Kia Sonet is one of the most popular SUV in the sub-4 meter segment. It has been in the market for over an year and is popular among buyers for its looks and features. Kia Sonet is a sub-4 meter compact SUV and competes with cars like Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon in the segment. Several modifications are available for Sonet in the market and here we have a video where a Kia Sonet iMT gets an aftermarket CNG kit installed. The owner explains the overall cost and the experience with the car before and after installing the CNG kit.
The video has been uploaded by KAMAL YADAV on his YouTube channel. In this video, the vlogger asks the owner about the ownership and drive experience of Kia Sonet. There are several RTO approved aftermarket CNG kit installing vendors in the market but, what makes this kit special is that it was specifically designed for the turbo GDI engine in Kia Sonet.
Also read: Kia Sonet stuck in slushy Bangalore road: Tow truck to the rescue (Video)
The owner mentions that he bought turbo petrol iMT variant because he was not interested in DCT and wanted a manual gearbox. iMT gearbox does not offer a physical clutch pedal but, the driver can manually change gears. The owner mentions that he did not wanted a diesel car as it is much more expensive than petrol to maintain and the current rules limit the life of a diesel vehicle too.
The reason behind choosing the top-end turbo petrol version is the features – both comfort and safety. However he was not satisfied with the fuel efficiency. The SUV was returning around 10 kmpl in city and 16-18 kmpl on highways. That is when one of his friend suggested him about this aftermarket kit. The kit is designed for turbo petrol engines like this. In comparison to the regular CNG kit, this kit for turbo petrol engine is much more expensive. The owner mentions that he installed this kit for Rs 1.25 lakh.
The benefit of installing this kit, is that the performance of the car has not come down drastically. The lag that is normally felt in CNG vehicles is minimum in the Sonet. The vlogger drives the SUV on CNG and he also admitted that the same thing in the video. The CNG kit installed in this Sonet is tuned in a way to improve fuel economy and because of the same reason reason at higher speeds, the injectors are not efficient to pump in more gas. If the tuning is changed it can perform well but, will affect the overall economy.
The owner mentions that after installing the CNG Kit the Sonet is returning him around 16-17 kmpl in city and over 23 kmpl on highways. The owner has done around 210 kms on a full tank of CNG in this Sonet after installing the kit. The owner drove the car for 16,000 kms on petrol before installing the CNG kit. After installing the kit, he has driven around 2,000 kms and is satisfied with the performance. One thing that must be noted here is that this installation makes warranty on the car and the engine void.
Also read: Tata Nexon goes off roading in the Himalayas (Video)