[SgtRuckus]

I test drove the GTX+1.0 iMT Petrol today.
Coming from a Hyundai Grand i10 Sportz it was definitely an upgrade.
The ARM Kia at Udupi drove the test drive vehicle to my house, ~30 Kms away.
That was nice of them. This allowed us to spend ample time with the car.
I had a great time driving with the iMT. The Bose sound system is pretty good for casual listeners and had good response to my test tracks (The sound of Bali from the movie Shaitan and some more house and jazz songs along with bollywood). The EQ settings were off and I just tuned it to what I usually keep it to.
My parents too tried out and sat in the rear. The leg room is fairly sufficient. The SE who was driving was 6'1" and I (5'10") sat right behind him with enough space. Over long distances I am not sure if the under thigh support is enough but my parents were happy with the car. They did feel that its for 4 people and the rear center seat was only in case of fitting 5 people if absolutely needed.
The wife was making a note of all the buttons and screens that our 2 year old would be playing with

Originally Posted by aeeshaan007

Please do your due diligence here. The car is in high demand all over India and I am pretty sure Kia would not such unrealistic booking period otherwise. Either the dealer has placed more orders to Kia against actual booking or they are mis representing information to get your booking.
Also the manufacturing is impacted with semi conductor shortage like all other auto manufacturer. Just my 2 cents.

This is true. I asked the SE to be candid and tell me the actual wait time.
He said they will commit to 5 months on paper as the wait time from the factory.
What he did say was they have been delivering these particular trims as the bookings from here are not as many. Mostly the HTK and HTX+ are having long waiting periods.
Again, I did take this with a pinch of salt.
One thing he did tell me though is that Kia has made alternative arrangements for the chip shortage as this car was launched during the lockdown and they were already aware of the possible shortage (sic). Not sure if this is true or not.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

This is a standard operating procedure \ trick to get a booking - with one exception - Cash payment. They may provide an early allotment from other cancelled orders if someone else is paying full cash down.

He did say that based on booking seniority they offer cancelled vehicles to the next in line for that variant (colors may not be same.)


Well I put my money down on the GTX+1.0 DCT, Gravity Grey. DCT because the wife plans on starting to drive (has a license but hasn't driven since getting it) and I feel it gives us the ease of use in city conditions considering we will be in Bengaluru .

Now the wait starts.

[SgtRuckus]

If anyone is interested, here is the latest price list for the Sonet from ARM Kia, Mangaluru / Udupi.

[aeeshaan007]

Introducing our Kia Sonet after 7 months of waiting - Steel Silver GTX+ AT Diesel


Currently going through the owner manual - wish I had touched my study books like I have attacked this .

Will shortly update on my first impressions.

[Artyom]

I have heard that DCT is not suitable in start-stop traffic and heats up or it affects the reliability of the engine/transmission. Rather an iMT is a better option if the drive is 70% in the city and 30% highway. Sonet owners can you please share your reviews/ reliability issues if any and suggestions as to which should be bought. Thanks in advance.

[Pedalmasher_20]

Originally Posted by Artyom

I have heard that DCT is not suitable in start-stop traffic and heats up or it affects the reliability of the engine/transmission. Rather an iMT is a better option if the drive is 70% in the city and 30% highway. Sonet owners can you please share your reviews/ reliability issues if any and suggestions as to which should be bought. Thanks in advance.

I am not a Sonet owner but by looking at the heating issues faced by the DCT gearboxes in cars like Venue, Creta and Seltos, I'd suggest you to stay away from the petrol automatic variants of this car, atleast for now, if you running is higher in the city. iMT would be a better bet if you want to buy Sonet just for the city drives. If you do have some highway drives throughout the month and you need an automatic, then I'd suggest you to shell out some extra money from the pocket get the Diesel Auto. The Torque Converter is a reliable gearbox and you won't face any heating issues in the city, plus, you'd get the punchy performance and extra fuel efficiency from the car.

Happy Motoring

[pmathur28]

Originally Posted by Artyom

I have heard that DCT is not suitable in start-stop traffic and heats up or it affects the reliability of the engine/transmission. Rather an iMT is a better option if the drive is 70% in the city and 30% highway. Sonet owners can you please share your reviews/ reliability issues if any and suggestions as to which should be bought. Thanks in advance.

