Kia Motors India revealed the Kia Sonet to the world a month ago. The bookings were open from August 20 2020. Pre-bookings were done through Kia dealerships across the country or online on Kia Motors India’s official website www.kia.com/in for a token amount of INR 25,000. Today, the car has been launched and the pricing is good considering the kit of on offer from a mid-size segment SUV.
The Sonet is being offered in a dual trim concept of Tech Line and GT-Line with multiple powertrain options to suit virtually all requirements in this segment. Between the five variants in the Tech Line – HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and HTX+ – Sonet customers can choose from an array of features, many of which are segment firsts. For those who want that additional dash of sportiness in their Sonet, the GT-Line’s GTX+ trim is loaded with an unmatched list of features that elevate the driving and ownership experience to the next level. People have still gone ahead and booked the car and the number stands at 25,000 orders.
Manufactured at Kia’s state-of-the-art production facility at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, the Sonet is Kia’s all-new smart urban compact SUV, and the brand’s latest made-in-India global product after the Seltos. The new Kia Sonet marks Kia Motors’ entry into the burgeoning compact SUV segment and sets new benchmarks with its first-in-class features.
The world premiere of the production-ready model follows the global unveiling of the Kia Sonet concept at the Delhi Auto Expo in February 2020. Sales of the new car will commence in September in India, with sales in many of Kia’s global markets due to follow soon.
The Sonet is all-new, developed and engineered from the ground-up jointly between Kia Motors India and Kia’s global R&D headquarters in South Korea. The production Sonet has been built following extensive market input from India, especially relating to its design, engine and transmission tuning and characteristics, suspension attributes, and the high-tech features it offers. The Sonet has been through extensive road tests in India, where Indian and South Korean engineers in Sonet prototypes covered over 100,000 kilometres across diverse terrain, driving situations, and climatic conditions.
The design of the Kia Sonet is the outcome of a collaborative effort between the Kia Design Center in Namyang, South Korea and the design team located in India. Kia’s entry into the compact SUV market was first seen by the world at the Delhi Auto Expo in February 2020, where the Sonet smart urban SUV concept was showcased. The brief for the production-ready model was to make it distinctive by design in this highly competitive segment and present a sporty, youthful outlook. Inspired by modern styling trends, as well as traditional Indian heritage and culture, the Sonet’s exterior styling truly stands apart – not just in its category, but amongst SUVs in general.
Kia’s award-winning design strengths have come into play to make the Sonet every inch a Kia SUV, exemplifying the brand’s confident, young-at-heart attitude, a sporty, rebellious spirit, and a wild-by-design approach. The outcome is a striking SUV design and irresistible road presence that will turn heads in countries around the world.
At the front, the brand’s signature design trait – the Kia ‘tiger-nose’ grille – is reinterpreted to suit the Sonet’s personality. Flanked by ‘heart beat’ LED DRLs and stylish front skid plates below, the wild nature of the Sonet comes alive. Within the tiger-nose grille, with its classy chrome and diamond knurling pattern, is the distinctive grille mesh featuring a three-dimensional geometric design inspired by India’s iconic step wells. The grille mesh design pays respects to India’s historic strengths in sophisticated mathematics, science and architecture.
The profile is imparted a strong, sporty character thanks to the shape of the hood and bumper, with a cowl point pushed back for an upright stance, a strongly raked A-pillar, and around roofline that reflects styling. At the rear, ‘heartbeat’ LED tail lamps and its unique reflector garnish give the Sonet even greater presence and impart a wider look. Additional highlights at the rear include a sporty dual muffler design and diffuser fin rear skid plate.
The Sonet’s lighting makes it stand out from everything else in this segment. Jewel-like LED headlamps to frame the ‘face’ of the car, with ‘heartbeat’ LED DRLs with integrated indicators and similar LED tail lamps make the Sonet’s wild personality come alive through its design. Riding on sharp-looking 16-inch crystal -cut alloys in a racy design, the overall impression of the Sonet is that of a strong, powerful and sporty silhouette with a dynamic stance that is hard to miss.
