The Kia Sonet landed during what was a pretty difficult time for everyone: the Covid-19 pandemic. The car industry wasn’t at its strongest before that and the sudden change in job routines, looming uncertainty and the lockdowns (albeit necessary) didn’t help it any further. Amidst all this, Kia, not too long after tasting success with the Seltos, decided to replicate the story in the sub-four-metre SUV segment. With its platform shared with the Hyundai Venue, the Sonet drove in with excitement, for it not only posed as a more premium offering on the market, it also gave the Indian buyer a wide variety of engine and gearbox combinations to choose from — including a diesel automatic. This reflected well in the sales figures, with the Sonet’s sales zooming past the 4-lakh mark earlier this year, out of which more than 3.17 lakh examples were sold in India and the rest exported. A stylish facelift was brought out to further the Sonet’s sales success. It has widened this compact Kia’s appeal and this X-Line variant with a matte paint job makes quite a sartorial statement, too. We take it for a spin to find out how the Sonet stacks up now, nearly four years after it was originally introduced.
The current model line as many of you must be aware comprises Tech Line, GT Line and X-Line. In terms of variants, you’d hear names like HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+, GTX, GTX+ and X-Line. There are 11 paint choices in total, and two dual-tone combinations, which seem to be quite popular in the compact SUV space. There are three engines to choose from: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1-litre turbocharged direct-injection petrol. The base NA petrol comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox whereas the diesel can be specced with any of three gearbox choices available: a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed iMT (which is essentially a manual gearbox but without a clutch pedal) and a 6-speed automatic. For the turbo-petrol, you can choose between a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Design
The recent mid-life facelift has brought a slight update to how the Sonet looks. The Tiger-nose grille is refreshed, the LED headlights now get a new design, the taillights are now connected with an LED light bar and the bumper has been redesigned, too, complete with slimmer fog lamps. On the whole, while with an unchanged silhouette or overall design, the Sonet still scores well in the styling department, ready at the top of its game for the next few years.
Cabin
It looks future-ready on the inside, too. The cabin, similar in design to the pre-facelift car, gets a 10.25-inch screen duo, one is the instrument console while the other is a touchscreen. It’s notably packed with features including ventilated seats, a 360-degree camera, Bose speakers, wireless charging, 70 connected-car features and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat. In terms of in-cabin space, the front seats don’t leave much to complain about, setting the correct driving position doesn’t take too long, there’s good visibility and thanks to an unchanged layout, the ergonomics haven’t been affected either. The rear seat might pose a problem for the taller folk, but Kia has intelligently scooped out more space from the front seat backs to enable more knee room for the rear passengers. The under-thigh support is increased, too, making the second row comfier, although we wouldn’t suggest seating three abreast.
Safety features
Now equipped with six airbags across the range, the Kia Sonet also benefits from 10 level-1 ADAS features. The list includes front collision warning and assist (which not only notifies the driver about an imminent collision but also applies brakes; it’s designed to work with pedestrians and cyclists, too), lane keep assist (a system which enables the Sonet to maintain lane discipline), lane departure warning, lane follow assist, high-beam assist (this adapts your car’s lights to ensure it doesn’t blind the oncoming traffic), driver attention warning and leading vehicle departure alert.
The X-Line trim is available only with the automatic-gearbox versions of the 1.5-litre diesel and the 1-litre turbo-petrol engines. We drove the 1-litre turbocharged-petrol-equipped variant, specced with the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The three-cylinder engine, rated at 118 bhp and 17.53 kg-m, offers appreciable performance without making it too expensive to run. We witnessed a solid 18 km/l on the highway and about 14 km/l in the city.
In terms of handling, the Sonet is stable on the move, its steering provides a fair bit of accuracy, the suspension tackles potholes well and the Sonet’s chassis doesn’t disappoint when it comes to cornering, too. From winding roads to stop-go traffic conditions, the Sonet looks to be prepared for it all, and it delivers stellar performance throughout. A manual gearbox would’ve made the turbocharged-petrol Sonet even more likeable, especially for enthusiasts, but even in this automatic pairing, it fares quite well.
To round it up, the 2024 Kia Sonet X-Line is a good-looking compact SUV only made better by its matte paint. The well-specced interior mightn’t be entirely different from the pre-facelift model but it’s still loaded with features and offers a premium experience. The way it drives has to be the highlight here, especially with the turbo-petrol engine’s power delivery and the 7-speed DCT’s fairly lag-free operation. Space isn’t quite an issue either as long as four people are travelling, and the 385-litre boot isn’t too bad either. The increased safety thanks to six airbags and new ADAS features is worth noting and is bound to make living the Sonet a safer affair.
The Kia Sonet is priced at ₹8 lakh onwards, whereas the Sonet X-Line as tested is priced at ₹14.92 lakh onwards. Both prices are ex-showroom and this doesn’t include the optional accessories and extended warranty packs that Kia offers to its customers. The Sonet works quite well as a slightly compact version of the Seltos but without compromising on the quality or ownership experience. In the last four years it’s been on sale, it definitely made a mark for itself, and we can comfortably say that the latest iteration is likely to only widen its presence in the segment