Kia Sonet: What international journalists are saying about the compact SUV

SUV segment is gaining popularity all around the world. Several manufacturers have even shifted their focus from sedans to SUVs due to its popularity. In India sub-4 meter compact SUV segment is quite popular and one of the popular contender in this segment is the Kia Sonet. It was launched in the market last year and was Kia’s second made in India product. Sonet is doing well in terms of sale here in India and just like Seltos, Sonet is also a model that is available in international markets. Here we have a video that shows what an international automobile journalist thinks about the Kia Sonet.

The video has been uploaded by Juliet McGuire on their YouTube channel. She is a motoring journalist from South Africa. In her previous videos, she has mentioned that she loves Kia and she repeats the same in this video too. She has been driving the Sonet for last couple of days and she was very impressed with the compact SUV.

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It offers almost all necessary features that are needed in a car of this segment. It must be noted that, Kia Sonet sold in South Africa is different from Indian version and misses out on several features. It has a smaller touchscreen infotainment screen that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, fabric seats, multi-function steering wheel and so on. One thing that Juliet totally loved about the Sonet was the space. According to her, for a car of this segment Kia is offering decent amount of space.

She mentions in the video that she had a 6 feet tall people sitting comfortably on the rear seats. Just like in India, Kia Sonet competes with Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport in the South African market. Juliet also says that she feels that Kia Sonet is probably the best out of all of them.

Kia Sonet in South African market is currently available with a single engine option. It gets a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine that generates 115 Ps and 144 Nm of torque. This engine option is not available with Sonet in India. Juliet is driving the 6-speed manual version but, Kia is also offering a CVT gearbox option with the Sonet. She had driven the CVT version during the launch and was very happy with that as well.

The engine is punchy in nature and returns decent fuel economy. She also mentions that the engine on Kia Sonet is extremely refined. Kia Sonet also offers a large boot which is an added advantage. Overall, Juliet was very impressed with the Sonet and could not point out one thing that she did not like about the car. She also mentions that this is a value for money product and if you are looking for a powerful variant then one should wait for the 1.0 litre turbo petrol variant that will be launching in their market soon.  In India, Kia Sonet is offered with a 1.2 litre  naturally aspirated petrol, 1.0 litre turbo petrol and a 1.5 litre turbo diesel engine. Except for the naturally aspirated petrol, both turbo petrol and diesel engine options gets automatic transmission options.

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