[sunilkm]

Important safety features like ESC, VSM, Brake assist is not offered in all variants. This looks to be a big miss by Kia when these are offered from base variant in Nexon.
HTK+ D-AT is also missing these features.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by littlebrother

P.S- I do miss the dynamics and driving feel of a sedan, but the turbo petrol and DCT combo manages to balance me out.

New City base model CVT is adequately equipped sans a sunroof. Space & price not withstanding, which will be a better buy, a base City CVT or Sonet diesel AT. My requirements are good ride , adequate power, quiet cabin & enjoyable to drive. Since you have both City & Venue, you can best compare both.

Thanks

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

It does have hill hold.

8:35 mark in the below video clearly shows the working of the Hill hold assist in the iMT -

Look closely, I don't think he takes his foot off the brake to check if it does or doesn't roll back.

I know what I felt when I tried lifting of from the small ramp in front of Epitome, the car rolled back in gear. I also tried it with the handbrake engaged and the car in first, tried a slow release of the handbrake without any accelerator input and felt the car ready to stall.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Believe its not the engines, but the gearbox that creates this conundrum, especially the 7DCT. Hyundai is not pushing the diesel or the diesel AT (which has a premium as per market expectations), it is however demanding quite a luxury on the 7DCT.

Kia isn't doing any favours for diesel-heads or pushing the diesel AT option - but they've really got to rethink the dry clutch 7DCT strategy after VW gave it a bad name and ran away from it (for reliability, not performance).

It could be the DCT but how are they selling the Seltos 1.4L T-GDI + DCT and the 1.5L D + 6AT for the same prices as well?

In the Sonet the DCT is there as well but what happened to the cost saving of losing 1 cylinder and 400cc?

And based on your prices 1.16L for the DCT over iMT is not too bad cause MAruti charges 1.4L for the 4 speed box and 1.3L for the CVT.

IT's pretty clear they are ensuring good margins on the turbo engine and DCT combo but slightly cutting margins on the diesel.

[littlebrother]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

New City base model CVT is adequately equipped sans a sunroof. Space & price not withstanding, which will be a better buy, a base City CVT or Sonet diesel AT. My requirements are good ride , adequate power, quiet cabin & enjoyable to drive. Since you have both City & Venue, you can best compare both.

Thanks

The only reason I didn't pick honda city CVT is because we have two of them in our garage. One my father and I use, and the other one my brother. My brother was the first to take the delivery of Ameo Tdi DSG in Kerala but sold it immediately after 2 years of warranty as he had issues with abs sensors, brake disk rotors and gearbox Mechatronix. Back then he used to keep on comparing how his Ameo or any VWs drives better than the City. Once he sold his Ameo, he had used dad's City for a week and he was sold. He went and took a pre worshipped one. I do agree the rubber band effect catches you off in CVT's but Honda City's 1.5 VTEC motors masks it considerably. Initially you'll feel CVTs are slow but drive the City for few days without having that bias towards CVT and you'll notice how smooth it is. For your daily commute I would rate it to be much better than a torque converter and DCT. For speed upto 80km/hr I don't think the Honda City lags behind its competitors by anyways. It's fast but the way it sounds and behaves makes you think otherwise if you're used to any transmission. The response is fast without any lag as compared to DCT or even torque converters to an extent for city and adequate highway runs but the engine note makes you feel otherwise and takes your mind to the Rubber band effect term. I would blindly recommend you Honda City if you're someone using the vehicle primarily for city use and occasional highway usage.

Since the City isn't turbo charged and is mated to a 7 step CVT to drive enthusiastically you'll need to really work the engine by switching to S mode and using paddle shifter and the engine starts to rev like a normal one which otherwise holds on to revs while using D mode to acceralate hard . I have had quite some fun with S mode and it's direct handling and turn ins at late night and early morning drives, by revving VTEC to its limits. The CVT is best driven with part throttle and it responds to part throttle better and reaches speeds upto 80 km/hr very smoothly and considerably fast too. It handles better than Venue, and ride is much more plusher in the City. I was very skeptical while taking Venue test drive about the fact how it behaves in corners since I'm coming from sedans and hatch backs. But Venue can really take corners in high pace and with confidence unlike previous Hyundai's but you'll not have the feel you get while cornering as in other sedans or as you do observe in Honda City. As Evo India review rightly mentions, it does so without any drama but sure is faster to take corners.

To put it in short, if you're someone who likes to drive enthusiastically look for other engine optjons. If not you'll be happy with City CVT. If you're looking for mileage, look at Amaze diesel CVT, Sonet diesel AT won't be as economical as it's manual version. It'll be probably 1-2kmpl better than the petrol DCT version.

I personally feel Honda City will give you more car for your money as you get lots more of space and practicality, the rear seat space and comfort is superb( Pun intended) in City and the boot is massive too. It's easy to drive in city and has less turning radius and doesn't feel its size to drive unless you're finding a place to parallel park. It's more reliable, stress free to maintain and easier on the pocket. My 5 year old and brothers 6 year old City still feels tight. I like round the dials over City over the tachy ones of Sonet too .

