[srishiva]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

--Mods, please move the post if its OT--

Pursuant to the discussion on rear legroom and rear seating width, I have a picture to share (made purely out of academic interest, long ago) that shows how the smallest of differences in geometry can make some of the biggest of differences in passenger experience in the rear seat..

Good details. I had previously mentioned here that for our official reviews we should measure the internal width from door pads and also width and depth of seat bases. Some cars have good width at wheels but owing to their shape have less interior width.
This is where the Japanese excel

[CEF_Beasts]

I have one doubt, in the Sonet shown in the first page there is an image of the instrument cluster in accessory mode where it is shown 'Shift to N and then start the engine' while the car is in P so shouldn't the car start in P as well? It's the Diesel Auto i guess.

[sathya.bhat]

Kia sonet rolled out from production.

[Aditya]

Kia rolls out 1st Sonet customer car from Anantapur plant

Kia Motors has rolled out the first Sonet customer car from its manufacturing facility at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.



Like the Seltos, the Sonet is a ‘Made-in-India’ product and will be sold in global markets similar to the segment-leading mid-SUV, the Kia Seltos. The company has announced that the mass production of the Sonet has commenced after the car completed more than 1,00,000 km of testing in different climatic conditions and different terrains in India.

Kia Motors is preparing to launch the Sonet in India on September 18, 2020. The company is planning to export the Sonet to over 70 markets globally.

The Sonet will be offered with a choice of two petrol engines – a Smartstream 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine and a 1.0 T-GDi turbocharged, direct injection unit, and a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine. The transmissions on offer include 5-speed and 6-speed manuals, a seven-speed DCT, a 6-speed automatic, and a 6-speed clutchless intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT).

Kia has equipped the Sonet with features such as a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen head-unit with navigation, live traffic information and over-the-air map updates, an air purifier with virus protection, a Bose seven-speaker sound system with sub-woofer, ventilated front seats, LED sound mood lights, remote engine start for automatic and manual transmission via UVO Connect and smart key, multi-drive and traction modes for select automatic variants, wireless smartphone charger with cooling function and UVO Connect suite of technologies, with a range of 57 features including voice assist.



Safety features include six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill-start assist control, vehicle stability management, brake assist and more.

Kia managed to secure 6,523 bookings for the Sonet on August 20, 2020 - the first day of the opening of bookings for the car.


Link to Team-BHP News Article

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I have one doubt, in the Sonet shown in the first page there is an image of the instrument cluster in accessory mode where it is shown 'Shift to N and then start the engine' while the car is in P so shouldn't the car start in P as well? It's the Diesel Auto i guess.

I believe it’s the iMT variant. Quoting from the Venue iMT official review:

To crank the engine, you have to keep the brake pedal pressed and hit the starter button. You have to also ensure that the gear lever is in neutral position. If either of these requirements is not met, the engine enters accessory or ignition-on modes.

Edit: Not sure if iMT variant gets indicators like P, N. So my guess might be wrong.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

I believe it’s the iMT variant. Quoting from the Venue iMT official review:



Edit: Not sure if iMT variant gets indicators like P, N. So my guess might be wrong.

IMT variant does not get any indicators like P, N. It's just the regular gear box

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Edit: Not sure if iMT variant gets indicators like P, N. So my guess might be wrong.

No.

Consider IMT as a manual car without the clutch. As per KIA, when you place your hand on the gear knob and initiate the gear shift, it will sense the movement and engage the clutch accordingly. I heard that in one of the review videos.

Thanks
R-Six

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

IMT variant does not get any indicators like P, N.

iMT gets an N indicator, atleast in the Venue.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by Sebring

First thing that impresses you are the 'heavy as lead' doors. This should be the 'densest' one in this segment. I could barely lift the engine bonnet, it was that heavy. Car does have presence and I had no issue with rear leg-space. Overall its a good car and should dominate the segment. But the interior plastics were really bad. Especially the areas around the central buttons. Boot space was good, so was the raised stance of the car. People were crazily checking out the car all day, so I sneaked it at closing time!

