[Almetal]

I've yet to see this car in flesh but I've a feeling that
this design will start looking very dated in a short span of time, maybe a couple of years at best.

Also, the variant shown at the launch was probably the top end variant so the lower end variants will obviously not be as attractive as this one.

Some car companies think that a lot of 'bling' will compensate for the lack of a timeless design, but in the end form, design and aesthetic appeal will always trump the bling factor..

[Lowflyer23]

I don't think Harrier is inferior to Seltos by any means.

I mentioned that the Harrier XM appears barebones in terms of features compared to a similarly priced Seltos model. Nowhere I mentioned that the Harrier is an inferior product
Certainly there is a lot more than just features to rank the capability of a vehicle.

[aniyo]

Originally Posted by TwoCents

Adding 4 more airbags on Nexon would add to the cost which will be passed on to customers. In a car which is already 5 star crash rated, do you really need 4 additional airbags? In addition to initial extra cost, 4 more airbags also mean more money spent for replacement post an accident. Indians are price conscious even for something like this.

Nexon already has 8 speaker system by Harman. Do you really need one woofer in it which will eat into space in already compact car?

There are a few points here.
I own a Nexon and really wanted a 6 airbag version. Like me there are many who want the option. As a consumer I need a choice, if budget permits one can buy, else they can go for the lower variants. But the option has to be given
5 star crash rating is for front occupants not for rear or child. It is 3* if I remember for the rear and child occupants. 6 airbags will improve the score.
If Xuv300, Venue and Ecosport offer it why can't TATA.

I have told in my posts is other thread, Nexon has the best music system in the segment and matches a segment above. Still there are gaps in the music system and it could have been offered as a dealer level fitment or from company to make a brand like Kia is offering. Today many people prefer stock car and not put their head to upgrade stuff and the same is reflecting in new age cars. Also factory fitted sub-woofer does not take additional space, it is generally accommodated in the side of boot or boot door

There was no excuse to offer AMT in a car costing 13-15L on road, I understand AMT being provided in Tiago not in Nexon for sure.
My point is why can't Indian manufacturers create Brand when other companies are able to.

To be honest and brutal, Indians tend to believe Indians don't deserve and not worth giving it to them. The same people will bend over backwards to accommodate even trivial requests of foreigners. This pains but this is what I have observed. Indian's money and life really does not matter.

South Korea is a very small country than India, yet they have built brands like LG, Samsung, Kia, Hyundai which are global. They have managed to move from a poor country to a middle income country in a matter of 2-3 decades, we haven't and the main reason is we don't care for fellow Indians and lack respect for our own selves. We need to get out of " Please give us" to " we deserve this and hence want this". The well traveled of us have started doing this but a majority are happy at whatever is thrown at them

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Johnnny

I don't think Harrier is inferior to Seltos by any means.

Sonnet has got all the bells and whistles to stand out in this segment. Another one from KIA to march the sales of 1 Lakh in a year.

IMO, Harrier XM is inferior to Seltos GTX +, in almost all ways except interior space and road presence.

As for Sonnet, it all depends on pricing. If they price it anywhere near Ecosport/ Nexon, I don't see it selling well.
If it does sell well, will end up cannibalizing Seltos in a huge way.

[fhdowntheline]

I have a feeling that the mid-variants of the Sonet, if priced at 10-11 lac, will be a better option for prospective hatchback owners as well. For example, if the diesel is offered as an H-level variant, it will be a better option than the I20 or the Altroz diesel or the WRV. The WRV seems to me one of the bigger casualties. Other than a slightly better space and ride quality, that car has virtually nothing on offer at this point.

[46TheDoctor]

Originally Posted by TwoCents

Adding 4 more airbags on Nexon would add to the cost which will be passed on to customers. In a car which is already 5 star crash rated, do you really need 4 additional airbags? In addition to initial extra cost, 4 more airbags also mean more money spent for replacement post an accident. Indians are price conscious even for something like this.

Nexon already has 8 speaker system by Harman. Do you really need one woofer in it which will eat into space in already compact car?

Each product has life-cycle value for manufacturer. Developing platforms costs R&D money. The current platform being used in Nexon needs to recover money spent on its development. It will be discontinued and Nexon will move to ALFA-ARC platform after 3 years when nexon is again due for a revision in 2nd Gen avatar. So be patient and it will come.

