[SLTonsing]

Originally Posted by Sandgrains28

I am a relative newbie on Team BHP and this is my first post on this forum (not counting participation on a few travel-related threads). We have owned a 2021 Kia Sonet HTX Turbo 1.0 iMT for just over 6 months now and I thought of sharing our experience so far here. I have noticed that there are very few ownership posts for the Sonet on the forum.

Congratulations! I own the HTX+ iMT and loved everything about it. Though I initially booked the HTX iMT, I informed the sales executive if any higher variant is available in stock any time. In two weeks HTX+ was available and I went for it. Considering the low RTO tax in Assam, I paid few thousand shy of 13 lakhs back in April.

And that comes with rear wiper, Bose sound system and ventilated seats ( Oh! I just love those in humid summer Guwahati).

Ah! Yes, I got stock Apollo Alnac’s as well.

[Sandgrains28]

Originally Posted by SLTonsing

Congratulations! I own the HTX+ iMT and loved everything about it. Though I initially booked the HTX iMT, I informed the sales executive if any higher variant is available in stock any time. In two weeks HTX+ was available and I went for it. Considering the low RTO tax in Assam, I paid few thousand shy of 13 lakhs back in April.

And that comes with rear wiper, Bose sound system and ventilated seats ( Oh! I just love those in humid summer Guwahati).

Ah! Yes, I got stock Apollo Alnac’s as well.

Thanks, and congrats to you too for the new car!

You got a great deal there with the HTX+ for 13 lacs. Here in Hyderabad, the ORP for the HTX+ comes to 14 lacs. The difference of 1.5 lacs wasn't a bridge I was willing to cross. I can live without the rest of it but the miss on the rear wiper rankles though, functionally and aesthetically both.

All the best with your Sonet, looking forward to hearing about your ownership experience too.

[swiftvxi06]

Congratulations for your Sonet Turbo IMT. Wish you loads of happy miles with your new car.

[daspranab]

Originally Posted by Sandgrains28

Hello fellow BHPians,

I am a relative newbie on Team BHP and this is my first post on this forum (not counting participation on a few travel-related threads). We have owned a 2021 Kia Sonet HTX Turbo 1.0 iMT for just over 6 months now and I thought of sharing our experience so far here. I have noticed that there are very few ownership posts for the Sonet on the forum.

Congrats on your acquisition Just curious about the safety ratings and servicing experiences, if you don't mind?

[Sandgrains28]

Originally Posted by daspranab

Congrats on your acquisition Just curious about the safety ratings and servicing experiences, if you don't mind?

Thank you!

When I made the decision to go for the Sonet, I went by the 3-star ratings that the Seltos had in the Global NCAP tests. The HTX comes with a driver and passenger airbag, and Kia claims they have a reinforced steel frame, especially on the sides, for the Sonet. I know there are others who offer much better safety ratings but this was an informed decision on my part, considering my driving style.

Regarding the service experience, it has been smooth although I have only availed two free services so far which are essentially just inspections in nature. I didn't have any issues with the car that needed to be addressed as such. The one time I had to make an unscheduled visit to the service centre for the problem I faced with the transmission, they were very accommodating and got things turned around in an hour.

[jkrkrish]

Kia raised the prices of the Sonet in the meantime and we ended up having to shell out around 70k more than we had bargained for. However, considering the additional features such as cruise control, hill assist, alloy wheels, rear window curtains, etc. that were added on, we weren’t too unhappy.

- Good that, you could get the Hill assist & alloy wheels, in the upgraded version of HTX imt.

It is a very good car, in this segment.

One more observation is the, the sound insulation between the engine compartment and cabin does not seem to be good. I have not experienced other turbo cars, but the sound of engine during the first one minute after the initial power ON, and during the higher revives - turbo ON, seems to be quite high.

[Sandgrains28]

Originally Posted by jkrkrish

Kia raised the prices of the Sonet in the meantime and we ended up having to shell out around 70k more than we had bargained for. However, considering the additional features such as cruise control, hill assist, alloy wheels, rear window curtains, etc. that were added on, we weren’t too unhappy.

- Good that, you could get the Hill assist & alloy wheels, in the upgraded version of HTX imt.

It is a very good car, in this segment.