Check out this comment :
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5111091 (Kia Sonet : Official Review)

Its first hand experience of a DCT owner over a considerable period.

IMO the heating issue with DCT transmission is a red herring you'll find everywhere on the internet. I'm not saying that it can't happen at all, but the probability of its occurrence is highly exaggerated. It depends majorly on your driving style and outside temperature I think. You'll not face it if you follow basic precautions like putting the car in N mode at long signals.
As for the iMT, it has its own quirks which you may or may not like.
I'll suggest you to go for a long TD with both iMT and DCT and then decide.

[woof]

Originally Posted by Artyom

I have heard that DCT is not suitable in start-stop traffic and heats up or it affects the reliability of the engine/transmission. Rather an iMT is a better option if the drive is 70% in the city and 30% highway. Sonet owners can you please share your reviews/ reliability issues if any and suggestions as to which should be bought. Thanks in advance.

Why don't you try the Diesel Automatic variant? It is a torque converter engine and should run fine for a long time.

[Coyote]

Originally Posted by Artyom

I have heard that DCT is not suitable in start-stop traffic and heats up or it affects the reliability of the engine/transmission. Rather an iMT is a better option if the drive is 70% in the city and 30% highway. Sonet owners can you please share your reviews/ reliability issues if any and suggestions as to which should be bought. Thanks in advance.

I have the DCT Sonet, a close friend the iMT, and a third close friend has just booked a DCT as well.

I am in the process of compiling an ownership review (which went from an initial purchase review to a full fledged initial ownership review due to my lethargy ) that I hope to finish sometime next month.

I have had no issues with the DCT till now, and would suggest you try out the both the 7DCT and 6AT. I chose the 7DCT over the 6AT because the Diesel is simply not as responsive as the Petrol, and I chose the Sonet over the Nexon simply because it was more fun to drive.

If I were to avoid the DCT simply due to fears, I would not bother with the Sonet 6AT at all, and would have bought the Nexon AMT. Would have saved a couple of lakhs too.

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by Pedalmasher_20

if you running is higher in the city. iMT would be a better bet if you want to buy Sonet just for the city drives. If you do have some highway drives throughout the month and you need an automatic, then I'd suggest you to shell out some extra money from the pocket get the Diesel Auto

Since the vehicle will be used by dad so I don't want him to face any issues about how small that be and since the gearbox is the heart and if there is any doubt about it I would rather stay away. Had it been my vehicle I might have gone for the DCT. Diesel is not being considered at all as my mom feels nauseous in a Diesel car.

Originally Posted by pmathur28

Check out this comment :
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5111091 (Kia Sonet : Official Review)

Its first-hand experience of a DCT owner over a considerable period.

IMO the heating issue with DCT transmission is a red herring you'll find everywhere on the internet. I'm not saying that it can't happen at all, but the probability of its occurrence is highly exaggerated. It depends majorly on your driving style and outside temperature I think. You'll not face it if you follow basic precautions like putting the car in N mode at long signals.
As for the iMT, it has its own quirks which you may or may not like.
I'll suggest you to go for a long TD with both iMT and DCT and then decide.

Since the vehicle will be used by dad so I don't want him to face any issues about how small that be and since the gearbox is the heart and if there is any doubt about it I would rather stay away. Had it been my vehicle I might have gone for the DCT. Diesel is not being considered at all as my mom feels nauseous in a Diesel car.

Originally Posted by woof

Why don't you try the Diesel Automatic variant? It is a torque converter engine and should run fine for a long time.

Diesel is not being considered at all as my mom feels nauseous in a Diesel car.

Originally Posted by Coyote

I have the DCT Sonet, a close friend the iMT, and a third close friend has just booked a DCT as well.

I am in the process of compiling an ownership review (which went from an initial purchase review to a full fledged initial ownership review due to my lethargy ) that I hope to finish sometime next month.

I have had no issues with the DCT till now, and would suggest you try out the both the 7DCT and 6AT. I chose the 7DCT over the 6AT because the Diesel is simply not as responsive as the Petrol, and I chose the Sonet over the Nexon simply because it was more fun to drive.

