[Ripcord09]

Kia Sonet Facelift

What you'll like:

• A mini-Seltos in almost every way! Same formula, in a smaller package
• Sharp & handsome styling. In our opinion, this is the best-looking Compact SUV
• Excellent spread of powertrains including a fast & enjoyable turbo-petrol
• Diesel AT is fantastic; the only smooth torque-converter gearbox in a sea of AMTs
• Well-tuned suspension offers a good balance between ride & handling. 205 mm GC too
• Top safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, HSA, TPMS etc.
• Very enjoyable 7-speaker Bose sound system
• Impressive kit (ventilated seats, sunroof, auto LED headlamps, cruise control, wireless charger)

What you won't:

• Rear seat legroom is just adequate, while its limited width makes the Sonet a 4-seater
• Top variants are pricey! More expensive than its sibling, the Hyundai Venue too
• Some misses ( 60:40 rear seat split, auto wipers, steering reach adjustment, illuminated window buttons, full-size spare tyre on top trims…)
• Dual-clutch ATs (like the Petrol DCT) have a history of poor reliability in India
• As always with Kia, the variant spread is tough to figure out. Good luck finding your perfect Sonet!
• The tasty 1.0L turbo-petrol doesn’t come with a manual gearbox. Venue has that option
• Waiting periods are already a couple of months long for some trims

2024 Facelift Review Link

First Review Link

Tata Nexon

What you'll like:

• Very well-priced for what it offers
• Funky styling ensures that the Nexon stands out from the crowd
• 5-star NCAP safety rating & a solid build, unlike many of its flimsy competitors
• Nice, spacious cabin with comfortable seats. You get a practical 350-liter boot too
• 1.5L diesel & 1.2L petrol offer good performance. Diesel is especially impressive
• Balanced road manners for such a tall car. Fine EPS & 209 mm of ground clearance!
• Loaded with features: Driving modes, LED DRLs, reversing camera, 8-speaker ICE etc.
• Dual airbags, ABS & Isofix child seat mounts are standard on all variants

What you won't:

• Jiggly low speed ride; bumps are felt in the city (unlike other Tata cars)
• 3-cylinder petrol can't match 4-cylinder competition in NVH. Has lag too
• The observant eye will notice some rough edges in fit, finish & quality
• Concerns over long-term reliability, more so of the freshly developed engines
• Tata's inconsistent after-sales experience is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai
• Shorter service / checkup interval of 6 months & 7,500 km (rivals have 12-month gaps)

2023 Facelift Review Link

First Review

Hyundai Venue

What you'll like:

• A mini-Creta in almost every way! Same formula, in a smaller package
• Precise build & quality (including interiors) are easily among the segment best
• Competent engines mated to slick gearboxes
• Fast shifting dual-clutch Automatic gearbox available
• Balanced road manners. Very easy to drive as well
• Loaded to the gills with equipment (paddle shifters, drive modes, sunroof, BlueLink telematics, cabin air purifier etc.)
• Top safety equipment includes 6 airbags, BAS, ESP, HSA, ISOFIX and more
• Hyundai's competent after-sales & fuss-free ownership experiences

What you won't:

• Diminutive street presence. Looks more hatchback than SUV from some angles, especially the rear
• Strictly a 4-seater; the rear bench has very awkward seating for the middle occupant
• Missing kit (auto wipers, auto-dimming IRVM, steering reach adjustment...)
• Long term reliability of the DCT is a concern
• Engine noise is very prominent, more so in Sport mode
• AT only on the petrol, not the diesel. Kia Sonet gets a Diesel AT

2022 Facelift Review Link

First Review

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

What you'll like:

• Good-looking Compact SUV with improved road presence & mass appeal
• Well-rounded product. Takes a successful formula and improves upon it
• A competent BS6 petrol with Smart Hybrid tech and excellent fuel efficiency
• Smooth 6-speed torque-converter AT comes with paddle shifters
• Well-mannered suspension setup riding on 16-inch wheels and 215/60 section tyres
• Decent cabin space for a sub-4 meter car. Lots of storage & a powerful air-con too
• Now gets a sunroof, 360-degree camera, head-up display, rear A/C vents, wireless charging, ambient lighting, tilt & telescopic steering adjustment, connected car features etc
• Long feature list includes dual projector LED auto headlamps, LED DRLs & foglamps, auto-dimming IRVM, cruise control and a 9-inch touchscreen HU paired with an Arkamys sound system
• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESP, hill-hold assist and ISOFIX. Built on the same platform as the outgoing car, which had received a 4-star GNCAP safety rating
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experiences

What you won't:

• Feels more like a significant facelift rather than an all-new product
• No diesel option like its rivals! Petrol-only as of now
• 1.5L petrol engine lacks outright grunt. Tuned for fuel-efficiency and suitable for relaxed cruising only
• Expensive! AT variants are priced higher than competitor turbo-petrols with more advanced transmissions
• AT option commands a stiff Rs. 1.5 lakh ex-showroom premium!
• Interior quality and fit & finish are underwhelming for the price. The game has moved on
• Short gearing of the 5-speed MT and lack of 6th cog results in an unusually busy engine at 100-120 km/h
• 328-litre boot is among the smallest in the segment
• Some missing features like ventilated seats, leather upholstery, TPMS, drive modes, auto wipers and front parking sensors

2022 Facelift Review Link

Mahindra XUV300

What you'll like:

• A truly premium crossover. Nice build, quality & refinement levels
• Great looking! Smart design has none of the usual Mahindra quirkiness
• Cabin has enough space for 5. Quality-wise, the interior is more like a Hyundai
• Fantastic engines. The petrol & diesel, both, offer fast performance & good driveability
• A compliant ride with neutral road manners
• 5-star NCAP rating & kit. 7 airbags, ESP, ABS, all-wheel disc brakes, TPMS, seatbelt reminders for all & more
• Loaded to the gills with equipment (front parking sensors, sunroof, cruise control, auto headlamps & wipers etc)

What you won't:

• The most expensive Compact SUV in India! Not overpriced, but definitely higher than expected
• 257-liter boot is the smallest in the segment. There are cheaper hatchbacks which have a larger boot
• Concerns over niggles in a freshly baked Mahindra. Our test car itself had issues
• Lack of a proper middle variant. W6 trim is simply too bare-bones, while W8 is expensive!
• No automatic option in a market that is moving toward ATs
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Some important features missing (dead pedal, parcel tray, rear air-con, steering reach adjustment etc)

Review Link

AMT Review Link

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[self_driven]

It's a tough call between the Nexon and the Sonet, but I've voted for the latter.

Over the past decade, the market preference has moved towards automatics in a big way. And an AMT unit at this price bracket does not cut it any more. For someone who requires an oil burner, the Kia's diesel automatic combination is hard to fault. Even otherwise, the car has a good balance of features, reliability, practicality, and an overall feel-good factor attached to it. The DCT isn't my preferred choice for family cars, but the Sonet at least has that as an option with the fast 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. A pure manual transmission is sorely missed, though.

The only letdown in an otherwise perfect package is its (lack of) crash safety. The car has a decent built, good enough to pass all finger-NCAP tests with flying colors, but structural safety remains a grey area. This is where the Nexon comes in. Tata's diesel engine is quite good, the petrol not so much, but that car is solid, comfortable, and loaded with essential features. I've never really liked Tata's automatic transmissions, or for that matter even manuals. But a smooth automatic like the Harrier's, especially with the 1.5 diesel, will definitely have takers. Also, I noticed that the niggles are really getting out of hand after the recent facelift. The other day I came across a brand-new vehicle, fresh out of the showroom, with one of the LED tail lamps not working!

While the Brezza is quite boring, the Venue and XUV300 are too long in the tooth now. Come to think of it, even these options (except the Mahindra) will somehow make sense for a conservative buyer. The Brezza is a jack of all trades, but master of none, while the Venue is perfect for someone who wants a more discreet 'Sonet'. At the end, it is the original Sonet that takes the cake by ticking most boxes!