Furthermore, the Sonet is offered with up to eight monotone and three dual-tone exterior colour options. The Sonet will be offered in a dual trim concept which includes a sports-inspired GT-Line trim, a visible manifestation of Kia’s spirit and luxury appeal, for customers who want an extra dash of sportiness, luxury, safety and attitude with their Sonet.
Inside, the Sonet offers a sophisticated and lively cabin with a smooth, flowing dashboard to appeal to young-at-heart and always-connected consumers. Keeping the comfort of the driver and passengers in mind, the Sonet’s interior offers a modern, dynamic and bold outlook. Intelligent packaging has liberated plenty of legroom, headroom and shoulder room for all passengers, and created a large trunk.
The stylish and clutter-free centre console offers a hi-tech feel and easy access to many of the Sonet’s segment-busting features. The Sonet is trimmed in high-quality material throughout, with its dashboard displaying unique detailing. GT-Line models are finished with contrast red stitching on the steering wheel, seats and door armrest, while a D-cut steering wheel adds to its sporty appeal. Ventilated driver and front passenger seats are one-of-a-kinds in this category, reinforcing Kia’s ‘Power to Surprise’ philosophy.
The dashboard has the largest-in-segment 10.25-inch (26.03 cm) HD touchscreen with infotainment and navigation system – a display that confirms Kia’s premium positioning in the compact SUV segment. The system offers Kia’s intuitive and friendly UVO ‘connected car’ technology. Additionally, the 4.2-inch (10.66 cm) instrument cluster presents important information to the driver in vivid colour and clarity, such as turn-by-turn navigation instructions, Highline Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and drive mode and traction mode selection.
To create a concert-like ambience, the Sonet is the only vehicle in its category to offer audio performance from BOSE, with a premium seven-speaker system with sub-woofer. Other mood enhancers include the LED Sound Mood Lighting, introducing a level of personalisation unique to this segment, as well as a wireless smartphone charger with cooling function, exclusive to the Sonet.
The Kia Sonet is equipped with Kia’s Smart Pure Air Purifier with virus protection. This feature sets the Sonet apart in its segment and once again sets a new benchmark in its category. The new Smart Pure Air Purifier in Sonet has a two-level purification system. The pollutant-cleansing HEPA filter incorporates N29 which uses fiber made from nano-ionic bonding technology of copper sulphide, to remove pollutants and bacteria from the cabin. The second level of filtration is achieved through UVC LED, scientifically proven to kill bacteria and viruses. The system not only effectively cleans out pollutants from the cabin, but also kills bacteria and viruses as it cleans the air.
In keeping with Kia’s motto of ‘The Power to Surprise’, the Sonet offers a surprisingly wide range of powertrain choices in its class. With a choice of three engines and five transmissions, there is an engine-transmission combination for virtually every customer need in this segment. Two petrol engines – a versatile Smartstream 1.2-liter four-cylinder and powerful 1.0 T-GDi – and an efficient 1.5-liter CRDi diesel engine are offered. The Sonet comes with five transmission options: five- and six-speed manuals, an intuitive seven-speed DCT, six-speed automatic, and Kia’s revolutionary new six-speed Smartstream intelligent manual transmission. Additionally, automatic variants of the Sonet offer Multi-Drive and Traction Modes for added convenience, driver-confidence and safety.
The 1.5-liter diesel engine is offered with a six-speed manual, and, uniquely in its segment, with a six-speed automatic transmission. Customers can enjoy the long-legged cruising ability of a diesel engine with the comfort and convenience of an automatic transmission. The Sonet is equipped with this revolutionary gearbox, offering a balance between control and convenience.
The six-speed Smartstream intelligent manual transmission will redefine the driving experience in India. The iMT is unique in the sense there is no clutch pedal, but there is a gear lever. The clutch is electronically actuated when the driver intends to change gears using the lever, re-engaging when the shift is complete. A sensor detects the movement of the gear lever and disengages the clutch smoothly. When the gears are engaged, the clutch re-engages and the gear shift is completed.
The intention sensor is programmed not to activate with only small movements – for instance, if the driver knocks the shift lever. Instead, it sends a signal only when the gear lever has shifted further than a programmed threshold. Essentially, one can drive it like a manual transmission car without having to engage the clutch pedal. This system has been tested extensively on Indian roads in typical Indian driving conditions and programmed to offer a seamless, smooth and enjoyable driving experience.
