The Kia Sonet is the third model from the South-Korean carmaker in the Indian market. The Sonet is positioned in the competitive sub-4-metre SUV segment in the Indian market and below the Seltos in the brand’s product lineup. The Kia Sonet comes with an extremely bold and sporty design, with plenty of aggressive styling elements, making it an attractive offering in its segment. Starting from the front, the Kia Sonet comes with the brand’s ‘tiger-nose’ grille with a black mesh and red inserts. The grille itself is surrounded by a knurl-finished chrome strip, adding character. The grille is further flanked by the brand’s ‘Crown-Jewel’ LED projector headlamps with integrated LED DRLs, which double up as turn indicators as well. The front bumper houses the fog lamps at either ends while also having the central air dam with silver elements and red highlights. The side and rear profile of the Kia Sonet continues to feature the same sporty design. The side profile of the SUV comes with stylish 16-inch crystal-cut alloy wheels, with the wheel arches covered in black cladding. The side profile also comes with silver finished roof rails and chrome door handles.  The rear profile features Kia’s heartbeat LED tail lamps which are connected through a thin reflector strip. The bottom part of the bumper is finished in gloss black and features silver accents for the fake exhaust ports and a faux diffuser as well. Inside, the Kia Sonet comes with a very premium feel. The cabin is made up of soft-touch materials, leatherette upholstery and plastic parts. The leatherette upholstery extends to the seats, gear lever, steering wheel and the side door panels. The Sonet features a large fixture which houses the instrument cluster and the 10.25-inch infotainment system, which gives the car an upmarket look.

The Kia Sonet is offered with a choice of three engine options: two petrol and one diesel. The petrol choices include a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine producing 83bhp and 115Nm of peak torque, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. The second petrol engine comes in the form of a 1.0-litre T-GDI unit churning out 120bhp and 172Nm of peak torque. It is mated to either a six-speed iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) or a seven-speed DCT (Dual-Clutch Transmission) automatic. The third engine comes in the form of a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel unit. This engine is offered in two states-of-tune. The lower state-of-tune produces 100bhp and 240Nm of peak torque and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The higher state-of-tune unit churns out 115bhp and 250Nm of peak torque and comes paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox.

The Kia Sonet along with offering strong performance from all its engines, also claims high fuel efficiency figures as well. Kia Motors claim that the 1.2-litre petrol unit returns 18.4km/l, while the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol offers 18.2km/l of fuel-efficiency. The diesel, on the other hand, returns better mileage figures of 19km/l on the automatic and 24.1km/l on the manual version. All mileage figures mentioned are ARAI-Certified.

The Kia Sonet comes packed with features and equipment, along with the presence of its UVO connect technology as well. Some of the features on the Kia Sonet include LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED taillights, 16-inch alloy wheels, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, electric sunroof, ventilated seats, wireless charging rear AC vents, UVO Connect with 57 smart features, steering-mounted controls, keyless ignition and start/stop and many more. Safety features on the Kia Sonet: six airbags, ABS with EBD, vehicle stability management, electronic stability control, speed sensing auto door lock, impact-sensing auto door unlock, reverse parking camera with guidelines, front and rear parking sensors and ISOFIX child seat anchors; among others.

The Kia Sonet received an overwhelming response, even before its launch in the Indian market. The Sonet comes packed with features, equipment, technology and offers a comfortable and confident drive; all packaged in an extremely competitive price bracket making it an attractive offering in the segment.