[robincsamuel]

Noticed a fuel gauge error today. I filled petrol till auto cut-off but the fuel gauge and the range/distance to empty remained at the same position. It didn't change. The difference is 12 litres and the range usually changes by 120-150kms.

Later, the gauge went up slowly though it took more than an hour; the range is still near the old value. I drove nearly 30kms after filling the fuel.

Has anyone else had similar issues?

[GTO]

Damn, what great-looking cars we have in India now! Perfectly sculpted and what a wonderful colour . Couldn't take my eyes off it. Kia is on top of their design game. Even love what they've done with the Carens.



Equally good-looking was the car in my driveway:

[ashvek3141]

Kia Sonet prices hiked by 30k.
This by far is the biggest price hike since the launch.

No news yet on the updated feature list.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by GTO

Damn, what great-looking cars we have in India now! Perfectly sculpted and what a wonderful colour . Couldn't take my eyes off it. Kia is on top of their design game. Even love what they've done with the Carens.

Attachment 2289051

Equally good-looking was the car in my driveway:
Attachment 2289052

If I recall, Koreans first brought through Hyundai, a revolutionary car design when they first set up shop in India. The tall boy Hatchback Santro launched in 1998(?) was so different compared to the traditional and dated long bonnet- long dicky Amby, Maruti 1000 and Padmini design which we were so used to. Even Maruti 800's design was long bonnet. Daewoo Matiz was another different Korean new design I remember.

The car designs of today are surely much more pleasing to the eye compared to even 10 years ago. I for one love Kia Sonet's looks compared to Venue.

Tata has come a long way with their design language from the millennium launched Indica to what we see today and easily the best Indian designed cars.

But I still love the evergreen simple design of VW cars, more specifically Rapid.

[SJN]

I checked with my SA yesterday about delivery timeline for Sonet D-AT. It was most likely to be available by April in 4 months. But it seems the waiting time is increasing to the official 6-7 months for D-AT and 9 months for DCT. They are still delivering the cars booked in end of October. Also, very few cars were dispatched in March due to a hold to add additional airbags. This is what seems to be increasing the prices as well as the steel shortage from Ukraine (SA's assumption).

[chandrda]

My Sonet D AT was supposed to be delivered this Month, but look like it will be delayed.

Spoke to the SA and he confirmed that it will be delayed and I will be getting it with 6 airbags. I am not very keen on 6 airbags and would rather prefer a rear wiper/washer.

Also a price hike will push the OTR price to 15 Lakhs in Bangalore.

For 15 Lakhs, I am now getting tempted to pick a used XUV500 W7/W9 AT with low mileage.

Regards

[saurabhricha]

Hello to all BHPians.

A few questions to all:

1) Has anyone recently (specifically in 2022) taken delivery of the Sonet GTX+ 1.0 Turbo 7-DCT (petrol) ? If yes, how long was the waiting period for the same?

2) Have there been any changes or upgrades to the any/all variants to the Sonet which have been implemented in 2022 version as compared to 2021?
I know that the 7-DCT and other automatic variants are now coming equipped with paddle shifters which weren't equipped earlier.

3) Should I opt for the Kia India Insurance (in kolkata the dealership has quote around Rs 40k)?
The dealership insists that the insurance be routed through them as it is their company policy but at the same time have not provided the same in writing even after I asked for it.

[AbidIqbalShaik]

Originally Posted by morphique

I do not own one, but I did two test drives of Sonet Diesel AT from different dealers, and noticed this on both the vehicles.

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

Hi. I too have a GTX DAT. I tried to recreate your scenario however without luck.

Thanks for the quick reply and I apologise for not getting back to you people earlier. I was busy with the whole car buying process and I was also busy because I just started a new job.

Anyway, in my last post, where I had mentioned the problem that I am facing, I think I hadn’t explained the issue clearly. That’s because, back then, even I didn’t exactly knew in which circumstances was the issue being caused. To rectify the issue, I drove my car in traffic and in my apartment’s car parking area to see when is the issue being caused. Here’s what I have found:

The issue

The issue that I’m talking about is being caused when the car comes to a halt (for example, at a traffic signal) and stays in the standstill position for more than five seconds. When the traffic starts moving again and I lift the foot from the brake pedal and press the accelerator pedal gently, the car moves forward just a few inches and then I feel a jerk/pause before the car starts moving again. That being said, the problem is slightly noticeable even if I don’t press the accelerator pedal. In either case, there is a slight drop in RPM as well.

It is important to point out that the issue is being caused only when the car is in the standstill position for more than five seconds. I’m not facing this issue if I bring the car to a halt just for a second or two and then I accelerate it again. Plus, this issue takes place mainly when I keep the gear in the ‘D’ position even when the car halts rather than shifting the gear to the ‘N’ position when I stop at a traffic signal.

It is also worth pointing out that I’m not facing the issue every time I halt the car for than five seconds. It happens once or twice in five times I come across this scenario. Another thing that I’d like to point out is that I am noticing this issue more on inclines than on plain roads or declines.

