Kia’s smallest crossover, the Sonet, manages to impress in a crowded market. We put it through its paces to learn more about its many strengths and (very) few weaknesses.
In the automotive industry, it's standard for brands to introduce a mid-cycle refresh, usually weighted in the styling department. In keeping with this trend, Kia has launched a facelifted Sonet that sees a slight design refresh, comes with more driver assistance systems, and also adds a new variant to the range.
It didn’t take those at Kia South Africa long to see that the Sonet was going to be a best-seller. The compact SUV, which is built in India, was launched in 2021 and ticked the boxes of being great value for money, starting at R264 995.
Based on market and segment trends, the Sonet has been positioned to offer the best package possible to customers looking to upgrade to or in the A-SUV segment, while offering a feature-rich alternative to entry-level B-SUV options.
The Sonet up close
Up front is a new light signature and front bumper, while the rear features redesigned taillights, tailgate and bumper. A 16-inch 'hybrid' alloy wheel is offered throughout the range, with two wheel designs available depending on the grade chosen.
The facelift also features a range of new body colours including Sparkling Silver metallic, Gravity Grey metallic, Glacier White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Intense Red metallic, Imperial Blue metallic and Pewter Olive metallic. Additionally, customers also have a choice between Glacier White Pearl with a black roof or Intense Red metallic with a black roof.
While still retaining its height of 1610mm, length of 4110mm and width of 1790mm, the Sonet’s wheelbase has been extended to 2500mm, which frees up space in the cabin and boot, the latter having a capacity of 385 litres. This has also helped the Sonet grow in perceived stature and perceived value for money. In terms of competition, its main rival is the Volkswagen T-Cross, where it has a price advantage priced as it is at R366 995 as opposed to R407 600.
Inside, there are two infotainment screen sizes available – an 8-inch colour touchscreen and a 10.25-inch integrated colour touchscreen, depending on the grade. The infotainment system includes Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while there are also a host of front and rear USB ports. A combination of black cloth and artificial leather upholstered seats are standard, while higher specification models are fitted as standard with artificial leather upholstery.
Engine and gearbox
At its initial launch, only a single engine was offered, but the brand has since introduced a turbocharged variant – although the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre remains a customer favourite. In terms of power, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine produces 85kW of power and 144Nm of torque. The turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine makes 88kW of power and 172Nm of torque. The automatic gearbox has a claimed figure of 7.2-litres/100km and the manual has a slightly lower return of 7.0-litres /100km.
Depending on which derivative (and its respective engine) is chosen, customer have a choice between a 5-speed manual gearbox or CVT. The 1.5-litre can be equipped with either a manual or CVT gearbox while the 1.0-litre can only be had with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) gearbox. Speaking of derivatives, there are four to choose from – LX, EX, EX Plus and SX – with the SX being a brand-new inclusion and serving as the flagship in the Sonet range.
Features
ABS braking with EBD, stability control, hill-start assist control, dual front airbags, electric windows all around, manual air-conditioning, automatic headlight control, electrically adjustable side mirrors and a reverse camera all form part of the standard package. Go higher up and the spec list gets even more substantial with LED daytime running lights, cruise control, a 10.25-inch TFT LCD ‘Supervision’ instrument cluster, an electrochromatic rearview mirror and a wireless charging pad.
How does it drive?
At launch we had the opportunity to drive and experience both engines, which was a good way to gauge on-road performance and average fuel consumption. The 1.0-litre is quicker and more responsive, largely down to the extra torque offered by the turbocharger. The 1.5-litre doesn’t lack in performance but performs much better when operating higher in the rev range. Where fuel consumption is concerned, the 1.0-litre returned an average figure of 6.8 litres/100km and the 1.5-litre did 6.6 litres/100km.
In our opinion, the sweet spot in the range is the 1.5 EX trim, which comes with a good stock of standard features compared to its competitors. The CVT gearbox, which is not everyone’s preferred configuration of choice, drives very much like a normal automatic (for the most part) and there’s no irritating drone noise in the cabin, a usual byproduct of CVTs. It doesn’t feel cramped in the cabin and functionality items (infotainment screen, climate controls etc.) are immediately within an arm's reach.
The Sonet ticks a host of boxes for customers in a segment that already has plenty of options to choose from. Kia’s ideology and successful blueprint across their model range is largely down to listening to what their customers want – like having more options powered by the 1.5-litre engine, for example.
Spec, pricing and aftersales
Sonet 1.5 LX Manual - R366 995
Sonet 1.5 LX CVT - R391 995
Sonet 1.5 EX CVT - R411 995
Sonet 1.0 T-GDi EX DCT - R436 995
Sonet 1.5 EX Plus CVT - R454 995
Sonet 1.5 SX CVT - R484 995
All models ship standard with Kia’s industry-leading unlimited kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of roadside assistance, as well as a 4-year/60 000km service plan is also included. A variety of plan extension options are available at the point of sale through Kia Financial Services.
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