[vattyboy]

Kia Sonet D AT for me.

That smooth and refined 1.5 CRDi engine is a hoot to drive in Sonet with close to 100 bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio and 215 torque torque-to-weight ratio, which gets it closer to the performance offered by cars in 30-35 lakh territory.

Along with the good heart i.e engine, it has all the bells and whistles which one can demand in a car in today's market. Plus Kia's after-sales service is very good.

Kia will sell a lot more units of Sonet now after the arrival of the new Facelift.

[dieselteen]

Kia Sonet D is my pick in this lot

It's a tough call between the Nexon and the Sonet but the superior diesel engine and better fit and finish made me choose the latter.

Although Nexon is a good car it doesn't match my taste in quite a few areas

But I do hope that the upcoming Xuv300 facelift might set some benchmarks(apart from the boot space) like its big brothers(fingers crossed)

To be honest, I would rather skip this whole segment as I feel all these cars are very expensive for the price point they are sold

[harry10]

Voted for Sonet for it's D-AT version.
I have driven the same for 44000km by now and I can easily vouch for how wonderful my experience has been.

I have also driven Nexon D-Amt which isn't bad to drive but cannot match Sonet D-AT engine/gearbox combo. Plus the fit and finish is better than Nexon. Nexon trumps it in 5 star rating.

[mashmash]

Sonet D wins this round for sure. Seems like a complete package for city as well as occasional weekend getaways for a nuclear family.

MaSh

[07CR]

Easy one this one.

1)Sonet Petrol DCT/iMT.
2)Sonet Diesel iMT/AT.

XUV300 is too old now and until they solve the extremely small boot issue, it can't be recommended to anyone except a bachelor single guy.

Venue was never the segment best. Looks small, is small, and always playing catchup with Sonet in terms of equipment. The steering is also little vague as compared to Sonet.

Kiger/Magnite don't belong to this segment PERIOD. They are better off as Punch/Exter competitors.

Brezza is just for someone who needs space for 5, but can't afford car from higher segment. Fuss free ownership is almost a guarantee and the next service center could be closer than a nearby PAAN shop. But it doesn't excite you. Boring interiors, equipment missing, scratchy plastics and typical Maruti NVH levels, where the car starts to show its age in just 30K kms. Performance is also just average. At just 50K more the Sonet Turbo DCT seems much better buy.

In past Nexon would have been in contention (first iteration Nexon), only because it was much more sorted at that time. With time, the cars issues and niggles have increased enormously and I would never buy a Tata car with these many gremlins. I guess they are at their worst now, with SVCs not being able to handle the large rush of customers and also the most complex engine/Gearbox/electronics combinations (Turbo petrols,DCTs, ADAS etc.) All above mentioned cars remain a better option than Nexon, simply because they will take you from place A to B without any tantrums in 95% of scenarios.

Coming to Sonet, been owning a pre owned 2021 HTX iMT Turbo and couldn't have been happier. Looks good, is spacious for 4, decently loaded, excellent after sales and absolutely 0 niggles (Touchwood, not even a single interior rattle). Performance is also spectacular from 1.0 Turbo petrol. Couldn't have asked for anything more at the price I purchased it. he new Sonet has just taken all these attributes forward handsomely. Therefore my choice.

[Venkat_Figo]

IMHO The 6-speed torque convertor in the Diesel is what sets the Sonet apart from it's competitors. If Mahindra & Tata offered the same, would have been tight. I understand diesel sales are no longer the same, however the 1.5 engine from Hyundai in the Sonet makes it a rocket.

[iSubham]

Attachment 2563873

A minor correction- the Venue gets the same 115 bhp tune as the Sonet post BS6.2 refresh. There is only one tune of the 1.5 Crdi for all Hyundai-Kia cars now.

[rnaduthota]

Compared to the available choices, I think the top three contenders are:
1. Nexon
2. Sonet
3. Brezza

If I'm in the market to buy a diesel variant, I would definitely go with the Nexon Diesel MT. It excels in the ride and handling department and is the only 5-star rated car. While there are small niggles in the facelift, I am confident Tata will address them, as they have in the past.