If I were to avoid the DCT simply due to fears, I would not bother with the Sonet 6AT at all, and would have bought the Nexon AMT. Would have saved a couple of lakhs too.

Awaiting your ownership review sir. 6AT I guess is only available in Diesal which again is not being considered at all as my mom feels nauseous in a Diesel car.

[Auto70]

I shall be buying a Sonet HTX Diesel At on 01 Sep 2021. My query is regarding the car insurance. Dealer has quoted Rs 35000.00 for a zero Dep policy after adjusting 50% NCB from my earlier car, whereas, I have been offered a zero dep insurance policy from United Insurance for Rs 25960.00 including GST. If they adjust 50% ncb(Rs 6095.00) I have to pay a total sum of Rs 19865.00. Is it worth going with United Insurance?

[xotiq]

Originally Posted by Auto70

I shall be buying a Sonet HTX Diesel At on 01 Sep 2021. My query is regarding the car insurance. Dealer has quoted Rs 35000.00 for a zero Dep policy after adjusting 50% NCB from my earlier car, whereas, I have been offered a zero dep insurance policy from United Insurance for Rs 25960.00 including GST. If they adjust 50% ncb(Rs 6095.00) I have to pay a total sum of Rs 19865.00. Is it worth going with United Insurance?

Absolutely, I went with United India Insurance for my Seltos GTX Diesel with 50% NCB transferred and also have renewed UI insurance for our other vehicles.

[aeeshaan007]

Originally Posted by Auto70

I shall be buying a Sonet HTX Diesel At on 01 Sep 2021. My query is regarding the car insurance. Dealer has quoted Rs 35000.00 for a zero Dep policy after adjusting 50% NCB from my earlier car, whereas, I have been offered a zero dep insurance policy from United Insurance for Rs 25960.00 including GST. If they adjust 50% ncb(Rs 6095.00) I have to pay a total sum of Rs 19865.00. Is it worth going with United Insurance?

You can give this quote to Kia sales and also negotiate. I had a lower quote from another insurance policy and the dealer actually matched it. For me it felt like VFM as dealer insurance also contained Return to Invoice.

[SgtRuckus]

Had an interesting day yesterday.

I received this SMS from KIA India

Dear *********, as requested your booking for Kia SONET has been modified to 27/08/2021.
Vehicle delivery period will be subject to stock availability and as per the booking modification date.

My original booking date is 10th August and I never made any changes or request to modify the order (colour, variant etc.).
I called my sales consultant immediately and he said that he knows about the message and that its something that everyone has received, even bookings as old as 8 months ago.

I asked them to verify this in writing and sent a reply to the confirmation email of my booking.

They replied stating:

Dear Mr. *********

As per the telephonic conversation with KEC Mr. *********** on regarding to the
message received to you on your registered mobile number it is the System updation for Old mapped FSC to Manufacturing year 2021.
Your waiting period is considered still form the date of booking.

I then received a call from the sales manager who proceeded to explain that they had booked all vehicles using an older code in the system which KIA asked to update to the new code.

They have assured that the booking date is still considered from the original docket and that this is purely a technical thing.

I have ensured that the above conversation with the sales manager was also emailed to them in the hopes of maintaining proper documented communication.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[robincsamuel]

Originally Posted by SgtRuckus

Has anyone else experienced this?

I got the same once.

I booked GTX+ DCT in January and got the car delivered in April. I received an SMS saying booking has been updated and the response from SA was similar. It didn’t affect my waiting period and I got the car exactly after 12 weeks as mentioned in the booking docket.

[Auto70]

Originally Posted by aeeshaan007

You can give this quote to Kia sales and also negotiate. I had a lower quote from another insurance policy and the dealer actually matched it. For me it felt like VFM as dealer insurance also contained Return to Invoice.

Thanks for your suggestion. I followed your advice and Kia people are now quoting 31500.00. The difference according to them is cashless facility at all kia show rooms and tyre coverage upto 4 times (4 tyres) a year with preservation of NCB, key cover and return to invoice.