One more observation is the, the sound insulation between the engine compartment and cabin does not seem to be good. I have not experienced other turbo cars, but the sound of engine during the first one minute after the initial power ON, and during the higher revives - turbo ON, seems to be quite high.

Yes, the engine noise on cold starts is pretty loud. It does settle down to a steady hum after a minute or so, and I've found it hardly audible inside the cabin after that. This is caused by the fact that it's a 3-cylinder engine rather than the turbocharger. And yes, other 3-cylinder-engined vehicles suffer from the same issue too.

[jasjotbains]

Has anyone been able to get in touch with their SA regarding any updates on the delivery status of Sonet? As far as I remember, my SA had informed me that the production of Sonet was supposed to start towards the end of Dec / starting of Jan.

[kvsriki]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

Has anyone been able to get in touch with their SA regarding any updates on the delivery status of Sonet?

I spoke with my SA and he informed me that they received just 80 vehicles from the 280 vehicles expected during the December shipments/deliveries. Based on this data point, it can be assumed that KIA will most likely utilise the full 20 week waiting period. Even if I include last minute cancellations, there seems to be significant backlog from December who will get the first priority in those cases.

Also, it is expected by the dealership that there will be an increase of 20k on the ex-showroon price if they go back the previous trends, talking about the HTX variant in this case.

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by kvsriki

I spoke with my SA and he informed me that they received just 80 vehicles from the 280 vehicles expected during the December shipments/deliveries.

Were these 80 sonets or all Kia cars? The price hike is expected and Kia doesn't even give price protection

[kvsriki]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

Were these 80 sonets or all Kia cars?

Sadly, all KIA cars (Sonet and Seltos combined). That particular dealership didn't even have the display or demo cars are people had opted to get them. There was just 1 Carnival sitting on display

Yeah, no price protection from KIA, though for me, I pretty much was ready for this price increase at the time of placing the booking.

[eljay]

Are there any driving groups in and around Mumbai? Maybe specific to Kia cars or even otherwise. Will appreciate any leads.

[sunnsood]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

Has anyone been able to get in touch with their SA regarding any updates on the delivery status of Sonet? As far as I remember, my SA had informed me that the production of Sonet was supposed to start towards the end of Dec / starting of Jan.

I recommended the car to my brother in law and he booked it on 16th October from Kia Noida and the dealer has gone deaf since then. They are not even picking up the phone too. I am thinking of cancellation. Wondering how hard it is in Saying car isn't available.

This is becoming a big embarrassment especially with in-laws and I am now asked how bad the service experience will be.
If anyone has any other dealer reference please do share for Delhi NCR region.

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by sunnsood

I recommended the car to my brother in law and he booked it on 16th October from Kia Noida and the dealer has gone deaf since then. They are not even picking up the phone too. I am thinking of cancellation. Wondering how hard it is in Saying car isn't available.

This is becoming a big embarrassment especially with in-laws and I am now asked how bad the service experience will be.
If anyone has any other dealer reference please do share for Delhi NCR region.

With the chip shortage, priority will be given to the cash cow Seltos. It's all a matter of getting more profits. It will be better if you visit the dealership once and check out the ground realities. My best bet would be you'll get the car by Feb-Mar. This isnt a Maruti/Tata which might be readily available, given the lesser number of chips involved.

Changing dealerships wouldnt help since this isnt a dealership specific problem. The car is itself not physically made/put together. However, once your BIL gets the Sonet, he can always choose the service center as per his convenience. My experience however has been pretty good with Hyundai SC right from Punjab till Tamil Nadu and I wonder if Kia experience will be any different.

[sunnsood]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

With the chip shortage, priority will be given to the cash cow Seltos. It's all a matter of getting more profits. It will be better if you visit the dealership once and check out the ground realities. My best bet would be you'll get the car by Feb-Mar. This isnt a Maruti/Tata which might be readily available, given the lesser number of chips involved.

Changing dealerships wouldnt help since this isnt a dealership specific problem. The car is itself not physically made/put together. However, once your BIL gets the Sonet, he can always choose the service center as per his convenience. My experience however has been pretty good with Hyundai SC right from Punjab till Tamil Nadu and I wonder if Kia experience will be any different.

I agree. My mistake was I didn't book with one more dealer in Delhi to be on the same side.