Something else I have noticed with Honda City is that the travelling comfort is very good. Despite travelling for 13 hours straight I didn't feel as tiring as normally I would feel, primarily due to its supremely comfortable seats and less cabin noise. Even the daily commute after working on patients back to home is very effortless with Honda City . The ergonomics and seat comfort are really good in city which I would compare only to My Volvo S60s seats. Venue seat wasn't as comfortable to me as City and I did have some issues adjusting to initially for about a month.

Sonet will surely give you more tech and be feature loaded, if you're a bachelor or someone with a family of young children a compact sub 4 meter Suv makes sense or as your second car it makes sense or for someone who really want that high driving position. If otherwise I would recommend Honda City for that money. It's a car that can serve all your purpose.

I'm sorry if I was too long and if I sounded biased, but my review is based on the current automatics we use . Two dual clutch ( one Hyundai DCT and one Benz DCT) a torque converter ( Volvo) and two CVTs are doing their duties in our garage. Hope I was helpful.

[bhansali_hardik]

I've booked a petrol iMT HTX. (I feel it's overpriced, but it's ok for what it offers!) At 999000 there are still a ton of things left! But, the company wants to give an upgrade obviously so they wantedly hold em back? The dealer has it ready in stock! (Really weird) maybe the hype is not worth it? Maybe they are just jacking things up? I'm confused!

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by bhansali_hardik

I've booked a petrol iMT HTX. (I feel it's overpriced, but it's ok for what it offers!) At 999000 there are still a ton of things left! But, the company wants to give an upgrade obviously so they wantedly hold em back? The dealer has it ready in stock! (Really weird) maybe the hype is not worth it? Maybe they are just jacking things up? I'm confused!

Sorry what are you trying to convey? Can you elaborate as I did not understand.

What is the delivery timeline given for the HTX variant?

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by littlebrother

I'm sorry if I was too long and if I sounded biase.

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. Obliged.

My current car in a Verna 1.6 CRDI. Since I am used to 260 nm of torque, other similar priced cars feel lifeless to me. I had test driven a Yaris CVT recently, which felt too slow & boring.

Some reviewers of new City has commented that the rubber band effect is well contained. I have to take a TD to check it though.

I am one car family only ( Have to dispose Verna- 8.5 yrs now, 126 k done), thus it seems City will be a more sensible choice. But for me refined turbo diesel is much better than NA petrol. That's why have an eye on Sonet diesel AT. Seltos AT is beyond my budget.

I think Sonet diesel AT will feel equally powerful as my current car , but have to compromise on space & comfort. I need good ride quality, which I doubt Sonet can provide or not. I can't compromise here. I think your City should have better ride quality than your Venue. If it is so, is the difference significant? Almost all reviewers have said that it has too stiff suspension. I had driven a relative's Venue sometime back, and I remember, that ride quality was good enough.But unfortunately, Venue has no diesel AT.

I am middle aged with aged mother with me . For easy ingress & egress, I am inclined towards cross over kind of a vehicle. I am not really a fan of SUVs for the body roll they come with. S Cross would have been good for me, but 4 speed antique TC is a deal breaker.

I will check both cars shortly. I want an AT this time.

Thanks

Thanks

[bhansali_hardik]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

Sorry what are you trying to convey? Can you elaborate as I did not understand.

What is the delivery timeline given for the HTX variant?

Well, I was told HTX iMT has a waiting period of a month or so. But, today after I booked my car dealer informed me he has the car readily available for delivery. So, was the hype authentic? Or I just got lucky?

The other point what I meant was @999000 we do not get a rear wiper, no alloy wheels, no illuminated lamp on passenger side for the vanity, cooled glove box or even led cabin lamps. The list is long in such smaller yet significant things which are missed and I noticed this as I pretty much use it in my current car!

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

New City base model CVT is adequately equipped sans a sunroof. Space & price not withstanding, which will be a better buy, a base City CVT or Sonet diesel AT. My requirements are good ride , adequate power, quiet cabin & enjoyable to drive. Since you have both City & Venue, you can best compare both.

Thanks

Sonet if:
- you need/prefer a high ground clearance car
- you need a diesel and have extremely high running (as petrol diesel prices are on par)
- drive very enthusiastically, however, IIRC City CVT's 0-100 timings are right there with the segment best. Adding this in favour of the Sonet as you are concerned with the CVT, if it was the MT in question, I would have favoured the City.
- are not apprehensive of the probable multitude of problems in Hyundai (& maybe Kia since same family same genes) which only appear later in the ownership.

City for everything else and more.

[littlebrother]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. Obliged.

My current car in a Verna 1.6 CRDI. Since I am used to 260 nm of torque, other similar priced cars feel lifeless to me. I had test driven a Yaris CVT recently, which felt too slow & boring.

Some reviewers of new City has commented that the rubber band effect is well contained. I have to take a TD to check it though.

I am one car family only ( Have to dispose Verna- 8.5 yrs now, 126 k done), thus it seems City will be a more sensible choice. But for me refined turbo diesel is much better than NA petrol. That's why have an eye on Sonet diesel AT. Seltos AT is beyond my budget.

I think Sonet diesel AT will feel equally powerful as my current car , but have to compromise on space & comfort.

