2024 Sonet facelift test drive observations: Might book HTX diesel AT

I'm not convinced with these turbo petrols and their abysmal fuel efficiency figures but the only issue is the 'unknown' future of diesel cars in India.

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I had a look and TD the Sonet FL last weekend and below are a few of my observations in no particular order. I didn't bother to click any pics since our official review has some amazing pictures in all the possible angles. Also, the TD vehicles were in Red Dual Tone. I had a good look at the GTX & HTX variants since I am looking forward to my car purchase and Sonet is on top of that list.

• Kia has given the GT & Tech Lines their distinct looks and are easily identifiable unlike the pre-FL, wherein it was just the 'red accents' to the skid plates. I personally like the look of the GTX, especially in the White DT paint. Makes the front look wider than it actually is. The HTX(s) look good too but a little 'toned down' than the GTX variants.
• That rear spoiler adds character and looks quite sporty. The same isn't present in the HTX.
• A major miss in the HTX are the alloys! The 'styled wheels' are styled well but then you know they aren't alloys. I really feel Kia should have given the alloys. You're paying ~ 15.60 L ex-Goa for wheels caps. Sigh! The GT Line alloys look fab though.
• All is not bad with HTX though; it now gets much useful ventilated seats, full leatherette upholstery v/s semi-leatherette in pre-FL, Tan interiors v/s the fabric white in pre-FL, front parking sensors, rear disc brakes; which are all value-added features IMHO and kinda make-up for the miss in the alloys. All this keeping the price of the HTX variants the same as pre-FL. Of course, these are 'introductory' prices.
• Though Kia has kitted the FL models pretty well, they have now started with their cost-cutting exercise or should I say value engineering exercise. The plastic quality, I felt was relatively of lower grade than the pre-FL. Having owned the pre-FL Sonet D AT in the past, I could feel the difference.
• The horn pad surely has seen a change as the underlying cut out for the airbag is now clearly visible, which wasn't the case in pre-FL. Additionally, that irritating clicky noise has increased when you press the horn pad which is a clear giveaway that the horn pad has changed.
• Same is the case with the engine start-stop button which now rattles a wee-bit in its position if you just slide your finger over it. There are other buttons showing similar characters. This wasn't the case in the pre-FL models.
• I felt the doors to be on the lighter side, the pre-FL had heavy doors with a pronounced 3-stage opening.
• The interiors don't feel 'new' as such, like they do in the Seltos FL. Kia has gone conservative with Sonet's interiors and reserved major changes only to the exteriors. They could have at least reduced the size of that AVN + Speedo console slab which sticks out like a sore thumb. The only welcome change is the tan interiors which are again limited to the Auto & iMT variants only.
• The GT Line gets 'all-black' interiors with the black roof liner and it makes the already tight cabin look claustrophobic. I don't understand this stupid trend. A black roof is acceptable for cars like Harrier, XUV700, etc.; not Sonet, please! HTX interiors look much more pleasant with tan seats and a white roof.
• The rear seat sees an improvement and my Mum actually commented on the same, without even me telling her about the change. The under-thigh support has improved, but this is good only for anyone below 5' 7" or so. Taller folks like me will still complain. The recess in the front seat-back is okay-ish and doesn't help much to liberate any legroom. It's just a placebo-effect thing IMHO. The Sonet's rear seat is still tight. No two ways about that.
• I drove the 7 DCT first and it drives just the way it did before. Though MotorInc mentioned that there's some improvement in the drivability of the turbo DCT, I didn't quite feel any. Maybe it's not a thing for the normal Joe. I found the car to get quite noisy in the SPORT mode when it held onto the gears. This makes me feel that there has been some compromise on the insulation front. I noticed the same in the D AT too.
• DCT is a delight to drive on the highways at sane speeds, which also helps to yield good FE. But the moment you think of having some fun, the mileage drops like crazy. DCT owners claiming 20 + kmpl mileage is all eyewash IMHO (no offence please). In practical scenarios with mixed driving conditions, it's simply not possible. The D AT returns under 18 kmpl, forget the DCT.
• After DCT, it was my fav D AT! I know this combo really well so I wasn't expecting anything different. The drivetrain which felt a lil 'lazy' in the elder sibling, the Seltos, is just 'perfect' in the lil Sonet. But like I mentioned earlier, the insulation seems somewhat compromised; the D AT too felt a lil louder than the pre-FL Sonet.
• Handling is predictable and nothing has been changed in this department. However, the suspension has surely seen some improvement. The earlier model used to sort of crash when you took the speed-breakers or potholes with a little bit of speed. That is not the case with the FL version. I drove this car on good roads to absolutely no roads with even 5 people on-board and I can confirm that the suspension has been improved.
• The horn sound also intrudes the cabin more than before, even though it has been muted a little now. Maybe the 'new' norms have kicked in already? The Seltos too had this low-sounding horn.
• I felt the handbrake to have some kinda springy action and was slightly on the heavier side as compared to the pre-FL. Has this got to do something with the rear disc brakes?
• ADAS 1 is known to all and does the job well. However, I don't find the Level-1 ADAS to be of any significant use. It doesn't even have the Blind-spot warning on the ORVMs. The lane-keep and collision avoidance can hardly be used in day-to-day scenarios. Anyway, maybe it's a matter of getting used to it.
• Finally, it's a 'decent' FL from Kia primarily focussing on the exteriors and I must say the car looks quite distinct!

• To me though, an additional premium of 3L for the GTX over the HTX is too steep to justify the feature additions. The moola is primarily for the ADAS tech I feel. HTX still looks quite VFM to me, only if it had those alloys. Sigh! But then - you win some, you lose some.

I might end up booking the HTX D AT as I am still not convinced with these turbo petrols and their abysmal FEs. Even worse, the 1.0 L is a 3-cylinder unit and honestly, it sounds coarser than the 1.5 L Diesel.

The only issue is the 'unknown' future of diesels in India and the stupid Govt. norms. Some say that 2027 will be the end of Diesel engines!

So possibly, I would like to pick my 'last' diesel car and in all probability would like to retain it for 10 years. But then, I doubt there'll be any takers in the resale market a few years from now. It's a gamble, for sure!

At the time of the TD, both - HTX & GTX D AT were readily available in stock. Hence, I could have a thorough look at them side by side.

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