Drove the new Kia Sonet last week, and here are my thoughts. Kia build quality cars and they are reliable as well. The Sonet features a sporty design, with good quality materials and fun to drive driving dynamics.
Manufactured to the highest quality standards at Kia’s state-of-the-art production facility at Anantapur, India, the new Kia Sonet is designed to turn heads and engineered to offer driving pleasure.
Exterior Styling.
The new Kia Sonet’s exterior design, like the recently introduced new Picanto and Seltos, is inspired by Kia’s award-winning ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, which harnesses the creative tension generated by the divergent values of nature and modernity to deliver a harmonious whole.
It also brings a sporty air to it with it’s new light signature, new front bumper and an updated tiger nose grille, which adds prominence to the front end.
The rear end adds redesigned taillights that are horizontally connected just beneath the rear windscreen, giving Sonet a new rear light signature that complements the redesigned tailgate and rear bumper. Two variations of 16 inch wheel options are available.
The Cabin.
Dimensions remain largely unchanged, but the interior is quite spacious and comfy. It has a 385 L boot which is not large, but the fold-down options help with packing luggage. Ride comfort is ensured through a combination of a MacPherson strut set-up at the front and a coupled torsion beam axle at the rear.
Two infotainment screen sizes are on offer – an 8-inch colour touchscreen and a 10.25-inch integrated colour touchscreen – depending on the grade, which ensure easy operation of the car. The Sonet comes with either cloth or artificial leather upholstery.
Engines.
The new Kia Sonet retains the familiar, reliable naturally aspirated 1.5-litre MPI and turbocharged 1.0-litre GDi petrol engines the range is known for.
The fuel-efficient 1.5 MPI three-cylinder engine produces 85 kW of power at 6,300 r/min and 144 Nm torque at 4,500 r/min, while the four-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDi engine develops 88 kW of power at 6,000 r/min and 172 Nm of torque between 1,500- and 4,000 r/min.
Customers have a choice between a 5-speed manual transmission or CVT when opting for the 1.5-litre engine, or a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) when opting for the 1.0 T-GDi. Whilst not setting the world alight on performance, the Sonet provides an honest drive with enough power at altitude to get you around with ease.
The drive is pleasant, albeit a tad bumpy on occasions, and the Sonet can be driven through the gears to get through traffic and overtake on freeways.
Grade Walk.
The Sonet LX.
LX models come standard with body-coloured bumpers and trim for the electrically adjustable side mirrors, as well as a new 16-inch styled wheel that adds a modern, sporty touch to the exterior. Inside, black cloth upholstery combined artificial leather is standard, with height adjustment for the driver’s seat.
The steering wheel can be adjusted for rake, with the second-row seatbacks split 60: 40 to create more or less cargo space as required. Electric windows are on offer all around, with manual air-conditioning is included as standard. Automatic headlight control (with escort and ‘welcome home’ functionality) provides illumination.
An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system takes pride of place on the dashboard, incorporating a reverse camera that is activated when the vehicle is in Reverse and features dynamic guidance lines for reverse parking. The Sonet infotainment system includes Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with steering wheel-mounted controls for telephony and audio. Six speakers are standard, as is a USB port in the front (with additional charging ports front and rear).
The Sonet EX.
Rear parking sensors, as well as rear fog lamps and roof rails are added, while the electric side mirrors gain integrated indicator signal lamps and an auto folding functionality. The high-mounted stop lamp in the rear spoiler, the rear combination lights, the positioning lamps and the front Daytime Running Lights are also updated from bulb to LED.
The Sonet EX Plus.
The Sonet EX Plus adds a range of high-grade additional features to the extensive EX grade specification. Most notably, this includes an upgrade of the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment screen to a 10.25-inch unit integrated with a 10.25-inch TFT LCD ‘Supervision’ instrument cluster
The Sonet SX.
The SX grade is new to the Sonet range and presents the highest possible specification available. It builds on the exceptional EX Plus package through the additional of a range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which presents a very unique proposition in the segment. These include Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Follow Assist (LFA) and Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA).
Lane Follow Assist and Lane Keeping Assist work alongside the standard Blind Spot Warning system, with the former using cameras and radar to ensure the vehicle is electronically aided to stay in its lane.
Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) helps avoid collisions with objects in front of the vehicle while driving. Drive Mode Select is also added to the SX-grade, allowing the driver to select from Comfort, Eco, Sport or Smart sub-settings.
Pricing.
Kia Sonet 1.5 LX Manual: R 366,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 LX CVT: R 391,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX CVT: R 411,995
Kia Sonet 1.0 T-GDi EX DCT: R 436,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX Plus CVT: R 454,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 SX CVT: R 484,995
All Sonet models ship as standard with Kia’s industry-leading Unlimited Kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance. In addition, a pre-paid 4-year / 60,000 km service plan is included.
Summation.
Another solid offering from Kia, and the Sonet will be up in it’s segment with great looks, up to date tech and decent pricing.