[ramnaresh_2000]

Great review guys . I really love what Kia has done here. Instead of badge swapping like Toyota they took Venue to a new level and made it it's own. For me it still looks like a Venue (if you swap the tiger grill). Set aside all the gadgets, it still has a gem of an engine options. Well done Kia for not getting carried away on tech gizmos, but also working on so many engine and gearbox options. Such a wide variety, buyers will be spoilt for choices.

Alloys offered on only top variant of auto transmission is a bummer. Hopefully Kia corrects this with offering Alloys on lower variants of auto transmissions as well. Overall great package, and I am 100% sure Sonet (SOcial NETwork) will eat in the sales of Seltos. Get ready for heavy discounts on WRV, Ecosport, XUV 300 (already announced) and Nexon. This will set the sales on fire for under 4 meter SUV segment.

[GeeTee TSI]

Height adjustable seat belts are a shocking omission. Equally shocking is the featureless glovebox

While nitpicking here, wonder why these essentials are traded for certain 'segment first' features!

[ashvek3141]

What a fantastic write-up. I wonder what else is left to be covered in the Official review, apart from more details on engine & driving front.

Great first impressions by Aditya of a soon to be a great SC-SUV. Rated 5 stars.

The wait now begins for a full-fledged T-BHP Official Review.

[Ranjith812]

Lovely review!!
Very nicely written with attention to detail.
Sonet looks like a mini Seltos. Kia got all things right with this car.
A worthy upgrade for those looking to join the csuv segment. Among the engine options, my pick would be 1.5 diesel with 6 speed torque converter.
Let Kia reveal the price also, that would be the key factor to decide.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

means that in the future could see GTE and GTK. At launch only GTX+.

The presentations do sometimes tell us more than what is there at launch. Media presentations will very rarely have a slip up. I haven't seen one till now.

In other words, a deliberate leak to show the cards a bit .To be honest, diesel AT in those variants of GTE and GTK may well mean that it'll be stripped of many features as they've to balance it out with the engine and transmission cost besides protecting Seltos sales with same engine&GB combo in it's mid variant HTK+.

Great initial report as always by Aditya. Appreciate it, How could I miss mentioning that in my earlier posts !

[Nikhildrao]

Is it just me or the back end of the sonet looks way too similar to the Honda BRV ? Except that, KIA has done an excellent job!

[KPR]

This post isn't about Sonet. When an initial review has 90 points what about final review my guess - 90 paragraphs? I'm sure these 90 points are more than sufficient as a guide book for wannabe online reviewers to replicate. I've altogether stopped booking for a TD esp these Covid times. Sit, read and enjoy instead. You guys deserve a Pulitzer prize for review.

[T.S.]

Checked out the Sonet briefly today. One noticeable difference as compared to Venue was the roof height with the sunroof. I am 6.1 and with the driver seat in the lowest position, there was a comfortable gap between by head and the roof. As a matter of fact, raising the seat by two or three levels too left a comfortable gap. That was not the case with Venue. My head touched the roof even in its lowest seating position. As for the other things, the interior fit and finish seemed fine with no rough edges or scratchy plastics. Though the plastic is hard on almost all touch points, the quality felt good. The under thigh support of the back seat felt inadequate, specially for tall passengers. The boot is well shaped. All in all, it seemed like a well packed car for small families.

[lifebuoy]

Originally Posted by Aditya

• The Sonet's wheels are the right size (16”). But the 215/60 section MRF Wanderer tyres lack grip & are typical...well, MRFs. We recommend an upgrade as soon as delivery of the car is taken.

What is so wrong with the Wanderers ? It comes as OEM fitment for a whole lot of SUVs .. Endeavour, Hexa, Duster, Brezza, etc. I am using them on my ARIA presently. I can challenge this statement anywhere, anytime. They offer way better grip than the Duelers it came with. Looks like another anti-desi bias here, like that for TML...