1. 6 airbags:
Ofcourse needed and should have been provided in at least a few variants. When older product like ecosport can get it, why not Nexon?
Side and Curtain airbags are very effective in side impact/roll over crashes. Are our lives not worth additional 25-50k when we are already spending more than 12 Lakh rupees? So this option must be available.

2. Subwoofer:
Many people like their music in the car and like to hear to a good sound system. Even i have fitted a underseat sub in my Nexon in addition to stock eight speaker harman system because it lacked the low frequency sounds but i would have preferred if it came with the car because of superior factory fit and to avoid tampering needed with the cars electricals for after market accessories. And how much does a sub-amp cost? Less than rupees 10k for even the after market fitment, must be much lesser than that when done by company in bulk orders.

One more feature i would like to mention here is Cooled Seats which i find very useful in our climate conditions. I bought a Nexon for my parents last year but i wouldnt have this year over Sonet (provided that Sonet also clears NCAP test with 5 star rating). And the same goes with the Non AMT automatics. Why do companies think that people dont deserve a smooth new age automatic gearbox even after spending more than 10 Lakh rupees?

The point is that companies should provide the customers all the possible options at a reasonable price to make the product as good as possible especially when those options dont cost much in the first place. Failing to do that will make those companies fail in the long run. This is the exact area where Kia has won the hearts of the customers here and they are likely to reap the benefits for years to come i believe.

[sidhnik]

Would forum members recommend a buyer in the market for a petrol car at 13-14 lakh budget, to go for the top end 1.0 turbo Sonet or a mid range Seltos? Asking since in other threads in the past, senior members have advised to go for a higher segment if available in the same amount of cash (obviously many good to have features like ventilated seats will be missing in a mid range Seltos compared to top end Sonet).

[venkyhere]

If we ignore the "this is the new wild" marketing nonsense, and look at the actual car - it's a proper, proper car built for the indian customer :

1. huge number of engine & gearbox combinations
2. excellent quality wherever people can look, touch and hear
3. loaded with features - both front seats are cooled, air purifier, sunroof, good seats, autodim IRVM with some 3 functions, bang-up-to-date HU, bose sound system etc etc....

I think only the brezza is going to survive (well, its a maruti, so it will survive) in the sub-4m "SUV" segment, since this has made it's appearance.

Simply unbeatable market research and execution - they have done exactly what they did with seltos and carnival - offer something irresistible to the indian mindset, where VFM (value for money) is the most important thing - not 'cheapest is what people want' understanding by other manufacturers.

I am extremely happy to see a business giving so much importance to market research before committing to a product idea - many carmakers who run successful businesses in other parts of the world, think "this is india, no ? give a frugal engine and barebones features, our badge is what really matters" and end up with a neither-here-nor-there product which becomes a sales dud.

KIA didn't bother with the hatchback/sedan/offroader segment at all - they are clear that they want to tap into the 'new-money urban family with kids' segment and they are doing a stellar job with their strategy.

[RBR]

Many thanks, @Aditya for the great and detailed post. Look forward to the drive report as well. Sonet is definitely on my list in addition to Venue, Ecosport and others. Not too sure of the quality offered by S-Cross 1.5 petrol.

[vsrivatsa]

Good set of features shown off by Kia for the Sonet. Given how competitive the Sub 4M C-SUV is, I think the level of features offered is the trump card that Kia wants to play with and ensure they get good sales.

It will sell well, but will it take the Pole Position?
My take, we have to wait and watch and I am curious to see how the sales pan out in reality. The reason I am not joining the others who have called out absolute victory for the Sonet is based on the recent Sales figures.

The Brezza does not have any of the well rounded features of the Venue, be it the range of engine options, multiple types of automatic gearbox options or the rich interior features but it still sold more than the Venue! Let us wait for the initial hype to settle and see the numbers after the initial 3 months in the Sub 4M C-SUV Battle to see who wins.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Do you need 4 additional airbags- Why ever not? It is a mindset issue that needs to be overcome if we have to reach higher living standards.

Originally Posted by aniyo

There are a few points here.
I own a Nexon and really wanted a 6 airbag version. Like me there are many who want the option.

