2021 Kia Sonet sub-compact crossover debuts

From the time Hyundai slipped the tiny Venue crossover “SUV” under the Creta in their lineup, it was only a matter of time before an equivalent Kia was on the way. Even while the Soul still exists globally, Kia has launched the 2021 Kia Sonet in India to be yet another installment to the ever-growing compact crossover segment. The Sonet packs the Seltos’ design features into a smaller footprint.

The design of the Sonet is quintessentially Kia with the tiger-nose grill and the LED headlamps flanking it on either side. The signature “Heartbeat” LED DRLs highlight the front end. At the rear, the Sonet employs LED tail lamps with a lot of intricate patterns for some added drama. The GT Line models have red accents on the grill, bumpers, and side cladding.

But no design magic can mask the size of the Sonet. It is quite small, fitting into the 4-metre-length mark for leveraging the tax benefits in India for cars within that size.

The interior is also Kia like, with ample attention given to the overall feel and design. The Tech Line variants come with a dual-tone colour combo while the “sportier” GT Line gets an all-black treatment with red highlights. But the spotlight falls on the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system hooked up to a 7-speaker BOSE sound system.

The Kia Sonet comes with many features like ventilated Seats, integrated air purifier, wireless charging, sunroof, drive modes, remote engine start with AC pre-cooling and more. On the safety side, the Sonet is packed with 6 airbags, ESC, Hill Assist, Vehicle Stability Management and Brake Assist.

Powering the Kia Sonet in the Indian market is a trio of engines — two petrols and a diesel. The base engine is a 1.2-litre petrol engine, and a 1.0-litre turbo GDi petrol engine sits on top of it. The diesel option is a 1.5-litre unit. All of these engines will be shared with the Hyundai Venue but it is unclear if they will all be in the same state of tune.

The Sonet’s list of transmission options is long with up to five different ones offered with different engines. There is a five-speed manual and a six-speed manual for the stick-shift aficionados. The automatic options include a conventional gearbox as well as a dual-clutch transmission as well. Apart from these, there is a semi-automatic gearbox on offer. It is a clutchless-manual gearbox named Intelligent Manual Gearbox (iMT) by Hyundai and Kia.

The Kia Sonet is not here to get our pulses racing. This tiny little vehicle will slot nicely into a crowded segment of dreary crossovers. It will hit the Indian market soon where it is expected to be a massive hit like its bigger brother, the Kia Seltos. But it is unknown if Kia will bring the Sonet to the Middle East at this time.