Kia Sonet will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and Honda WR-V in India

Kia Motors India made a strong impact in a short period of time in the domestic market courtesy of Seltos. The mid-size SUV was the first model from the South Korean auto major and it raised the bar higher in the highly competitive space by regularly topping the sales charts. More crucially, the Seltos helped in setting a premium brand image among customers that the Carnival followed up with. The premium MPV went on sale at the 2020 Auto Expo in February and the motoring show saw the debut of the near-production Sonet concept. It grabbed attention for all the right reasons as it would become the most affordable offering from Kia yet and after weeks of teasers and spy images, the Sonet has made its global premiere digitally ahead of its entry into the showrooms in India.

The Sonet will be positioned in the compact SUV segment where it will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and Honda WR-V. Expect the price range to hover around Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom) upon arrival. The Sonet takes design inspiration from the latest crop of Kia SUVs retailed globally.


In recent years, Kia has been designing some of the stylish cars on international soil and the Sonet is definitely a compact iteration with youthful styling ethos. The front end comprises of the signature Tiger Nose front grille, sleek pair of headlamps with integrated LED Daytime Running Lights, busy front bumper with garnished faux air scoops, wide central air inlet and deep contoured fog lamp housing.

Other key styling details are Y-shaped 16-inch machined alloy wheels, dual-tone roofline with blackened pillars, ORVMs and chromed window line, chrome door handles, sculpted tailgate, sporty horizontal LED tail lamps with heartbeat-like graphics and LED lighting bar, as well as dual exhaust pipes. The range-topping model gets contrast red accents on the sides, rear and up front, red brake callipers, etc.

The Sonet will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.0-litre turbo diesel engine. The naturally-aspirated gasoline unit kicks out 84 PS and 115 Nm while the oil-burner produces 100 PS and 240 Nm. The smaller turbo petrol generates 120 PS and 172 Nm. As for the transmission, a six-speed manual, a seven-speed DCT auto and the new iMT will be made available. The five-seater will be offered in GT Line and Tech Line (HT Line) trims as the former can be had in three variants – GTK, GTX and GTX+, and the Tech Line in four trims – HTE, HTK, HTX and HTX+. Going in-depth, the customers can choose from 1.0L iMT, 1.0L DCT, 1.2L MT, 1.2L AT, 1.5L D MT, 1.5L D AT trims.

Some of the significant features in the Sonet are a horizontally-oriented 10.25-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, ventilated front seats, traction control in the GT Line trim, different driving modes in GT Line, air purifier, Kia’s UVO connect suite of connected features, tyre pressure monitoring system, wireless charging system, sunroof, cruise control, engine start/stop, automatic climate control and six airbags.