Highlights of the Smartstream six-speed iMT
· Less driver fatigue: no need to use a clutch pedal, especially in stop-go traffic
· Longer clutch life: electronically actuated, with no opportunity to ride the clutch
· Smoother ride: clutch release is seamless, offering a smooth manual gear change
What’s more, the iMT has been carefully engineered to anticipate all driving conditions. For example, during a hill-start, an RPM control module prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards. The innovative gearbox has also been programmed not to stall when it sitting in a higher gear at low speeds. The system is intuitive and will feel familiar to drivers of all experience levels.
In keeping with Kia brand’s sporty, bold and youthful brand persona, the Sonet’s driving characteristics have been tuned to provide an enjoyable experience behind the wheel for driving enthusiasts. The suspension set-up as well as feedback from the electrically-assisted power steering, have been honed to offer a sporty driving experience, providing plenty of feedback to the driver.
The ride and handling has been fine-tuned by Kia engineers at the brand’s Namyang R&D headquarters in Korea and at the brand’s Development Center at Anantapur, in Andhra Pradesh. Sonet prototypes have been driven and tested for over 1,00,000 kilometres on Indian roads, and across a variety of conditions, resulting in a driving character that offers a compliant ride quality and high comfort without compromising on its sporty spirit.
Kia is the first automotive brand in India to reach the milestone of having over 50,000 active ‘connected’ cars on the road. This landmark figure is thanks to Kia Motors India pioneering the latest in-car technologies for Indian customers, and offering the intuitive, friendly user interface that Kia’s UVO ‘connected car’ technology provides. These smart, futuristic and secure features make owning and driving a Kia safe, comfortable, convenient and enjoyable.
The Sonet too is offered with Kia’s signature UVO Connect suite of technologies, with a range of 57 features for owners offering convenience, remote control, navigation, safety, security and vehicle management. This also includes Kia’s UVO Voice Assist feature, which response to the greeting are, “Hello, Kia.” This artificial intelligence-powered voice-recognition technology provides an enhanced, connected experience and can be used to operate multiple features: phone calls, weather information, time and date, Indian holiday information, media control, navigation control, climate control, and even finding out the latest cricket scores, and 1st in industry driver window up down through voice command.
The convenient remote start/stop feature, previously only available for buyers of certain automatic Kia vehicles, will now also be available for models fitted with manual and intelligent manual transmissions. The Kia Sonet will also be available with the UVO Smart Watch App Connectivity option, allowing users to interact with their vehicle via an Android, iOS or Tizen smartwatch. Additionally, the UVO LITE feature helps to control the Smart Air Purifier and infotainment system, making the Sonet’s connected features even easier to use. Additionally, the car will offer an auto anti-glare (ECM) rear-view mirror with UVO controls, enhancing rear visibility for a safer, more confidence-inspiring drive.
More than two-thirds of the Sonet’s body is made up of high strength and advanced high strength steel, creating a lightweight yet robust structure. Furthermore, Kia has ensured that every drive in the Sonet is as relaxing and safe as possible thanks to an array of safety measures, created in line with Kia’s own five pillars of safety: Active, Passive, Health, Security and Maintenance. Among the Sonet’s key safety features are:
· Six airbags
· ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brake force distribution)
· ESC (Electronic Stability Control), HAC (Hill-start Assist Control), VSM (Vehicle Stability Management) and BA (brake assist)
· Front and rear parking sensors
· Projector fog lamps
· Highline tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
· Auto headlamps
· ISOFIX child-seat anchoring points
· Largest and best-in-class 10.25-inch (26.03 cm) HD touchscreen with navigation and live traffic
· Smart Pure Air Purifier with virus protection
· BOSE Premium seven-speaker audio with sub-woofer
· Ventilated driver and front-passenger seats
· LED Sound Mood Lighting
· Remote engine start for automatic and manual transmission via UVO Connect and Smart Key
· Over-the-air (OTA) map updates
· Multi-drive & traction modes and grip control for automatic models
· Wireless smartphone charger with cooling function