By "interior plastics were really bad", do you mean like their finishing was bad or just the plastic quality? I want to know whether this car will be rattle prone. Badly finished dashboard plastics will cause rattles soon enough.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

By "interior plastics were really bad", do you mean like their finishing was bad or just the plastic quality? I want to know whether this car will be rattle prone. Badly finished dashboard plastics will cause rattles soon enough.

Having see the Sonet in Person, I can tell you that neither are the Plastics bad nor is finishing bad. It's only that the plastics used in the dashboard are Hard and not soft touch, which is at par with the segment. I don't feel that they will start to rattle easily and should last over time - it is a well put together car.
But on these aspects, only time can tell and we should have a few ownership reviews soon on TBHP as Kia is starting customer deliveries from Sep-end and I think many TBHPians have already booked the Sonet.
My Brother in Law (based in Mumbai) is also going to be buying one (GTX+ Petrol DCT or Diesel AT) based on my recommendation to replace his current Ecosport (Titanium) diesel.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Having see the Sonet in Person, I can tell you that neither are the Plastics bad nor is finishing bad. It's only that the plastics used in the dashboard are Hard and not soft touch, which is at par with the segment. I don't feel that they will start to rattle easily and should last over time - it is a well put together car.
.

Thank you. I quite like the design of the Sonet. If I was in market, hard plastics aren't an issue at all for me, but rattles and squeaks are a deal breaker. If I get a gazillion segment first features but the car might have a tendency to rattle, it's right off my shortlist.

[MaheshBapurao]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

If you want rear seat comfort it is best to go up a segment. This is about as spacious as the Venue which is about as spacious as the i10 on the inside. Both cars fool you into thinking its big because of the flared fenders that make it feel so. This segment is best used for office commuting or dropping sub 10 year olds to school and grocery shopping or if you have a very small family or parking constraints in building society.

I Am contemplating Verna DCT over Sonet for back seat space and pleasure of riding Compact Sedan,
Do you think it’s wise to decide Verna?

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by MaheshBapurao

I Am contemplating Verna DCT over Sonet for back seat space and pleasure of riding Compact Sedan,
Do you think it’s wise to decide Verna?

It’s your decision what suits you more a Sedan or CSUV but the Sedan segment has diminished to a huge extent!

Back seat space in terms of legroom may be marginally better in the Verna but Sonet definitely has better headroom.

Sonet will definitely be more popular, engine is the same 1L turbo; 0-100 will be better than the Verna’s mediocre 13 seconds in the DCT.

Also Sonet has more features than the Verna if that matters to you and boot space in the Verna is 480L vs Sonet’s 392L with it having the advantage of height.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Sure, let me try to explain how this is done.

Today, I had a quick back-to-back check on the Sonet & the Venue and I could quite relate to this theory here.
I did find the seating of Sonet a bit upright compared to the Venue. Venue’s seating though lacking in the legroom, was quite comfortable in terms of the recline angle.
Pretty much what has been explained here by Behemoth stands true. But to understand this, one has to check these cars out back-to-back.

This exact same thing is observed in the Seltos & the Creta. The rear seating of Seltos is slightly upright compared to the Creta. But ironically I found the Creta to have slightly better legroom compared to the Seltos. The rear seating comfort is definitely better in the Creta.

These are however my personal impressions & probably these things will be much better explained in the official review.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by MaheshBapurao

I Am contemplating Verna DCT over Sonet for back seat space and pleasure of riding Compact Sedan,
Do you think it’s wise to decide Verna?

If budget is an issue and you've set your heart on a compact suv, you may want to look at a Creta or a Seltos but in base variant. The Verna is just as spacious but depending on how good or bad the road you drive on is, the extra ground clearance might be of help.

Personally I am myself undecided on if I want a City V gen 5 or a Creta EX.