Kia’s evergreen Sonet compact SUV improved in so many ways
Kia calls its Sonet a smart urban compact sport utility vehicle. It plays in the burgeoning B-SUV segment in South Africa, even though the term SUV may be a bit of an overkill. We still think of them as all-wheel drive unitary chassis cars. Sonet has a unitary chassis. Not AWD. But I digress.
They promise a sporty, eye-catching, and fun-to-drive package that will attract trendy customers to that typical Kia value design, comfort, and quality. Now also with a bold new look in a revised range that offers more features and more value across the board.
New higher-specification models feature significantly updated cabin too. To that end, we spent a few days with the new flagship Sonet SX.
Fresh looks in Opposites United style
Sonet benefits Kia’s emotive, award-winning latest Opposites United design DNA. The bold new look brings a fresh interpretation of the signature KIA tiger-nose grille between smart auto headlamps atop a stylish front skid plate and front fog lamps. A slanted windscreen, rounded roofline, and ‘wrap-around’ rear windscreen set it apart in profile. Our tester had smart 16-inch alloys and roof rails to further set it apart. We quite like it. Sonet is a handsome looking car and has presence on the road.
4,120 mm long and sitting on a 2,500 mm wheelbase, the Sonet is on the large and more roomy side in its class. Kia boasts about its liberal leg, head, and shoulder space, and a large 392-litre boot. It certainly is a practical car and proved more than adequate for four adults, especially in the rear.
The remote central lock-accessed, air-conditioned cabin has power windows all round and repeater power wing mirrors. The faux leather and cloth-trimmed driver’s seat is height-adjustable, and there’s leather on the multifunction steering wheel and gear knob too.
Sonet pack impressive specification
Sonet packs voice-control integrated 10.25-inch HD colour touchscreen infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto Bluetooth, USB, Aux and the rest, as well as 6-speaker audio. And a handy guide-lined reverse camera with rear park distance control, which we counted among its unexpected luxuries. We did find that the Aux and regular Bluetooth seemed to be on their own mission when pairing certain devices. The CarPlay somehow worked well enough, though.
Sonet is powered by the latest rendition of Kia’s bombproof and fuel-efficient 85 kW 144 Nm normally aspirated petrol 1.5 MPI turning a CVT autobox in this case. You can also have it with a manual transmission. The burgeoning Sonet range also includes a litre-turbo-four-pot petrol, but that car’s auto version is a 7-speed double-clutch unit.
Quiet, comfortable, and easy to drive, power delivery is good, and while the Sonet may not be the quickest tool in the box, its CVT made life easy, although there’s always that drone, but it cruises well. Brakes and clutch are predictable. In other words, the brakes are not jerky, too sensitive to the pedal, or too sharp. The same cannot be said of too many other smaller ‘SUVs’.
Excellent Sonet economy. Improved safety, too
Best of all, however, fuel economy is fantastic. We averaged a low 7 litres per 100 on the long road and far better than that on shorter hauls at less than freeway speeds. Economy was also impressive in and around town. They tell us that the turbo is even more economical.
Safety has improved since our last stab at the Kia Sonet. This SX packs advanced driver assistance with blind spot, lane keep, and follow and forward collision avoidance. Over and above ABS and EBD braking, ESC. It also adds curtain and front side to the dual front airbags and ISOFIX. Kia’s impressive 5-year unlimited-kilometre warranty comes with roadside assistance and a prepaid 3-year or 45,000-km service plan. Which has lost a year and 15K km since the last time.
We enjoyed the Kia Sonet SX. It’s a pleasant and comfortable car that lives up to Kia’s promises to fight in this viciously competitive niche that did not exist ten years ago. But it is also far more expensive in the few years since we first tested one, which is a combination of both rampant inflation and a lot more spec in this flagship SX.
The Kia Sonet ticks the boxes
Clearly this kind of car is playing an ever more crucial role in the market. And Kia’s option still ticks all those price versus space versus practicality, comfort, efficiency, and now safety boxes well. And it does a proper job at a reasonable price point too. – Michele Lupini
Images & Testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Kia Sonet 1.5 SX
Engine: 85 kW 144 Nm 1.5-litre petrol I3
Drive: CVT FWD
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.03 sec
0-100 km/h: 11.02 sec
0-120 km/h: 15.68 sec
0-160 km/h: 33.06 sec
400m: 17.8 sec @ 128 km/h
80-120 km/h: 8.05 sec
120-160 km/h: 17.38 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 170 km/h
Fuel: 6.2 l/100 km
CO2: 148 g/km
Range: 725 km
Warranty/Service: 5y unl/3y 45K km
LIST PRICE: R484K
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