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Old 19th October 2020, 15:52   #541
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Have taken delivery of my Black GTX+ Diesel Manual.

Choice:
The 5 year old EcoSport needed a replacement and the immediate choice was the new gen Ecosport. Other than the issues with low end torque - the 2015 Ecosport was a safe and sound machine.

Was about to get a used B-Class or Q3. When an ad during first CSK MI match Rahul Dravid suggested i check new car details in Car Dekho app. Not being a big can of Car Dekho but not wanting to ignore the "Wall's" suggestion i checked the carwale website. To be honest I was out of touch the Automobile scene since the start of Covid due to work pressure as the industry I work in is thriving. So the website opened to a KIA Sonet add. I always had a very slight liking towards KIA as I have used them extensively during my trips to the US and always thought they were placed between Hyundai and Ford. Then after some research in ever trusted team BHP site it was decided that I am gonna get Sonet HTX - Black Diesel Manual.

Dealer

Capital KIA - Adyar, Chennai.

The showroom is less than a Km from my home. Walked in for a TD on the 24th of September. I booked the HTX on the same day by paying 25K and with a promised delivery within 4-6 weeks - I was ready for 8 week as I knew things will get delayed somewhere. Then after couple of weeks googling, teambhping and youtubing I was sort of convinced that GTX would be a better suit for me with some of the features. I did not want go back to the dealer as it would push me a week futher away. But fate had different ideas. So last monday - 12th October the SA called me saying there is a black Black GTX+ Diesel Manual in the yard and he can have it allotted to me if I am interested. Of course I am interested. All the finances were settled by Wednesday and after couple of Goof ups the car was sent to registration on Friday. On my request I got delivery on the same day as it was a auspicious day.

The experience with the Dealer has been hot and cold. I am yet to complete the experience with them as I have not got my number plate yet and also accessories. They seem to be inexperienced team - im sure KUN is capable of better things. Even the delivery experience was average nothing to right about. Nothing was done to make the event special or even smooth. There was lot of frantic running about. When i took delivery of a Maruti Omni ''Cargo'' 3 years ago a box of chocolates was given to us by Maruti Kivraj Motors. Nothing of those sorts here. I dunno if thats Captial/KUN standard or if it was missed. Since it was too late on Friday evening I did not even get the KT regarding the cars features. Im waiting for the experience to improve but as of now, Monday 19th October nothing has been done. I am still driving around with a black & white print of the Reg. number struck on my windhshield.

Car:
Its good - suits me. The Diesel Manual engine and gearbox are refined. Sometime it does not feel like a Diesel car. My mom asked me if I am sure its a Diesel car. The black color with the gtx highlights are head turners for sure. Have been asked about the car atleast 2-3 times a day in signals and car parks. Made a quick 150 KM trip out of the city on yesterday - a rainy sunday. Was a delight to drive. The car suggests to upshift quickly and seems to tuned for efficiency and boy does it deliver. The average shown for trip was 20.4KMPL which was 30% city and 70% highway drive. My average so far is 16.8 KMPL inside the city. The creature comforts are good. The rear space was much talked issues for Sonet. I am tall at 6.3" when the seat is set for me to drive. I am able to sit comfortably behind the seat.

Have driven around 200 Kms and looks like a good choice as of now.

Will update as i drive more and also regarding the pending's from the dealers side.
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Old 19th October 2020, 16:28   #542
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Archish View Post
. The rear space was much talked issues for Sonet. I am tall at 6.3" when the seat is set for me to drive. I am able to sit comfortably behind the seat..
Congrats on your new car. Yes I heard a lot about that, also Hyundai SE was using that as a sales pitch to me to choose Venue over Sonet because the rear star is not comfy.


Yesterday my wife sat in the rear seat and her first words were, It is spacious and comfy (she is 5'7'') after being a rear seat passenger for past 3 years in a BMW 3 series sedan if she is finding this car spacious and comfy, I wouldn't complain.


We got chocolates and a KIA keyring + pen + anti slip mat as a goodwill gesture during delivery
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Old 19th October 2020, 19:41   #543
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Came across this sexy Kia Sonet in satin black wrap and blacked out chrome. Looks sexy IMHO.

Kia should have avoided the large aluminium finish skid plate - at least for the black variants. Or may be it will happen with an anniversary edition next year.

Source - Krithi Car Care.