While I agree it would be good for the manufacturers to offer more - what is a good number is in itself quite confusing. Toyota went ahead and offered 7 airbags in the Yaris right from the base variant and so we can extend the same argument and ask for 7 as well.

Coming back to the topic of the Sonet and Safety - while it is good that they are offering 6 Airbags for those who want it - can someone shed more light on the Safety aspects w.r.t. to the Kia Sonet?

Safety and Sonet:
Isn't the Sonet based on the K1 Platform which underpins the Hyundai Santro as well?...and the Crash Rating for the Santro was pathetic. So unless GNCAP tests the India spec Sonet and Venue, it is anyone's assumption what would be the crash rating for these vehicles.

Drawing a comparison to the Heartect Platform that Maruti-Suzuki plonks on a whole lot of cars - none of them have done done well in the GNCAP Tests and the max I have seen is 3 stars for cars based on this Heartect platform.

Can more Airbags enable a car based on relatively inferior platform (K1 vs K2) overcome the constraints of the platform to deliver better safety by virtue of having more airbags?

Putting the same question in context here to the Experts: Is it safer to buy the base variant of the Seltos/Creta based on the K2 Platform (Superior Platform) which may offer just 2 Airbags versus a Venue/Sonet which may have 6 Airbags but based on the K1 Platform (relatively inferior Platform)?

[volkman10]

Kia Sonet Spotted Without Any Camouflage On Public Road .








Link

[Pashin]

Wow! Looks like another big seller from Kia.
Kia in my opinion is the only Manufacturer in our country who knows how to package, position and launch a car within months. My only worry is it should not look smallish like the Venue on roads.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Stribog

With all due respect sir, literally none of these safety features, collision avoidance, lane assist or pedestrian detection will work on Indian cities and highways at this moment.

Even our best highways have people driving all over the place at all random speeds (from 160-170 kmph to 40 kmph).

Cruise I have never been able to use for more than a 5 km stretch before I need manual steering inputs.

I think our roads and fellow drivers should be ready for the features first

Not at all correct. Collision avoidance is badly needed be it India or Germany. Have you seen reports where a car hit a parked truck on a highway due to the driver falling asleep or fog or the truck not having any lights? In such cases many lives can be saved if the car sensed it with radars or cameras and either avoided the collision or at least reduced its severity. In fact there were some reports on this becoming mandatory in India in a few years time. Similarly we have all become distracted and have almost rear ended a vehicle or hit a bike we didn’t notice. This system will help there as well. Coming to your complaint about not being able to use cruise control for more than 5kms, that is exactly what adaptive cruise would address. It would slow down and resume target speed on its own on highways depending on traffic conditions. People said the same about how airbags were not needed in India. We pay more for cars here than people do in more developed nations. There is no reason we should pay more for a Seltos or Sonet than Koreans and not get the safety aids the Koreans are given.

[Kuldeep31]

Almost a complete t-bhp review sans the driving and the handling sections. Here too, a segment based coverage amongst all other reviewers (including you-tube channels)
. Great efforts from the team and Aditya.
Coming to the car, for a very long time running my personal favourite has been the Ecosport (few shortcomings notwithstanding). Ecosport is an allrounder with a look that stills warrants a second glance even today. From the initial looks of it, Sonet has lost the first round. While the design is different and refreshing I feel that it is short of being called a C-SUV and more like a jacked up B2 hatchback mainly because of the rear design. This will age very quickly.

Coming to the engine performance (p) I expect it to be at par with the Ecosport. Very likely that outright performance for the diesel will be more than tdci.
So handling will be the key differentiator and Sonet has its task sorted.
Till we we have the on road test, the Ecosport stays one point ahead for me.
Regards
P.S :This is the enthusiast in me keeping Ecosport ahead. I know commercial story will be different as KIA's feature list and quality is worth emulating in the segments it is competing in less than a year's time.

[Ranjith812]

Looks quite decent as expected. I would like to call this vehicle as mini Seltos.
This car has all the features of Seltos and it is going to give a tough competition to its rivals for sure. Let Kia reveal the prices also.

Kudos to Kia Motors for launching a well packed vehicle in the CSUV segment with different engine options and proper gearboxes.