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After a lot of anticipation, Kia has finally globally debuted the Sonet. The Sonet has handsome styling, very premium interiors with lots of fancy features and wide range of powertrain options. All that remains to be known is its price.

After quite a lot of teasers, anticipation and excitement, Kia has finally debuted the Sonet sub-compact SUV in India today. Kia first showcased the Sonet concept at the 2020 Auto Expo, and six months from then, the production-spec Sonet does not look all that different from the Concept car. In essence, we already had an idea about what the expect from the car and it has indeed turned out like that. What we didn’t have an idea about then were the interiors and the features that would be on offer. Having seen them now, we are indeed quite impressed.

Kia has finally unveiled the Sonet sub-compact SUV in India.

The Sonet is under four meters in length shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Venue. The concept version shown at the Auto Expo was in fact a close-to-production version and other than the massive 18-inch wheels with 255-section tires, flush door handles and tiny wing mirrors from the concept, most of the body panels are largely the same. The Sonet certain looks more muscular and chunkier in comparison to the Venue’s rounded proportions.

The production-spec Sonet does not look all that different from the concept.

We certainly like the detailing on the Sonet more than in the Hyundai Venue. The face gets Kia’s signature Tiger nose grille which has a knurled and chrome-finished lower edge with multi-segmented 3D inserts. The GT Line variants further get some red highlights. The slim LED headlamps are identical to the ones seen on the concept and feature the ‘heartbeat’ DRLs. The front bumper is very well contoured and the intakes on the concept now houses the fog lamps. The lower portion of the bumper has a large air intake with a hexagonal mesh and aggressive silver-finished garnish. Rounding off the front design is a very well sculpted bonnet that gives the car a very muscular look.

The proportions of the SUV are on point from every angle.

The side profile of the Sonet is relatively simply with more curvaceous surfaces than sharp lines. The wheel arches however are quite prominent. One very interesting detail that has been retained from the concept is the styling of the C-Pillar. The blacked-out elements on the top end of the C-Pillar with the inset quarter glass and wraparound effect of the rear window makes for a very slim and sharply raked C-Pillar and that’s a very cool look indeed. Although the wheels are only 16-inches in size, the design has been retained from the concept car.

The detailing on the face with the ‘Tiger Nose’ grille and ‘heartbeat’ DRLs also look very coo.

The rear of the SUV gets smart looking LED tail lamps which also feature the ‘heartbeat’ signature and are connected by a reflector strip for a single continuous look. The tail gate too is well contoured and the bumpers below have a gloss black effect with a faux diffuser and faux twin exhaust trims as well. Overall, the Sonet comes across as a very handsome car with nice detailing and yet, its not too shouty, rather sophisticated.

Kia Sonet interiors.

The interiors of the Kia Sonet is what has really impressed us and there’s nothing that it shares with the Venue. Perceived quality of the cabin is also top-notch with hard plastics only used in the lower half of the dashboard. Just like the Seltos, the Sonet also gets a binnacle that houses the large 10.25-inch screen and also the digital instrument cluster. The gloss finish on the instrument binnacle further gives it a premium touch. The digital instrument cluster will be a standard fit on higher variants of the Sonet and the steering wheel seems to have come from the Seltos too, with scroll wheels and buttons.

This is the GT Line of the Sonet that comes with all-black interiors.

The climate control buttons are positioned in between the AC vents which have a very cool design. These AC vents gets a metallic surround with a knurled finish and so does the center console. There’s also a small screen in between the AC vents for the climate read-out. Although Kia hasn’t shared the official list of features on the Sonet yet, by the looks of it, the Sonet clearly out does the Venue on this front. Features such as the ventilated front seats, 7-speaker Bose audio system and ambient lighting are definitely a huge welcome and things that the venue misses out on.

The AC vents have a nice knurled effect both at the front and at the rear.

Here are some of the most prominent features of the Kia Sonet – 10.25-inch touchscreen with in-built navigation and Kia’s Uvo connectivity suite, perfumed air purifier which Kia claims even offers virus protection, auto climate control, a sunroof, auto headlamps, cooled wireless phone charging, front and rear parking sensors, a tyre-pressure monitor, and safety equipment like 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, hill assist control (HAC), vehicle stability management (VSM) and brake assist. The Sonet also offers drive modes and traction modes in the automatic version, though the details of this are yet to be announced. 

It gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Kia’s Uvo connected car tech.

In terms of space, the Kia Sonet is more or less identical to that of the Sonet, which means it isn’t quite as spacious as some of its rivals, particularly in the rear seats. That said, the Sonet feels pretty good from behind the steering wheel. The steering wheel feels good to hold and all the controls have a tactile feel to them. The digital instrument cluster however might take some time getting used to. Its certainly not the best we have seen in terms of aesthetics and the Kia Seltos did a much better job here.

The steering wheel seems to have directly come from the Seltos.

Also Read : Top 5 Features That Come On Kia Sonet But Not On Hyundai Venue

The Kia Sonet will be offered with the same powertrain options as the Hyundai Venue. Kia hasn’t however officially revealed the specs and powertrain options yet. However, we do know that the Sonet will come with a 1.2L Kappa petrol engine with 83bhp, a 1.0L Turbo-petrol engine with 120bhp and a detuned version of the 1.5L diesel engine that is offered in the Seltos. The diesel engine is expected to produce around 100bhp. Transmission options on the Sonet will include a 5-speed MT for petrol, a 6-speed MT for the diesel and the DCT for turbo motor. The 1.0L turbo-petrol engine will also be offered with Hyundai’s new iMT clutchless-manual gearbox that will debut on the Venue this month itself.

All that remains to be known is its pricing.

Also Read : What’s The Difference Between Kia Sonet Tech Line And GT Line?

Kia however intends to take the game a notch higher with the Sonet. Kia will be offering a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission with the diesel engine of the Sonet, something the Venue does not get. Prices for the diesel-AT variant of the Sonet will thus be quite high and closer to that of the entry-level Seltos. Kia however wants to at least offer this option to its customers who are willing to shell out the extra money. Kia wouldn’t be too ambitious with the pricing of the Sonet as the competition in this segment in quite tough and it has its own sibling rivalry as well. We expect the Kia Sonet to be priced between Rs 7-12 lakh, ex-showroom.

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