Kia Sonet : Official Review-krithicarcare2020_10_19_17_087.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-krithicarcare2020_10_19_17_085.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-krithicarcare2020_10_19_17_083.jpg

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 19th October 2020 at 20:33. Reason: Typo
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Old 19th October 2020, 21:28   #544
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Hey guys,

My first post on this forum. I have been lurking for a couple of months. My brother was a very active member of this forum when it first started out and even went on several drives with you guys - so maybe he's even met some of you! Glad to be a part of it myself now.


I'm buying my first ever car, and as you can guess since I'm posting in here I've gone with the Kia Sonet. Have booked the GTX+ Diesel AT.

Unfortunately, I still haven't got the car. Booked it at Naara Kia and even though I had pre-booked the car, I only finalised which variant I wanted about a month ago but I still haven't managed to get the delivery. They are hopeful it'll happen this week.

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to cars, buying cars and even driving as I only just started to drive properly - so I just wanted to thank the people who have been contributing in this thread as it helped me a lot when it came to taking the plunge and buying my first car. Looking forward to being able to contribute myself once the car arrives. Cheers!
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Old 19th October 2020, 22:20   #545
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Came across this sexy Kia Sonet

I think it looks really good too. The Sonet looks a lot more handsome on the road then it does in the showroom. Saw a red GTX driving around in Mumbai, great road presence. I found some more of the same car in a facebook group.

Kia Sonet : Official Review-121465524_3362659020436274_7292743526973400586_n.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-121705523_3362655953769914_2177454920032422727_n.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-121738186_3362656043769905_4121645977172279428_n.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-121822306_3362655860436590_7869264689654981055_n.jpg

Kia Sonet : Official Review-121958589_3362655713769938_4509477632367619443_n.jpg
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Old 19th October 2020, 23:08   #546
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Archish View Post
Have taken delivery of my Black GTX+ Diesel Manual. The experience with the Dealer has been hot and cold. They seem to be inexperienced team - im sure KUN is capable of better things. Even the delivery experience was average nothing to right about. Nothing was done to make the event special or even smooth.
Congratulations Glad to see the black beauty!
I have also made the mistake by booking at this dealer. They're beginners because its a new showroom - I should have gone to the Perungudi main showroom. Waiting for my HTX D Black and this is my 5th week (even though I did pre-book a month before, but without a variant selection). Hopefully will get it by next week. Thanks for letting me know about their delivery method; I can go without any expectation!!
Happy motoring - chances are they we met in person somewhere along OMR/ECR. I'm from Shollinganallur
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Old 20th October 2020, 01:38   #547
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by BKB999 View Post
Congratulations Glad to see the black beauty!
I have also made the mistake by booking at this dealer. They're beginners because its a new showroom - I should have gone to the Perungudi main showroom. Waiting for my HTX D Black and this is my 5th week (even though I did pre-book a month before, but without a variant selection). Hopefully will get it by next week. Thanks for letting me know about their delivery method; I can go without any expectation!!
Happy motoring - chances are they we met in person somewhere along OMR/ECR. I'm from Shollinganallur
Well, I booked mine on 25th of August without a variant confirmation, I waited for the prices to be out and the very next day on 19th Sep I confirmed my variant. When I was enquiring about the delay with the Hyderabad ASM for Kia, he told me my actual waiting period starts from the day I confirm the variant(19 Sep). I was surprised, okay sounds good logically. But why accept the booking without variant confirmation then? ASM says it’s a miss from the dealer and he should have kept me informed. The dealer has no answer for it. Result? Endless and Pointless waiting for my HTX iMT nudging the ASM/dealer every week.
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Old 20th October 2020, 01:52   #548
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vinitadikonda View Post
Well, I booked mine on 25th of August without a variant confirmation, I waited for the prices to b I was surprised, okay sounds good logically. But why accept the booking without variant confirmation then?
I felt like I'm reading my own post 😅 because only the dates are different (Aug 20 and Sep 21). I was about to cancel the booking today evening and then got call from the Dealer CRM that the vehicle has been allocated in plant and soon will be allotted to the dealer; may be I can get it by next weekend. fingers crossed!!
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Old 20th October 2020, 01:58   #549
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

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Originally Posted by BKB999 View Post
I felt like I'm reading my own post 😅 because only the dates are different (Aug 20 and Sep 21). I was about to cancel the booking today evening and then got call from the Dealer CRM that the vehicle has been allocated in plant and soon will be allotted to the dealer; may be I can get it by next weekend. fingers crossed!!
Great news!! Looking forward for your first impressions!
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Old 20th October 2020, 10:45   #550
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by GT_C89 View Post

I'm buying my first ever car, and as you can guess since I'm posting in here I've gone with the Kia Sonet. Have booked the GTX+ Diesel AT.