Switching to Manual Mode solves the problem

To further explore the issue, I stopped the car at a traffic signal and then I shifted the gear from the ‘D’ position to the Manual Mode (here the screen shows that the car is in the first gear) and then I lifted my foot from the brake pedal and pressed the accelerator pedal when the traffic started moving. When I did this, I didn’t notice the jerk/pause that I did when I left the car in the ‘D’ position at a traffic signal.

Test drive vehicle has the same problem

Now, here’s the twist. Since I was quite worried about the issue, I went to the showroom and drove the test drive vehicle to see if this was normal behaviour or of it was just related to my car. As it turned out, even the test drive vehicle has the same issue and that relieved me a bit.

Got the car checked at service centre

However, I still wasn’t satisfied. So, I went to the service centre and asked them to check if there was any problem. At first, they simply refused to acknowledge the issue. According to them, there was no jerk/pause at all. However, upon showing them/recreating the issue many times, they agreed that there is slight jerk/pause. However, according to them, this was a normal behaviour.

Asked them to check other vehicles too

I wasn’t satisfied with their answer though. So, I asked them to drive another Kia Sonet Diesel Automatic and check if it has the same issue. While they didn’t have another Kia Sonet Diesel Automatic, they did have the Kia Seltos Diesel Automatic GTX Plus. To be honest, this was even better as I would get to know if the issue is limited just to the Kia Sonet or if the Kia Seltos has it too.

Kia Seltos Diesel Automatic has the same issue

Anyway, I drove the Seltos Diesel Automatic and to my surprise, even the Seltos had the same issue. As soon as I lift my foot from the brake pedal and press the accelerator pedal, the car moves a few inches and then there is jerk/pause and also slight drop in the RPM before it stats moving again. However, it is worth noting that the jerk/pause in the Seltos wasn’t as pronounced as that in my Sonet.

What’s causing the issue?

What I think is happening here is that whenever the car stops for more than five seconds, the gearbox shifts the gear to the neutral position. Now when I lift my foot from the brake, the car moves forward a few inches because of the pressure that had already been built up in the gearbox/torque converter unit. When this happens, the car realises that it has to move forward and then it changes the gear from the neutral position to the first gear. So, the jerk/pause that I’m experiencing is because the gearbox is shifting gears from the neutral position to the first gear. At least that’s what my theory is.

What now?

Well, after I got to know that this issue isn’t limited just to my car, all I could ask the service centre people to do was raise the issue to the company. However, they said that this is a normal behaviour of the car. So, I guess, they will not raise the issue to the company.

Now, the issue is quite irritating in traffic. Whenever I am in stop-and-go traffic, there are plenty of times when I have to quickly lift the foot from the brake and press the accelerator pedal. And whenever that happens, I’m experiencing a jerk/pause. Some people might be okay with it but it’s not pleasing for me.

So, what should I do now? Well, I think all the Kia Sonet Diesel Automatic owners should try to recreate the scenario that I described above and check if they are also facing the jerk/pause. If majority of people are facing this issue, we can bring the issue to the notice to the company. If other people aren’t facing the issue, I need to go to the service centre again and ask them to rectify it

Here’s what you need to do to recreate the scenario in which I’m facing the issue:

1. Drive the car for a few meters on an empty road.
2. Stop the car and keep it in the standstill position for more than five seconds.
3. Leave the gear in the ‘D’ position when you stop the car. Don’t shift it to the ‘N’ position.
4. After five seconds, lift the foot from the brake and press the accelerator pedal gently. You’ll notice a jerk/pause for sure.
5. If you don’t face the issue, repeat the process for four to five times. When you are repeating the process, vary the speed at which you lift your foot from the brake pedal and also vary the speed at which you press the accelerator pedal. You’ll definitely face the issue.
6. Try accelerating the car from a standstill position in the Manual Mode to notice the acceleration difference between the Drive Mode and the Manual Mode.

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by AbidIqbalShaik

Here’s what you need to do to recreate the scenario in which I’m facing the issue:

1. Drive the car for a few meters on an empty road.
2. Stop the car and keep it in the standstill position for more than five seconds.
3. Leave the gear in the ‘D’ position when you stop the car. Don’t shift it to the ‘N’ position.

My 2 cents here.

The practice itself is wrong. While stopping, lever should be in N. We're doing things wrong and expecting the Sonet to correct it

What i believe happens in your case is - the car is stationary and the lever is in D. The gearbox is judging that appropriate movement is not happening and it will signal the gear mechanism to apply more force. As soon as you lift the foot from the brake, the car starts creeping forward and the built up force is more than what you'll normally expect. This may also lead to the RPM shooting up.

Once the car starts to move, the gearbox realises this and signals the ECU/gear mechanism to chill. Hence the pressure inside the gearbox becomes normal for the speed. You're experiencing this as the momentary jerk. This may also be causing the RPM to drop since the force required is less now, which you are noticing.

I am no auto engineer so my hypothesis maybe way off mark. But I believe you're wasting your energy on fretting over a flawed driving style here rather than enjoying the absolute beauty called the Sonet D-AT

[AbidIqbalShaik]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

The practice itself is wrong. While stopping, lever should be in N. We're doing things wrong and expecting the Sonet to correct it

Well, that’s the thing here.