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by lifebuoy

What is so wrong with the Wanderers ? It comes as OEM fitment for a whole lot of SUVs .. Endeavour, Hexa, Duster, Brezza, etc. I am using them on my ARIA presently. I can challenge this statement anywhere, anytime. They offer way better grip than the Duelers it came with. Looks like another anti-desi bias here, like that for TML...

I am well into my second set of Wanderers on my Hexa and I don’t have anything particularly good to say about them. I bought a set only because the next best option cost twice as much in the R19 size. Anyone who has experienced good quality rubber from Michelin or Yokohama or even MRF’s Perfinza series will say agree than there are many better options than Wanderers.

Coming to the Sonet, the point is that both turbo engines make plenty of torque and the vehicle itself is not the heaviest. It needs all the grip it can get. And in this package, the tires are the first thing that give up. Hence, better rubber is needed.

[vsrivatsa]

Another comprehensive review (as usual)

Kia has given their best shot in bringing in a model to a highly competitive segment - this sub 4M C-SUV segment.

Based on the features - it looks like the Sonet is clearly superior to the Hyundai Venue and will possibly impact the Venue sales the most. While Hyundai typically struggles with space management, Kia seems to have fixed it from the perspective of boot space at least. Brezza and Nexon will continue to be the pick for people wanting a roomier cabin and proven safety in terms of a GNCAP Score.

I hope they bring in the iMT across more variants and engine combinations as well - the concept seems to be a good one and given the demand for Automatics, this semi-automatic may suit a lot of the buyers as well at a lower price point.

While the sales for the initial 3 months will be nothing short of a blockbuster, once the dust settles down, it would be very interesting to see where this car settles down in this segment. My guess it will eat more into the sales of its own sibling, the Venue than the Brezza or Nexon but only time will tell.

[aniketi]

This is like a official review only. Good for people are who looking to buy one. Looks nice package overall, no complaints for most of the people. All eyes will be on pricing. Killer pricing will make sure it sell like hot cakes.

One question to Mods - Why can't we get such initial brief driving impressions for all other cars? Or we will get for all other cars as well henceforth? Or something special about Sonet which got this special treatment? Just curious to know.

[RaceHorse]

Did a test drive of Sonet Diesel AT today, drive and acceleration were really good.

Due to raised bonnet height and 'in your face' Touch screen unit, there is a minor visibility problem for short drivers.

Suspension though on stiffer side, it never felt unsettling and bad as commented in some of the reviews on YouTube.

I drove the car in really bad roads with potholes and as well on complete off-road with craters and stones, the car was really stable and I am happy with the way it is tuned,
suspension was one of the major criteria for my purchase.

There is one annoying thing which I noticed.
There is a huge hard plastic piece below the steering, which was really low compared to other cars and it was hitting the knees really hard and made driving uncomfortable
for short person like my wife, who had the habit of pushing the seat closer to steering.

[Arjun Reddy]

Thanks Aditya. Nice write up. I am quite enjoying the Team BHP speed now. We are quick now with the initial impressions and that would help a lot of buyers who would want to get their cars in the first lot. :

I have a couple of questions.

How are the brakes?

Are the roof rails only for aesthetics? I think so.

Were you able to test the handling? In terms of high speed stability and any body roll?

I am for certain Kia suspension tunes are better than Hyundai?

Rated 5* for the speed of initial impressions and good attention to detail. :

[invidious]

I understand the need to soup the car with features to attract a youngish clientele for the Sonet. But it seems to be trying too hard. From the weird air vents to the striped floor mats and mood lamps titled "Party Time!" and "Hey! Yo!" (0 marks for creativity there) - it all seems rather in-your-face.

Honestly, it reminds me of phones and remotes in the early 2000s where they crammed everything they could into a unit. It might be a geek's dream but how useful is it? Of course a certain Mr. Steve Jobs came along and championed the concept of simple and functional design. Perhaps Kia needs a Jony Ive.