Unfortunately, I still haven't got the car. Booked it at Naara Kia.
Congratulations on the new car. The diesel AT has to be the pick of the lot when it comes to the numerous variations that the Sonet comes in. Which colour did you book?

I am quite surprised that deliveries of the top end auto is taking so much time since from what I hear, dealers are prioritising inventory of the GTX models, rather than the lower end models. Do post pics and your initial experience once you get delivery.
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Old 20th October 2020, 12:04   #551
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

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Originally Posted by arindambasu13 View Post
Congratulations on the new car. The diesel AT has to be the pick of the lot when it comes to the numerous variations that the Sonet comes in. Which colour did you book?

I am quite surprised that deliveries of the top end auto is taking so much time since from what I hear, dealers are prioritising inventory of the GTX models, rather than the lower end models. Do post pics and your initial experience once you get delivery.

Thank you!

I booked it in Aurora Black Pearl. They told me they had the GTX+ Diesel Auto available in white and red, but I wanted to stick to Black so I decided to just wait. Not sure why it has taken so long though, but I guess it's partly my fault for deciding on a variant so late. Bookings must have already been made for several cars before I decided.

Will definitely post pics and describe the experience. I'm really excited because, as I said, this is the first car I'm buying
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Old 20th October 2020, 13:05   #552
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

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Originally Posted by BKB999 View Post
I felt like I'm reading my own post 😅 because only the dates are different (Aug 20 and Sep 21). I was about to cancel the booking today evening and then got call from the Dealer CRM that the vehicle has been allocated in plant and soon will be allotted to the dealer; may be I can get it by next weekend. fingers crossed!!
Well some sought of ‘Parallel Lives’ I think

I just got a call from the dealer that the vehicle has been allotted. Something positive!
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Old 20th October 2020, 13:24   #553
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

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Well some sought of ‘Parallel Lives’ I think

I just got a call from the dealer that the vehicle has been allotted. Something positive!
Congratulations! Hopefully you will have a smooth and better experience than the rest of the folks here in bangalore.
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Old 20th October 2020, 17:16   #554
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

Has anyone here booked the Sonet in Mumbai ? We booked the car Shreenath Kia in 3rd week of September, gave them the colour and the model. After that they took ages to give a receipt for the booking amount. My dad had to chase them to even tell us when can we hope to see the car, they said 25-30th October. Now again my dad has to chase them as to when is the car expected, has it been alotted, when should we make the remaining payment.

Honestly, it just feels embarrassing to chase after them so much.
How has the experience been for others in Mumbai ?
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Old 20th October 2020, 18:02   #555
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re: Kia Sonet : Official Review

I am in the market for a CSUV and am trying to decide between Nexon AMT (Petrol) and Sonet GTX+ (DCT as of now, D-AT is pending test drive).

Over the past two weeks I have taken short and extended test drives of both and have a few concerns about the Sonet. I would really appreciate some inputs on the following:

1. The ride quality felt harsh. I understand the suspension is stiff, but on a relative scale, it felt stiffer than the Nexon. Is it something I imagined or is this truly the case? The tyres were at 35 psi, and the SE claims 36 is the recommended amount.

2. I could not make out a significant difference in the air speeds of the ventilated seats. Is this how it is designed?

3. The AC was set to 22 and Auto, and I found it lacking. Is this to be expected?

4. In bumper to bumper traffic, the creep function did not immediately activate and required acceleration input. This was not always the case, maybe 2 out of 5 times, but did occur. Is this a gearbox issue or the test drive car issue?

5. The MID showed an average of 8.6 kmpl. I understand this is a test drive car, and the real world FE would be better. Would 12 in Bangalore city traffic be very optimistic?

6. The driver seat was not very comfortable (again relative to the Nexon) and I ended the long test drive with mixed feelings. I am about 5'9" and about 80 kilos. Is this on account of the seating position I had chosen (perhaps couldn't find the ideal position) or on account of the seat itself?


On the other hand, I quite liked the following:

1. The front parking sensors are always on standby, and sound alerts if you get close to anything. This would be tremendously useful to someone still getting used to the Sonet, particularly given the strange bonnet shape.

2. If you engage cruise control, accelerate for any reason, and decelerate, the car will return to the set speed (as opposed to the increased speed as is the case with Nexon).

3. The DCT is a hoot to drive, and is almost worth the premium Kia is asking for it. It is very easy to chuck around, and 80 comes up before you know it.

4. When you choose a traction mode, the entertainment unit volume goes down, and comes back up, same as when the reverse is engaged.

5. The manual mode is engaging and again, fun due to the 1.0 turbo I drove.
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