Kia Sonet | First Drive| Born Wild

I would describe the Kia Sonet as a handsome vehicle, just like its sibling Kia Seltos.  Like the Selitos, the Kia Sonet too comes in two trim levels: Tech Line of variants as well as a GT Line of variants. The GT Line is more exciting looking variant line with its sporty design elements.

The Kia Sonet, irrespective of Tech or GTLine, will be offered with four engine options. One is a 1.2 litre Smarstream G1.2 MPI petrol engine mated to a 5 speed gear box. The second engine option is the 1 litre Turbo GDI petrol engine that comes with an option of either an Intelligent Manual Transmission or a 7 speed Dual Clutch Transmission. The third engine option is a 1.5 litre CRDI WGT or waste gas turbocharger diesel engine mated to a 6 speed manual transmission. The fourth engine option is a 1.5 litre VGT or variable geometry turbocharger diesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The vehicle overall has a length of 3995mm, a width of 1790mm and a height of 1642mm. The wheelbase of the Sonet is 2500mm.

 EXTERIORS

The Kia Sonet gets a Tiger Nose grille with three-dimensional ‘stepwell’ geometric grille mesh. The moment you look at the grille you will be reminded of the popular Seltos SUV. The Sonet has a “Wild by Design’ theme attributed to it.

GT Line trim gets a black high glossy Grille with GT Line logo and red accents on the front.  The bumper of the Tech Line and GT line are different, the latter being more sporty and pronounced.

The Sonet has crown Jewel LED headlamps, ‘Heartbeat’ LED DRLs with integrated side turn indicators and projector fog lamps. It gets ‘Turbo’ shaped skid plates in front. The KIA badge sits prominently on the lower tip of the bonnet. The bonnet itself is built to exude a tough and bold design theme.

From the side the vehicle has a decent look with chrome plated door handles, diffused chrome strip at the bottom of the door and decently shaped wheel arches. The vehicle has alloy wheels with 215/60 R16 tyres.  The ORVMs come with in-built side indicators. The Sonet comes with roof rails, electric sunroof and a shark fin antenna. The roof slants down as it moves towards the rear, giving it an aerodynamic shape.  Just below the A pillar by the side of the bonnet, you have the transmission type written whether it is an iMT or Auto or DCT.

At the rear we get heart beat LED tail lamps which are connected with reflector strip. There is an LED stop light which is mounted high on the integrated rear spoiler. The indicators and rear parking light are halogen. At the bottom you have sporty dual muffler design and diffuser fin rear skid plate. Again the KIA badge is prominently fixed on the centre of the hatch door. Equally prominent is the word ‘SONET’ fixed on the left side of the door and in much smaller letters is the TGDI badge stuck in one corner. The other engine options don’t get their names inscribed at the back. However, the GT Line gets a prominent GT Line words inscribed at the rear.

The rear of the GT line encompasses the Piano Black Diffuser Fin Skid Plates with red accents.

INTERIORS

Once inside you get to see a smart cabin. Again the difference between the Tech Line and the GT Line is the light and dark interiors respectively. The GT Line words are stitched on the seat. The GT Line trim also comes with red stitching on the steering wheel, seats and door armrest.

The Sonet gets a 10.25 inch HD touchscreen with Infotainment and Navigation system.  Two mobile phones can be connected directly to this system and inputs from both can be accessed here. As for the navigation, you also get a 3d display of the route. Moreover, the customer gets the internet based service free for first three years. You can also connect your smart watch to the system. 

The Air vents in the dashboard feature a metallic, diamond-knurled pattern. The D-cut steering wheel has control buttons on them and the steering wheel can be adjusted for tilt but not for reach. The steering gets both the Kia as well as Sonet badging. The steering mounted controls have a number of functions that reflect on the MID screen. You also get cruise control buttons on one side of the steering.

The inside rear view mirror which is auto dimming has buttons for SOS, Tow and UV connect.

The 4.2-inch instrument cluster panel is of a sporty design and presents information to the driver in vivid colours, which includes turn-by-turn navigation, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Multi Drive Modes and Grip Control. The vehicle comes with BOSE Premium 7-speaker System with Sub-woofer.

