Kia Sonet updated with RDE compliant engines

Kia has updated the Sonet to comply with the new RDE and E20 fuel norms. The changes have led to a ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 price hike, with the compact SUV now ranging between ₹ 7.79 lakh and ₹14.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Navi Mumbai).

The Kia Sonet was previously available in diesel engine — 115hp with the torque converter and 100hp with the 5-speed manual gearbox. Kia has now revised the diesel line-up in order to meet RDE standards, and, in the process, standardised the power output to 116hp across both variants. They also dropped the 5-speed manual gearbox in favour of an iMT(intelligent manual gearbox). All variants of the Kia Sonet get a uniform ₹50,000 price hike across the board.

The petrol line-up of the Sonet remains fairly unchanged apart from now being RDE compliant and can run on E20 fuel, which is a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. The Sonet continues to get two petrol engines, an 83hp, 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol and a 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. The petrol variants will continue to be offered with the same transmissions as before — a 7-speed DCT, an IMT and a 5-speed manual. The petrol line-up has seen a price increase between ₹10,000 and ₹25,000.

The Kia Sonet also offers a long equipment list, including various segment-first features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen, cooled front seats, ambient lighting, a Bose sound system, connected car tech and more. The Kia Sonet faces tough competition from the Hyundai Venue, the Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV 300.