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Brought home a Kia Sonet diesel AT: Booking, PDI & initial observations

14th November 2022, 16:09 by Dev Shah

The features on offer, fit, finish and quality levels are also exemplary. It's definitely a mini-Seltos in every way and an excellent value-for-money proposition at the same time.

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Kia Sonet Diesel AT- Purchase experience and initial ownership review:

Introduction:

The Kia Sonet is one of the most stylish and well-rounded compact SUVs in the market right now. After experiencing every other compact SUV in the market, the Kia Sonet was the one that struck my heart the most. Its fun and frugal diesel engine with a smooth 6-speed torque converter AT gearbox sealed the deal for me. The only diesel AT with a proper 'auto' box in the segment, the Kia Sonet diesel AT is a value-for-money proposition, especially in its diesel AT form.

Booking:

I initially booked the Kia Sonet on the first of July 2022 from the Incheon Kia dealership in Thrissur and the booking was made for the 7-speed Turbo DCT HTX variant. The test drive had gone well and I booked it without any further thoughts. Still, over the next few days, I began to hear excellent reviews of the Seltos and Creta's diesel engines and thought why not go for the diesel with the Sonet, I immediately asked for the test drive from the dealership and the same was arranged within the next day. The test drive changed my opinion about diesel altogether. The car was so silent with hardly any vibrations unlike the diesel of old and the instant torque and smooth torque converter AT gearbox of the car made me switch from petrol to diesel, moreover knowing that the engine and gearbox are the same as the one on the Seltos and Creta with the same tuning made me feel that it definitely was the better choice, So the booking was revised and a tentative waiting period of 3 to 4 months was given to me and the wait began.

PDI and delivery:

It was on 12th October when I finally got a call from my sales executive that the car had completed production and was ready for dispatch. On 17th October, the vehicle arrived at the dealership, we immediately went for the PDI, and funds were transferred for the car as well after the PDI. The car was ready for delivery on 25th October 2022 but since it wasn't the best day for delivery due to a solar eclipse on that day, we went for delivery on 26th October. The dealership organized a delivery ceremony and cake-cutting as well, they even had a present for us at the event too. The joy of driving the car out of the dealership was out of this world.

Drive, features, and initial thoughts:

Moving on to the car itself, our car is a Black HTX Diesel AT which I feel is the most value-for-money diesel automatic you could get in the segment. The features on the HTX variant are just a notch below that of the GTX+ variant. The car is definitely feature-packed for the price with an 8-inch touchscreen with reverse camera and wireless Android auto, semi leatherette seats, sunroof, rear AC vents, all requisite safety features like ABS, EBD, Hill Assist, VSM, Traction control modes, drive modes, 4 airbags, etc. The car is reasonably spacious and has a large 392-liter boot as well. On the exterior, led headlamps, tail lamps, DRLs, foglights, diamond cut alloys and shark fin antenna all add to the flair of the car.

Moving forward to the drive over the past two weeks, it is definitely super smooth and the mileage over the past two weeks has been great too. The car starts up silently, while on the move, the initial pickup is great too, on the highways, it gains pace quickly, and overtakes are seamless as well. Android Auto and Apple Carplay both connect wirelessly, the 6-speaker audio system by Arkamys are good enough for most people in my view, and the rear view camera is of high clarity and helps especially when parking in tight spots. The features on offer, fit, finish and quality levels are also exemplary. I am absolutely satisfied with the car and would recommend anyone looking for an automatic compact SUV to try out this vehicle. You would definitely be impressed. It's definitely a mini-Seltos in every way and an excellent value-for-money proposition at the same time. No wonder it's selling like hotcakes and why Kia has been a hit in the market in such a short time.

I have attached a few pictures of my car during PDI and at the time of delivery and after puja. Didn't have enough time to take more pictures with it.

A detailed review would be coming up soon!