You can also charge your mobile phone wirelessly, provided it is compatible to that technology.  In front you get two USB slots, one of them for high speed charging, and you also get a 12V charging socket that can accommodate gadgets with a max output of 120 watts.

You get vanity mirrors in the top model on both sides but these do not have embedded lights when you flip them open.

Then you also get LED sound mood lamps. The Sonet has the feature of remote engine start for automatic and manual transmission through UVO & smart key. The UVO connected technology comes with 57 features including the UVO - Voice Assist. On the dash you have buttons for controlling AC fan speed, AC, AC modes, AC temperature, air recirculation, front and rear defogger and fan speed controls for the front seat ventilation. Since the Sonet comes with so many switches for various functions, they should have also added one for volume control on the dash, especially for the co-passenger in front who may otherwise find it tough working on the touchscreen while on the move.

  The driver door panel gets the usual controls for locking the doors as well as for opening and closing the window panes. 

As for the seats, the ones in front are ventilated and are very comfortable. This ventilation feature is a sensible one considering the intense heat and warm climes across India. 

At the rear the seats are comfortable, especially for two people. The two can then enjoy the drop down arm rest with two cup holders. There are only two head rests for the rear passengers. Three people can definitely squeeze in at the back and each can have one’s own safety seat belt.  The rear area, between the two front seats you get the Smart Pure Air Purifier with Virus Protection, which again is a sensible feature during such terrible days of the pandemic.  You have AC vents there and also a USB charging slot with a place to keep your mobile.  The back of the front seats comes with two pockets where you can store magazines, books or files or some such things.

Storage space is plenty which includes the space under the front hand rest, the glove box and the inner door panels, two cup holders and space for you phone on the floor console. The vehicle has a boot space of 392 litres.

PERFORMANCE

We drove the 1 litre Turbo GDI petrol engine with the iMT first and later the 1.5 litre CRDi WGT diesel mated to a 6 speed manual transmission.  Remember these engines are doing a great job in several vehicles in the Hyundai family. The Turbo GDI is an amazing engine with great response when you step on the accelerator. As for the iMT we recently talked at length about it when we drove the Hyundai Venue iMT. You can refer to that video to find out how the iMT works and how best to drive it.

Since it is a responsive engine and the gear changes have to be made by you in this Intelligent Manual Transmission, which is kind of an automatic because we do not get a clutch pedal here, you have to shift according to your needs. But a few things that need to be kept in the mind while driving this iMT version is that you need to have some basic knowledge about how a manual transmission operates. For example, you cannot slot the 4^th gear and start the vehicle from standstill. Of course, the vehicle does guide you and warn you with indicators and beep sounds. But overall, I am very impressed by the responsiveness of the engine.  The ride and handling of the car is impressive and the suspension too is tuned perfectly, taking care of the rough and the smooth. It is neither very soft nor very hard.

Coming to the 1.5 litre diesel engine,  we got one with a manual transmission. The engine is not as quick as the turbo GDI but it does not disappoint you. Gear shift indicators tell you which gear to go to, whether to down shift or up shift.  Being a diesel, it definitely gives better fuel mileage than a petrol. I did not experience any lack of power with this diesel engine, rather I found it above average.  NVH levels are a lot under control and one does not get to know this is a diesel mill that we are driving since the sound from the engine bay is to a great extent insulated.  You get drive modes and traction control in this vehicle. Drive modes include Normal/ Eco / Sports. Traction Control can also be adjusted for Snow, Mud and Sand

As for safety, the Sonet gets six airbags. Then it has ABS or Anti Lock Braking System with EBD. EBD stands for Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. Then it has Electronic Stability Control or ESC, Hill Assist Control or HAC, vehicle stability management or VSM and Brake assist,  Front & Rear parking sensors, and Isofix child anchor etc.

VERDICT

The Kia Sonet is a fresh addition to India’s sub compact SUV segment.  It’s refreshing and it’s wild, not just in design but in its performance too. I won’t call the Kia Sonet revolutionary, but I would definitely say that it has maintained very high standards when it comes to overall design, comfort, performance and safety.