia name was associated with low-cost, subpar vehicles. This is partly because the brand’s automobiles had a lot of issues when it first appeared in the United States. Since then, Kia has made fleet improvements and has earned a reputation for having great reliability.
Yes, Kias have a reputation for lasting just as long as other trustworthy cars like Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota. Although the powertrain is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty for up to 100,000 miles, many owners keep their Kias for much longer.
Is the Kia Sonet’s construction good?
The Kia Sonet has the same excellent build quality as its larger sibling, the Seltos. In the ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) Safety crash testing, the Seltos SUV received a 5-star rating. Six airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and a rearview camera, electronic stability control, and a tyre pressure monitoring system are all included in the Sonet’s safety features.
Actually only receiving a 2 star rating, it only received 8.03 points, which is barely adequate… 8 to 11 points are a 3 star, while 5 to 8 points are a 2 star.
Although I haven’t personally checked at ratings, I’ll go with a three-star rating because it’s still quite good compared to India’s largest automaker.
Is driving a Kia Sonet enjoyable?
Rarely, if ever, does a manufacturer discuss targeted sales quantities, much less do so a few months before the model is actually released. But because Kia is so confident in its most recent innovation, it increased the Sonet’s sales objective from 70,000 to 1,00,000 units in the middle of a pandemic! Is the company’s faith justified then?
The only real drawback to the Sonet is the cramped back seat. The interiors are very well supplied, completed to a high standard, and filled with features, many of which are best in class. It is wonderfully decorated with good proportions and numerous eye-catching accents. The diesel auto is superior to the turbo-petrol in practically every regard, and it is also quite easy to operate and pleasurable to do so. Depending on your budget, you can choose from other powertrain options.
The Sonet’s success will undoubtedly depend in large part on its price, but based on what we’ve seen and driven so far, there’s no doubt that Kia has another winner on its hands.
What SUV is superior to the Kia Sonet?
As it is, a petrol engine is available for every vehicle in the compact-SUV sector. The Mahindra XUV300 is the only vehicle that cannot be ordered with an automatic transmission for its petrol engine. All of the costs are listed below.
Dual-tone versions of the Nexon and Vitara Brezza are available for Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 more. Nexon also comes with a sunroof at an additional fee of approximately Rs 50,00060,000.
Venue receives a Sport package that is priced between Rs 12,000 and Rs 36,000 more than the SX and SX(O) variants.
It should be mentioned that Kia sells the Sonet with two petrol engines: a 120 horsepower, 1.0 liter turbo-petrol engine and an 83 horsepower, 1.2 liter normally aspirated unit (both with a 5-speed manual transmission) (with a 6-speed iMT gearbox or 7-speed DCT automatic).
The Ford EcoSport has the most expensive petrol manual in base trim, as shown in the table above. However, the Kia Sonet is the most expensive petrol-manual at the high end because it only has an iMT gearbox and not a standard manual transmission for its 1.0-liter turbo-petrol engine. However, it is important to note that the Hyundai Venue’s most expensive SX(O) trim, which retails for Rs. 11.13 lakh, also comes with an iMT gearbox (Rs 68,000 less).
The Ford EcoSport currently has the most expensive petrol-autos in this market, while the Tata Nexon is the most inexpensive due to both its base and top-spec variants undercutting the competition.
At Rs 9.65 lakh, or Rs 84,000 less than the Sonet HTK+ trim, the Hyundai Venue 1.0-litre, S trim, continues to be the segment’s most cost-effective DCT automatic. The price difference grows as we move up the range, but even so, the top-spec Kia is also better equipped. The top-spec Sonet GTX+ trim (Rs 12.89 lakh) is a startling Rs 1.43 lakh more expensive than the top-end Venue 1.0 SX+ AT.