Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Official New Car Reviews (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/)

-   -   Kia Sonet : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/226966-kia-sonet-official-review-126.html)

Still waiting for my HTX AT delivery. The promised date was around end of Jan or Feb and they're still all promises. Feb is coming to an end now and if I don't get any allotments and if I get the price hiked March-April batch, then I'm thinking of exploring other options. Problem is that I can't think of any D ATs + even if I compromise for Petrol, I don't find anything in the segment appealing. Nexon AMT is the closest but I don't know - reliability, after sales and more importantly - AMT gearbox.

Kia has announced the price hike from 1st March, so you better act quickly if you want to get your car before that, the Diesel ATs are likely to get at least 40k more expensive than they are now owing to the new RDE-compliant engine.

Tata, Hyundai, Renault, and a few others have already updated their models to be RDE compliant, and Kia will do the same in March itself.

If you are looking at other options, they too will be accompanied by price hikes across the board owing to the new emission norms. Moreover, if you consider Diesel ATs in the sub 4 meter Space, you are limited to just the XUV 300 AMT and the Nexon AMT besides the Sonet.

Kia cars are still in huge demand as evidenced by this article,
https://www.carwale.com/news/over-1-...december-2022/
so you better hope that you are way up on the waiting list if you want to get your car before the price hike.

I know this, and they have assured me that I'm #1 in the waiting list. They're claiming that the Sonet lot is yet to arrive and whatever has been delivered is just Carens. They're claiming that the price would be same as the current batch. Let's see.

Problem is that I don't see any real alternatives either way :unhappy

Hi Members,

So one thing led to another and we got allotted our Sonet HTK Plus IMT within 5 days of booking and we'll be getting her home this Wednesday. (This was a real luck story and I'll be covering it in a separate thread in detail.)

Is there anything that I should particularly look for before taking delivery?

Thanks.

It's worth the wait even with additional 40k or something. Hope you get it soon!

The wait times are getting really tough though! But still yes, I have split hairs over this and there's literally nothing in this segment that meets my requirement. Or I have to go a segment or two above, which I can't lol:

Update: Finally got my car allocated. HTX D AT Black :) Planning to do the PDI on Thursday, but really been a long journey of months looking for the right car - thanks a bunch TBHPians for letting me zero in on a really cool car!

Shall share my initial impressions etc. once I get the car.

Got HTX Diesel AT delivered. Have driven around 200kms in 2 days. Silent Engine, gem of a gearbox. Suspension is a bit hard, specially on bad roads.

TPMS is a mystery. Same outlet filles same pressure in all 4 tyres but every tyre has different reading. Not even 2 tyre's reading is same.

Congratulations on your new ride! Sonet D AT is indeed a fab car(rather the ONLY car) in this segment with this particular drivetrain.

If you normally drive with say 2-3 passengers without load, would suggest to maintain the pressure at 32 psi. This greatly helps in improving the ride quality.

Your case seems like an issue with the air filling station than the TPMS. Try filling the air at 2-3 bunks to get an estimation of the TPMS. You can later narrow down on one which is the most accurate.

Happy Motoring !

Congratulations.
yes, reading mismatch happens as many fuel stations are not calibrated properly. I use USB based tyre inflator bought from Amazon and it gives matching values with TPMS. new fuel stations generally have calibrated machines, you can try, if you have any nearby.
I drive with 32/33 PSI, balances mileage and comfort.

Have great time munching miles

Planning to get PPF done as I got the black Beauty allocated :)

Any idea on how much it'd cost? On a tight budget as is and it's already way over my budget.

I was in the market for a new car to replace my 11 yr run Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI.
While I was happy with my Rapid in terms of FE, stability, space etc, the continuous clutch engagement and disengagement was taking a toll on my left leg in city driving. My to and fro to work in moderate to heavy traffic used to tire me a lot. The clutch had run for 70k kms in about 11 years had become hard, the hydraulic power steering started feeling heavy.

My requirement was an proper automatic transmission (CVT, TC) or an IMT. AMT was not preferred due to the many issues I read about on this forum about Maruti, Tata and Mahindra vehicles. DCT due to doubts on long term reliability was also not considered.

I had driven Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger and Kia Sonet. Had asked Maruti for a test drive of the Brezza AT, but they took too much time to get the TD vehicle from some far off showroom and my timings did not match. Further the dealer informed me that there was a 4-5 month waiting period on the AT, and feature to feature was not comparable to other similar cars. I was looking forward to first time owning a Maruti car for the famed service experience and high resale, but well that couldn't happen this time.

My experience with driving a family Nissan Magnite was good. I loved the CVT, suspension setup and space. But a bit of concern that Nissan has only one car selling in India. Not sure of their future plans and doubts on their business continuity, which made me look at other options.

The Renault badge twin Kiger ticked all the boxes of the Magnite above, but was pricier. I lifted the bonnet and while placing it back, heard some rattles inside. The driver side left hand hand rest and placement of the seat belt bracket also didn’t seem ergonomic. Having rattles in a 7k driven test car was not encouraging so decided to drop it.

