[bhansali_hardik]

Originally Posted by Navsangeet

Its more to do with my choice of colors of Interior. The all black interior of GTX+ was looking a bit claustrophobic and wanted dual tone Black and Beige (Available in HTX & HTX+ only) which felt more airy! And I wanted ventilated seats, so finalized on HTX+.

Trade off between 6 airbags and Dual tone interior. Cost was not the factor here. This car is for my wife and will be driven in City only and mostly with 1 occupant and occasionally 2.

Here are some of the pics...

Congrats on your purchase. It certainty looks great!

[PKH]

Originally Posted by Speedshift

Has anyone seen a HTK Plus Diesel Automatic till now?
My initial booking was for the same before I changed it to Seltos HTK Plus AT.

None of the dealers I spoke to have the HTK Plus AT with them.
A friend is interested in the same but there aren't any vehicle of this variant to be seen or driven.

I saw an HTK Plus AT Diesel in Kollam its there as a display car in Black colour I liked the metallic black paint did not like the physical buttons in the 8 inch screen. I felt the nearly 3 lakh premium on the HTX Plus AT is justified given the additional features and the look is completely different.

[Navsangeet]

Some of the modifications done till now...

1. Red lining for Alloy wheel hub caps.
2. Red lining for side body moldings
3. Rear bumper read lining

Some more in plan:

1. Smoked chrome finish on front grill chrome garnish
2. Smoked chrome finish on door handle chrome
3. Smoked chrome finish on fog lamp chrome inserts
4. Gloss black wraps for roof and side mirror

Few pics during and after yesterday's work by Autobots Gurgaon:

[arindambasu13]

Did a short test drive (around 2 to 3 kms) of the Sonet diesel automatic today. Some quick observations:

1. Engine refinement and NVH levels are really good. Could hardly make out that it is a diesel till the engine revs to 2500 RPM plus, at which point there is a relatively faint engine note which creeps into the cabin.

2. Ride quality is decent, better than Ecosport (which is the other compact SUV I have driven extensively) but I would not call it very plush at the same time. On the little bit of bad roads that I managed to drive through, the broken surfaces could be felt but did not have a very sharp edge. Cushioned to quite some extent.

3. I drove in Normal mode, did not check Sports mode since city traffic did not allow for the same. Gear changes are seamless, and happens between 2000 - 2200 RPM or thereabouts, with normal throttle inputs. If the throttle input is heavier, the upshifts happen more in the 2500-2600 RPM range. No head nods and shifts are butter smooth.

4. There is a very mild but clear turbo lag, and the car responds around a second after one presses down on the gas pedal. This is during standing starts or even when you are looking to quickly change momentum when driving. I drive a Honda City petrol as my daily drive, and the instant throttle response from a well calibrated naturally aspirated petrol engine is very clearly felt and missed by someone like me used to smooth petrols. Overall, performance seems to be good. This will be a great drive on an open road. I intend to do a longer test drive soon, where I will concentrate on the performance aspect more.

5. Front seats are nice and supportive, on the firmer side, which is what I prefer. Side bolstering is also nice, and cocoons you snugly when you are gunning it. Back seat is fairly cramped, but for a driver of average height like me (5'7), my seat position allows for decent back seat leg space. Seat position allows for a good view of the road ahead.

6. The doors are not very heavy and does not give me that tank-like build feeling. To my own surprise, the front doors on my 4th gen City feel much heavier and consequently more solid. Did not expect this, but it is indeed the case. I would say that the Ecosport has heavier and more sturdy - feeling build, from the touch and feel perspective.

I am considering the Ecosport and Sonet to replace an 8 year old Brio in the coming months, and the convenience of an auto box on a powerful diesel definitely scores major brownie points over the heavy clutch of the Ecosport. The Ecosport would have been a default choice, but the thought of a heavy clutch in daily Bangalore traffic just puts me off. A good TC box like the one on the Sonet really takes care of this consideration.

Would like to know if anyone has thoughts/experience on the long term reliability and hassle free operation of the 1.5 diesel mill like the one on the Sonet, Creta and Seltos? A reliable mile muncher is an important factor for me in any new car purchase, and hence the question. Please do share your inputs.

[Speedshift]

Originally Posted by PKH

I saw an HTK Plus AT Diesel in Kollam.

Great to know that the variant is actually available. Did you click some pictures of the same? Please do post them if you did.

[BKB999]

Did a test rive on Diesel Manual version yesterday and realized that I took a good decision with the booking HTX Diesel MT. Surprisingly the WGT version is not giving a noticeable lag which I was actually expecting It was even more surprising that my old Liva had more turbo lag than this when pedaled hard. Steering and handling was lighter and accurate I felt. Gear shift is short and a light clutch pedal makes it more easier. I did the test drive on bumper to bumper to traffic and 4-lane road to push it 100kmph and in both situations the performance was pretty nice.

The only thing I think would need to compromise is on the rear seating - a third person is a no-no; the center armrest adds up more inconvenience to it. Though a log journey with 3 person on rear is very unlikely for me, I can live with that. But the larger boot space gives big relief to me. We used to travel with luggage in the RR seat and floor during long journeys which will become old story with Sonet. As a few members mentioned here, I too felt claustrophobic with the full black interior which is why I changed from HTK+ to HTX.

I would also like to hear about this Diesel engine - I guess it has got the reliability of the same other Hyundai CRDi engine of old models? How is this performing in Seltos?