I will check both cars shortly. I want an AT this time.

Thanks

You won't find the torque in the NA motor of Honda City, especially since you've been using a torquey Hyundai Crdi . If you can compromise on the space and comfort, go for the Sonet diesel automatic. You'll be happier munching miles with it than the City which is more suited for comfort and space and as a no nonsense vehicle. Like I mentioned earlier, my purchase towards Venue primarily was for the Turbo petrol and DCT combination, and I found worth spending a little more for the Venue than a Polo GT Tsi.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by bhansali_hardik

Well, I was told HTX iMT has a waiting period of a month or so. But, today after I booked my car dealer informed me he has the car readily available for delivery. So, was the hype authentic? Or I just got lucky?

The other point what I meant was @999000 we do not get a rear wiper, no alloy wheels, no illuminated lamp on passenger side for the vanity, cooled glove box or even led cabin lamps. The list is long in such smaller yet significant things which are missed and I noticed this as I pretty much use it in my current car!

Thanks, Well that's a surprise for sure that a stock is readily available. Which dealer is this? Yea the HTX variant does miss out on features, the most glaring being the Alloy wheels, Rear wipe and wash. I guess you are comparing this to the Brezza and Venue.

Also, are they letting you take insurance from outside?

[bhansali_hardik]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

Thanks, Well that's a surprise for sure that a stock is readily available. Which dealer is this? Yea the HTX variant does miss out on features, the most glaring being the Alloy wheels, Rear wipe and wash. I guess you are comparing this to the Brezza and Venue.

Also, are they letting you take insurance from outside?

This one is located on Hosur road, it's JSP kia. I usually do not negotiate for insurance/loan with the dealership. It's my right as a consumer. Either match the rates or let me be. They CANNOT force me to buy an insurance. As simple as that, I will be going tomorrow to finalise the deal as it's in stock. They want my business they will budge if not I can easily cancel it. There are other dealers and if that goes bad there are other makers too! I always urge people not to get bullied by the dealers. I do not mind a little premium (3-4 k) for a easier Hassel free experience. But when you start adding up the registration charges, added money in road taxes, the random charges while pushing the additional warranty (set of washes/detailing/other things in addition to extended warranty) or the unnecessary accessories. You end up losing a ton of money! Which is a big NO NO. Also never accept credit notes.

[MaheshBapurao]

Chennai On road cost

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Saw the Kia Sonet today evening at NCS Kia, Trivandrum. Did not get a TD yet, so had to return with only showroom impressions.

Entering into the showroom premises - the first thing that struck me was the excellent road presence of the Sonet. The design truly makes it look larger than it is and the car feels very similar to the Seltos from the front on! The sub-4m raised hatch was giving some tough competition to a City here -



First look at the black! I'm convinced it is the best colour for the Sonet, especially in the GT Trim with red highlights.



Compact size is very evident only from the side profile -



Took this one just because I felt the interior ride height was pretty similar to that from the Seltos.



Nice job with the touch points - steering feels nice to the touch and chunky to hold. However, as with Hyundai cars - the steering can get slippery with light polish that service centers use -



Most people will be delighted with the sound quality. I felt it good for a stock system, but I'm also spoiled by the setup in my car that has more hardware and spent countless tuning hours on! Good part is that the boot space won't be further compromised with a sub.



Knee room behind my seating position -



Price list for Trivandrum -

• I liked the car more than I expected and much more than I remember of the Venue. Looks nice in black - the red accents look sporty for the colour without looking gaudy.
• Front end especially has great presence. Have to look hard to see any size difference w.r.t Seltos in front on view.
  


• Getting in is fairly easy. Infact the seat height reminded me of the comfortable WagonR.
• Doors aren't all that heavy - but not tin cans either. Closing sound is decent, but probably due to the rubber liners.
  
• Interior design is quircky. But looks ok in black.
  
• Seats feel nice for my size, decent side bolstering and material feels just right between hard and soft. Underthigh support is average, especially with seat height raised.
  
• Ergonomics are just right for my height of 5'11", arm rest is good too.
  
• My head hits roof if seat is raised to full height. But I can keep it at the lowest - screen is not a distraction in field of view.
  
• With my seating position - rear knee space is tight. Feels lesser than Venue - my knee just touches the front seat. Definitely the biggest sore point with the Sonet.
  
• Once seated - rear seat offers decent comfort. But strictly for two. Don't think I'd like to be seated here even in a 2+kid configuration. Only slightly better than the claustrophic Ecosport.
  
• However reat seat is good in posture. Good for two - can't seat three. Feels narrow in the backseat. All black adds to the feel.
  
• Sunroof doesn't help from rear seat.
  
• Boot is nice. Useable squarish space. Since sub is already there above wheel arch intrusion, looks like twice the usable space as in my Punto (with the sub killing space).
  
• Audio is nice. Not as good as my current aftermarket system. But considering stock system, seamless sub and crisp touch screen - big win-win.
  
• Touch points have been given special care. Armrest on doors have leather and feels good, steering leather feels nice, Centre armrest feels nice to the touch.
  
• Will surely be interested in a TD during the coming days.