Even if I shift to the gear to the ‘N’ position when I come to a standstill and then shift back to the ‘D’ position when I want to go again, I am still facing the same issue (jerk/pause)

I always shift the gear to neutral when the car comes to a standstill position and then put the car back in the drive mode when I want to go.

In my last post, I stressed on leaving the car in the ‘D’ position just so that it is easier to recreate the scenario for other people and so that it easier for me to explain and easier for other people to understand.

I would have been totally okay if this issue pesrsisted only when I leave the gear in the ‘D’ position even when the car comes to a standstill position.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. I’m facing the same jerk/pause even when I shift the gear to neutral when the car comes to a standstill position and then put it back in the drive mode when I want to go. Like, when I shift from ‘N’ to ‘D’, lift my foot from the brake pedal, and press the accelerator pedal, I feel the same jerk/pause. The same is the issue with the Kia Seltos Diesel Automatic as well. Even the service centre people acknowledge the issue (they tested by shifting to N when the car comes to a standstill position) but according to them, it is normal.

However, yes, you maybe right. Maybe I’m thinking too much about it. I usually get obsessed with such minor things. It is also possible that I’ve got very much used to the instant pickup from the standstill position with my Volkswagen Vento 1.2 DSG. Anyway, I’ll drive the car for a few more days without thinking too much about it and see if I get used to it. Thanks a lot for your input buddy. I really appreciate it.

Also, I’ll soon be writing a post on this forum about why I chose this car and how my experience has been with it. I’ll try not to mention too much about the jerk/pause issue. 😛 Thanks again buddy.

[CR07]

Originally Posted by chandrda

How is the performance from the LED Headlights on highways?
Is the throw and brightness good enough?
Anyone had a chance to drive in the rains extensively?

Regards

I recently tested these and came away impressed. Will let the pics do the talking. Have never driven in rains, but I believe it won't be even 30% as good in rains.

Originally Posted by switz

Hey Guys,

Planning to replace my ecosport, shortlisted tata nexon & kia sonet. Budget is 8-10 lacs on road. 90% city driving.

THanks For the help. P.s posting this on nexon forum as well.

I have a Ecosport S TDCI and recently purchased a pre worshipped Kia Sonet HTX Imt Turbo. I feel the new HTK+ Turbo should cost you around 11.5L OTR, and seems to be the better option.

However, if interior space for 5 tall adults is a requirement, the Nexon seems a better bet.

[thanixravindran]

I happened to drive Sonet Diesel MT last weekend on a long trip and was amazed by the drivability of the car. The car was loaded fully with 4 adults + 2 kids and boot filled to brim with holiday luggage. It effortlessly pulled the entire load almost linearly and when we have to drop the speed, you can still be at 6th gear even at speeds less than 50Km/hr (though it takes time to regain speed till 70 Km/hr). The clutch is light and had very short travel which makes less work to shift gears. The route included good amount of ghats (Kodaikanal and back from Madurai ~ 250Kms out of total trip of 1000+Km) and I guess the overall fuel efficiency will be easily closer to 20Km/L with 100% AC ON. Thumbs up to the 1.5L D engine from Kia.

[headbanger]

Originally Posted by switz

Hey Guys,

Planning to replace my ecosport, shortlisted tata nexon & kia sonet. Budget is 8-10 lacs on road. 90% city driving.

Could you guys help out with sonet usage experience, and help me decide between these two.

If you need auto transmission, go for Sonet. It's a better vehicle for automatics. Else go for Nexon if you are ok with manual.

On a side note, I don't think you can get Sonet Auto within 10L OTR.

[umohan98]

Originally Posted by switz

Hey Guys,

Planning to replace my ecosport, shortlisted tata nexon & kia sonet. Budget is 8-10 lacs on road. 90% city driving.

Could you guys help out with sonet usage experience, and help me decide between these two.

On the variant front, 1 lac+ price diff. justified for HTK, or buy HTE and install music system.

THanks For the help. P.s posting this on nexon forum as well.

You can have a look at SCross Petrol as well. Is extremely spacious, and for city driving, is comfortable and powerful enough. It's a bit old in the market now though.

Another option you can consider is the upcoming Brezza, should have all the bells and whistles, and it will be more spacious than the Sonet.

You can also try automatics of both these cars, but not sure if they fit in the 10 lakh budget.

Did you have a look at the Magnite and Kiger? They also seem good as far as cars go, and have gotten good reviews on the forum. And they get a proper automatic CVT gearbox.

[joeva1706]

Tata Nexon will be a more practical choice to make and VFM one, as it offers all that one can expect in a 10 Lakh car. Tata's ASS is an issue though depending upon the service network in the area.

On the other hand, Kia Sonet is a very good looking car with one of the better interiors among the two. The engine is very refined and overall handling of the car is good. The space however is strictly average and overall comfort level is average.

Go for the Nexon as it has a more SUVish feel, safety package and all round winner.