Coming to the booking part; I prebooked the vehicle on 20th Aug without a variant specified - as I was skeptical about the pricing and budget and sales person told me he will do this way and I can change the variant when pricing is released. I have confirmed the variant and color on 21st of September and the sales rep now says that the waiting period will be applicable due to the black color. Only white and red are in production and other color will be produced based on certain number of orders set by Kia and we might get it in 4-5 weeks. I wonder there is no benefit of my pre-book then
Since I sold my car being confident of the pre-book, I am now left with ola/uber for any urgent requirements.

Did anyone receive a similar response from dealer for any other color?

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by BKB999

Did anyone receive a similar response from dealer for any other color?

When I enquired in Bangalore (Naara Kia, JP Nagar), I was told that if the colour I want is not in stock, then the wait period is 4 to 5 weeks. Else, delivery can be done in around 7 days time. Not sure what colours he had in stock since I did not enquire - was only there for a test drive.

On another note, they readily agreed to insurance being taken from outside and not compulsorily from the Kia dealer. There was no resistance or pressure of any kind to take it from Kia.

[greendream]

Originally Posted by Navsangeet

Some of the modifications done till now...

1. Red lining for Alloy wheel hub caps.
2. Red lining for side body moldings
3. Rear bumper read lining

Some more in plan:

1. Smoked chrome finish on front grill chrome garnish
2. Smoked chrome finish on door handle chrome
3. Smoked chrome finish on fog lamp chrome inserts
4. Gloss black wraps for roof and side mirror

Few pics during and after yesterday's work by Autobots Gurgaon:

Your car is looking lovely. What is the material used for the RED lining?
Is the material durable?
Are Other colours available too?
I am planning to get it done at Hyderabad. Your answers will be of great help.

[PKH]

Originally Posted by Speedshift

Great to know that the variant is actually available. Did you click some pictures of the same? Please do post them if you did.

Defenitely attached are the pics of the Metalic Black HTK+ Diesel Automatic

[Speedshift]

Originally Posted by PKH

Defenitely attached are the pics of the Metalic Black HTK+ Diesel Automatic

Thanks a ton Sir.
Much appreciated.
Forwarded this to my friend and he was jumping like a kid after seeing the car.

[84.monsoon]

After a few sleepless nights, decided to cancel my booking for the Sonet HTK+ Diesel AT and went ahead and booked a Thar Diesel AT Hard Top in Mystic Copper.

I did not test drive the Sonet but having a look and sitting inside one convinced me it won’t be an upgrade over my Ford Ecosport top end. It misses several features the Ecosport has and felt more cramped inside. Other than the 6 speed AT, I would not gain much. And I may actually lose out on the feel-good factor while driving.

The pricing was the fly in the ointment, a mere 40K over the 10 lakh line in Kia’s pricing made the car effectively 1 lakh more expensive in Chennai, at over 12.5 lakhs on-road.

A test drive of the Thar sealed it for me. I know these two vehicles are not comparable, but I have another car in my garage to act as a people mover when required so Thar was in the consideration set. I was looking for a worthy replacement if my 7 year old Ecosport for city runs and the occasional highway trip. An important condition was the car must feel like an upgrade and make me look forward to each trip. The ability to join off-road clubs and trips was the icing on the cake.

The test drive had me sold. The Thar is absolutely majestic and feels several classes above the Sonet overall. It is truly special. A Sonet may stand out for the next 6 months but after that, the streets would be flooded with them and it will look very commonplace. Not so with the Thar, its elegance and ruggedness is going to make it a looker and head-turner for life!

On top of that, the Thar drives beautifully and it is going to have a TC auto transmission just like the Sonet - plus many features over and above the Sonet HTK+ such as cruise control, ESP, traction control, TPMS, majestic 18” alloy wheels, Hill hold etc. Not to mention a plethora of off-road features like traction control, hill descent, low range transfer case, locking rear differential, brake locking differential etc. Moreover the throne like driving position, the larger interiors, a larger and more powerful engine with absolutely zero turbo lag, that drives as smooth as any German luxury engine sealed it for me. Yea, at 16.5 lakhs, the Thar Diesel LX AT hardtop is going to be a lakh more than the Sonet GTX+ Diesel AT and 4 lakhs more than the Sonet HTK+ Diesel AT, but the feeling of massive additional value for the price being paid is hard to ignore.

[arindambasu13]

Acceleration runs of the diesel AT as compared to the diesel manual says that the manual is consistently faster.:

https://indianauto.com/stories/kia-s...-vs-at-nid7414

Roll on figures may tell a different story though. I am a trifle surprised since there were other reviews which said that the automatic variant was faster to the ton than the manual.

[BKB999]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Acceleration runs of the diesel AT as compared to the diesel manual says that the manual is consistently faster.:

well, my test drive on the manual version somewhat matches this report. It took around 8 sec to reach 80kmph when I checked. I didn't try more than once though, I found the engine is much responsive to the acceleration.

[RoJo]

I visited Kia showroom to see the Sonet. It does look stunning. I am short (5.4) and when I sat inside I couldn’t see anything in the front as the bonnet was blocking the view. Used seat height adjustment to the max and still the same. I don’t know why the bonnet has a convex shape , definitely difficult for short ppl. In contrast, I test drove Seltos , venue and they were fine. Their bonnet doesn’t have that convex shape. Also drove few cars with lengthy bonnets,never faced the issue. Really wanted to go with Sonet HTX but not anymore.

[TheGearBox]

Is the digital instrument cluster standard across variants of the Sonet?