Nexon and XUV 300 was not in consideration since they had AMT gearboxes and there were many service issues reported on this forum. While space and built are better in class and both are Indian brands, the reputation of their A.S.S. made me look elsewhere.

I had a pleasant experience with Kia. Called their JP Nagar showroom and they had an IMT test drive vehicle. Went there on time, liked the experience and the staff were very courteous and patient. I liked the IMT primarily because it gave the flexibility of using gears without the clutch. Enquired about delivery schedules and they promised delivery in 2-3 weeks. White and Black was readily available, but at that time I was looking for Red or Grey.

We visited the Yeshwantpur showroom and saw the cars in various colours face to face and finalised on white. I got delivery in 2.5 weeks post my booking. Since I had a white Rapid for 11 years I was looking at a different colour option but in comparison with other colours, we liked the white Sonet the best.

For selling my Rapid, enquired with the aggregators: Spinny, OLX Auto, Cars 24 and finalised on Spinny as they gave the highest quote. Even tried exchanging with KIA, but was offered a lower price and due to time constraints, didn't want to go scouting for individual buyers.

I have been driving the Sonet for 3 days, so here are my initial drive impressions:

Pros:
• Smooth gear shifts and light steering.
• Imposing SUVish stance
• Loads of features. ABS, EBD, 4 air bags, BA, VSM, HAC, ESC as safety features. Further Alloy wheels, integrated touch screen infotainment, automatic folding ORVMs, LED headlamps and tail lights, keyless entry, sunroof etc which were not in my 2012 Rapid.
• Android Auto and Bluetooth works great
• Brakes are sharp and reassuring

Can be better:
• Fuel economy is about 8.5-9 n city commute (should improve over time).
• 1st gear needs additional throttle and tends to lag. I was used to a more torquey 1.6L diesel (to get used to this)
• Body roll present at some points (CSUV behaviour)
• Suspension setup is stiff over bad roads. Would have loved it to be plusher. (past sedan experience)

All in all, I am happy with the Kia Sonet HTX IMT and looking forward to share more experiences on this forum.

Wish you many great experiences with your Sonet. I happen to have the same variant purchased last year pre owned. Fuel economy will rise post 5-10K kms. It initially gave me 10 kmpl for Pune traffic. Now it manages between 12-14.

If you don't mind can you share the onroad price. I purchased my Sonet pre-owned and wish to check the difference in today's prices.

Thanks for the wishes. Wish you great and safe times with your Sonet as well!
My On road in Bangalore was 13.89L. This included reduced insurance (21k v/s 39k quoted by the showroom), extended warranty for 3+2 yrs/1.2L kms and accessories worth some 6K (3D cabin and boot mats, door step sill guard, mud flaps).
After driving some 230 kms, I can see the FE is 10.4 kmpl. Yes it should increase over time.

Took delivery of my new black beauty (HTX D AT) yesterday. The experience at Thrissur Incheon Kia was great - as great as it could go. Initially had ordered Intense Red but due to increasing demand and the price hike that's around the corner, the SA arranged a black one and we immediately made the payment and blocked the car.

Coming to the initial impressions:

1. Engine - Transmission: Absolutely FAB. Honestly, my running is a bit low and limited to mostly city rides, but I picked the D AT purely for the engine-transmission combo. This is the USP of this car and absolutely the best in segment, hands down. Test drove Brezza AT, Baleno, Sonet DCT, Venue, Kiger CVT and absolutely nothing felt as smooth to me. Coming from a diesel manual Amaze, the refinement is just *chef's kiss*. The thrill you get with the instant low end torque and the great throttle response made me a fan, overtaking is so much fun and puts my mind at ease! I used to drive annoyingly conservatively as my Amaze manual had not offered the confidence I needed. But here I don't even need to full depress the throttle, just the right amount and off you go!
2. Driving and Handling: Having driven both Amaze (rock hard clutch, heavy steering) and Altroz (super light steering), this is the perfect balance. Not too light and not too heavy. Straight line stability is excellent.
3. Comfort: Actually, reading the "stiff suspension" complaint over and over, this was surprisingly well tuned. At least for me this is a great mid point, it offers excellent comfort on highways and undulations and bad roads are tackled well. Not sure if they changed the tuning but I feel it's better than Venue, where the cats eye/undulations were felt more.
4. In car entertainment: Fairly good. Again coming from Altroz/2015 Amaze, I had no complaints here.

Overall, it's an excellent package and while I thought I'd have buyer's remorse (I usually do!), after driving other autos in the segment (or even a few in a segment above), Sonet is a notch above. Shall share more feedback before first service/after a long ride which we're taking in the weekend :)

PS: There's a burnt smell coming from front disc brakes and they get really hot. Is this normal? SA says so as it's a new car, but I'd like to know from others if this is something they've experienced.