For a petrol MT variant, I feel the Brezza is the better choice. It is 4-star rated, provides good fuel economy, and is an overall good car. The interiors might not be as great as the Sonet, but they are livable, in my opinion.

For someone looking for an automatic, it's a tough choice between the Sonet and Nexon DCT. The Sonet has great interiors, a smooth and quick engine, and gearbox combination. However, the Nexon shines in ride and handling, wet clutch ( heard it's better in stop and go condition), as well as safety.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Ripcord09

Attachment 2563875

Kia Sonet Facelift

What you won't:

• Rear seat legroom is just adequate, while its limited width makes the Sonet a 4-seater
• Top variants are pricey! More expensive than its sibling, the Hyundai Venue too
• Some misses ( 60:40 rear seat split, auto wipers, steering reach adjustment, illuminated window buttons, full-size spare tyre on top trims…)
• Dual-clutch ATs (like the Petrol DCT) have a history of poor reliability in India
• As always with Kia, the variant spread is tough to figure out. Good luck finding your perfect Sonet!
• The tasty 1.0L turbo-petrol doesn’t come with a manual gearbox. Venue has that option
• Waiting periods are already a couple of months long for some trims

Cons section needs edit. Sonet gets the 60:40 rear seat split, illuminated window buttons etc.

[sachin_cs]

The reason I voted for Sonet is that it is the only car which comes with proper diesel automatic. No matter what people say, how stringent laws governments bring, I’m a diesel person. I don’t like anything else, there’s no comparison to the diesel torque pull. Sonet HTX AT diesel (comes with tan leather interior) is very well priced, considering that the prices of all cars in C-crossover segment have shot up.






HTX MT/iMT don’t come with this premium interior.

[ashvek3141]

Woah! The Sonet FL is leading this with nearly 62% votes! Goes to say a lot about this FL. Earlier (pre-facelift) IIRC, it was the Nexon that got the maximum votes followed by the Sonet albeit not by a major margin. But this time Sonet has just zoomed past all.

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

The reason I voted for Sonet is that it is the only car which comes with proper diesel automatic. No matter what people say, how stringent laws governments bring, I’m a diesel person. I don’t like anything else, there’s no comparison to the diesel torque pull. Sonet HTX AT diesel (comes with tan leather interior) is very well priced, considering that the prices of all cars in C-crossover segment have shot up.

True that, I'm glad that Kia chose to take a sensible approach this time and provide the HTX with a feasible seat material and most importantly the colours. The earlier 'white fabric' seats were a pain to maintain!

They've loaded the HTX variant pretty well though; and also balanced the cost by deleting the alloys wheels. There will be other small deletions here and there which might surface with ownership experiences, but net-net it looks like a good upgrade for this FL.

The tan-seats along with the leather looks pretty upmarket though I'm yet to see them in-person. Glad they didn't replicate the Seltos , which has black & beige combo for the HTX variants and only the HTX+ gets the tan treatment. The HTX interiors also help to make the interiors feel airier as compared to say the GTX trims. That black roof liner + the black seats make the cabin look very claustrophobic. I don't understand this latest trend of black roof liners. It suits cars like the Harrier, Safari, etc.; but definitely not sub 4m's like the Sonet.

HTX MT/iMT don’t come with this premium interior.

HTX DCT / 6AT / D-iMT get the tan-interior theme. For some reason the D-iMT gets more features than the 6-MT. Clearly Kia wants to promote this variant. The re-introduction of 6-MT was driven merely by customer request, else Kia had completely shelved the drivetrain, I think.

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

HTX DCT / 6AT / D-iMT get the tan-interior theme. For some reason the D-iMT gets more features than the 6-MT. Clearly Kia wants to promote this variant. The re-introduction of 6-MT was driven merely by customer request, else Kia had completely shelved the drivetrain, I think.

True, the D-iMT comes with tan interiors but surprisingly the petrol HTX iMT comes with white fabric seats. Don't know who does such product planning, or is it a way to push customers to opt for higher variants.