January 2024 - Kia Sonet Petrol Facelift Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Kia Sonet Petrol?

The pros or advantages of 2024 Kia Sonet petrol are:

• Option of 3 powertrain combinations - 1.2L normal petrol-MT, 1.0L turbo petrol-ACMT, 1.0L turbo petrol DCT
• The auto-clutch manual transmission (ACMT) is a game changer for its convenience, mechanical simplicity and nominal upfront cost
• ADAS features make it one of the safest cars in the segment as ADAS features have the potential to completely avoid an accident in the first place
• Pretty much all variants are well-loaded for the expected price and the feature distribution is fantastic
• The higher variants further impress us with their long list of features

The 2024 Kia Sonet petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• ADAS features not available with manual or auto-clutch transmission
• Dual-clutch automatic transmissions are yet to prove their long-term reliability in Indian driving and climatic conditions
• No CNG bi-fuel option; Brezza is currently the only car in this segment with CNG option
• Missing features like split-rear seatback and 360-degree camera — Addressed with 2024 Sonet facelift

More drawbacks may be added depending on the launch prices once the full price list is revealed.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Car Offers, January 2024; Baleno, Dzire, Swift, Vitara

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Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car EMI Calculator

New Kia Sonet Petrol HTE - Base Model Features

The base model of the Sonet petrol only gets the 1.2L normal petrol engine with a manual transmission and offers the following standard features:

The Sonet base variant with the 1.2L normal petrol engine has a decent number of features for a car of this segment and price band. However, the HTK is just so well equipped that we’ll strongly advise against buying the HTE and at least booking the HTK variant.

2024 Kia Sonet Petrol HTE vs HTK Variant

Just like the base variant, the HTK also gets the same 1.2L normal petrol engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. In addition to all the features of the base variant, it adds the following features to the mix:

The HTK variant of the new Sonet 2024 adds so many must-have features, that it’s much better for budget buyers to just make the jump to this variant. For Sonet 1.2L petrol-manual buyers, this will most likely earn our top recommendation after the price reveal.

Kia Sonet Facelift Petrol HTK vs HTK Plus Variant

For Sonet petrol facelift buyers, the HTK Plus variant brings some variety in terms of powertrains. Besides the base 1.2L petrol engine, the HTK Plus also gets a 1.0L turbo petrol engine with a 6-speed auto-clutch manual transmission. Over the HTK trim, the HTK Plus gets the following additional features:

The HTK Plus 1.2l is likely to be a little expensive for what it offers while the turbo may come across as a better value. That’s how Kia usually place their base turbo petrol engine to make it an obvious upgrade for non-turbo buyers. Thus, we think the HTK Plus variant is better to buy with the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain.

Kia Sonet Petrol HTK Plus vs HTX Variant

The HTX variant of the Sonet loses the 1.2L normal petrol-manual but its turbo petrol engine gains the option of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Over the lower HTK Plus variant, it offers the following additional features:

For buyers interested in the HTX variant, we’ll recommend you hold your booking or book the lower HTK Plus variant. From there, Sonet turbo buyers can upgrade to the HTX if it comes across as a better value-for-money option. However, if you’re interested in an affordable variant, then the HTX automatic is worth considering.

2024 Kia Sonet Petrol Facelift HTX vs HTX Plus Variant

The HTX Plus trim loses the automatic transmission option but retains the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain. It brings the following notable features to the mix:

The HTX Plus variant is only available with the turbo petrol engine and the auto-clutch manual transmission. If you don’t want the automatic transmission, then this is as high as it gets for you. The ADAS features are reserved for the GTX Plus and X-Line automatic only.

New Kia Sonet 2024 Petrol HTX Plus vs GTX Plus Variant

The GTX Plus is pretty much the top variant for Sonet petrol buyers. It is only available with the turbo petrol engine and a 7-speed DCT automatic transmission and mostly brings ADAS features to the mix.

The inclusion of ADAS features makes the Sonet an exciting package in the B2-SUV space. For this reason, we believe that the GTX Plus trim may earn high marks in our calculations.

Kia Sonet Petrol GTX Plus vs X-Line Variant

The X-Line variant mostly adds a unique styling element with a matte grey exterior colour and other style kit. In terms of functional features, it only adds all-windows 1-touch up/down.

Considering that this variant mostly adds cosmetic and style features, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if you should upgrade to this trim or not. Strictly in terms of value for money, it’s worth the extra price Kia are likely to ask for the X-Line over the GTX Plus.

Which Variant Of The Kia Sonet Petrol Should You Buy?

Let's start with the Sonet 1.2L normal petrol-manual buyers. You should skip the base model and go with at least the HTK variant as it offers most features you would expect from a car of this price band, segment and body style. It’s not that the base model is poorly equipped. But when you can get so much more with just 1 variant jump, we strongly feel that it’s worth making. For Sonet 1.2L petrol buyers, the HTK is our top recommendation. HTK Plus buyers should wait for the price reveal.

For Sonet turbo petrol-ACMT buyers, the HTK Plus variant seems reasonably loaded. We’ll suggest waiting for the price reveal before you book the HTX variant. Since the Sonet doesn’t get a top variant without the automatic transmission, HTX Plus is as high as you can go with this powertrain.

With the automatic transmission, the HTX is suitable for budget-conscious buyers or those who don’t want ADAS features. However, it’s possible that because of this exact reason, the GTX Plus may earn our top recommendation once the prices are announced.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Kia Sonet Petrol?

Among the B2-segment SUVs with a normal petrol engine, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza come out on top because of their higher displacement. It has much higher power and torque output compared to its rivals, which have smaller 1.0L or 1.2L normal petrol engines. However, it’s the Fronx that beats them all with its class-leading mileage figures.

The Sonet’s 1.2L normal petrol engine seems to have just about adequate performance for basic city driving. But, it will struggle to maintain expressway speeds without feeling stressed and the acceleration will be slow if you don’t downshift a gear or two.

*Estimated

With the turbo petrol engine, the Sonet has healthy power, torque and mileage figures.

The Sonet turbo shines in one area and that’s the auto-clutch manual transmission. With the auto-clutch, you don’t have to worry about modulating the clutch pedal in stop-and-go traffic and there’s enough torque available to make it easy to drive it with just the brake pedal on flat-ish terrain. So, it does most of what we expect from an automatic transmission while costing barely more than a full-manual transmission. Not only does it bring this convenience at a nominal cost, but it does so without adding much mechanical complexity. Thus, should the ACMT fail, the cost of repair and even replacement of the kit will remain very reasonable compared to CVT, DCT or TC automatic.

*Estimated

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how much any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator in India

What Are The Dimensions Of The Kia Sonet?

In terms of dimension, the Sonet is up there with the segment leaders. It doesn’t really shine in any specific area but in each aspect, it is very close to the top of the food chain. This shows in the Sonet’s road presence too as it looks quite aggressive.

What Are The Colour Options Of The Kia Sonet?

The 2022 Sonet petrol is available in the following 8 monotone exterior colours:

• Plain white (HTE, HTK, HTK Plus)
• Silver (All variants)
• Red (All variants)
• Grey (All variants)
• Blue (HTK Plus and above)
• Green (HTK Plus and above)
• Black (HTK Plus and above)
• Metallic white (HTX and above)
• Matte grey (X-Line only)

The Kia Sonet petrol also gets the following 2 dual-tone exterior colour options:

• Red with black roof (HTX Plus and above)
• Metallic white with black roof (HTX Plus and above)

Also Read: 2024 Kia Sonet Facelift – All Exterior Colour Options (Variant-Wise)

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples