Driving The all-new Kia Sonet 1.5 EX

Shaking things up in the oversaturated compact SUV segment, Kia recently introduced The Sonet. A bold and competitive product in the South African B-SUV segment, competing against some well-known cars in its class such as the Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, and Ford Ecosport. I spent the last couple of the with the Mid-spec Sonet EX to see what more it has to offer than its competitors and here are my thoughts…

Quick Facts

• Model: Kia Sonet 1.5 EX
• Engine: 1.5 Litre 4-cylinder N/A petrol
• Power & Torque: 85 kW & 144 Nm
• Transmission: CVT
• Fuel Consumption: 7.0Litres (Claimed)
• Price: R305,995 
• Lugage capacity: 392Litres

Exterior

Fresh and stylish design, the Sonet has a bold and distinctive look, with Kia’s front-end signature of the tiger-nose grille with a front skid plate giving it a bit of a sporty look. the LX and EX model comes fitted with automatic halogen headlights, while the Sonet EX benefits from fog lamps with chrome surrounds.

Available in seven one-tone or four two-tone exterior colours and comes fitted standard with 15-inch steel wheels on the LX model, while the range-topping EX rides on 16-inch alloy wheels

Other unique things you will find on the Sonet EX exterior includes, Electric side mirror with integrated turn signals, roof rails 

Interior and Practicality

Staying modern and competitive, the Sonet’s interior looks neat and feels well designed than its rivals. Also made out of hard plastic with a blacked-out theme and glossy black trim inserts around the air vents, shifter cover, cluster, and infotainment screen.

The Kia Sonet boasts a digital instrument cluster, user-friendly 8-inch touch screen infotainment system display fitted as standard across the range with integrated reverse camera, compatible with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which is very ideal for anyone with OCD or someone like me who doesn’t enjoy having thing hanging all over the place.

The Sonet EX comes further quipped with a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, leather trim inserts on the door panels, shifter boot cover, and central armrest. manual air conditioning system, 3 USB ports (2 at the front and 1 at the back), and a 12V power socket.

How Practical is the Kia Sonet?

The Kia Sonet is easy and comfortable to drive around for both short and long distances. Fitted with comfortable and supportive part leather and cloth upholstery seats, with height adjustment available for the driver’s seat.

The rear passenger seats are just as comfortable as the front, fitted with a central armrest boasting two cupholders. plenty of headroom with a slightly tight fit in terms of legroom/knee room for taller passengers. Several storage compartments are available across the cabin, with fairly sized door bins as well as cup holders.

With a luggage capacity of 392Litres, the Kia Sonet is claimed to be the best/ most spacious in the B-SUV segment. this can be further extended when the rear seats are folded. one thing to note, the rear seats do not split to a 60:40 configuration nor folds completely flat. Which can be quite challenging when loading items that require to be laid flat.

The Drive

Powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, developing  85kW and 144 Nm of torque, with all the power sent to the front wheels via either the 6-speed manual or CVT transmission. which I found quite hard to fault beside the obvious CVT transmission whining noise when cruising at highway speeds and its slight delay of torque when you put your foot to the floor.

The suspension offers a very smooth and comfortable ride quality with minimal body roll and shakes even on bumpy rods.

For the first couple of days, the fuel consumption sat somewhere between 7.0L and 6.4L, but eventually, after having driven both in town and highways, I have managed an average of  6.6L/100km. Very impressive, better than the claimed 7.0L/100km by Kia.

Safety

When it comes to safety the Kia Sonet comes packed with 2 front airbags, Park distance warning, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Hill-start Assist Control, dual front airbags, and ISOFIX child seat anchor points.

Pricing and After-sales

The all-new Kia Sonet range is priced as follows

Sonet 1.5 LX Manual R264,995

Sonet 1.5 LX CVT R285,995

Sonet 1.5 EX Manual R284,995

Sonet 1.5 EX CVT R305,995 

All Kia Sonet prices include a five-year warranty with roadside assistance and a four-year/60 000 km.

Verdict

After spending a fair amount of time with Kia Sonet, I can confidently say that I would recommend the Kia Sonet. it is a very competitive and well-built product in its segment. Offering the best driving experience and value for their money with plenty of standard features fitted as standard, which will definitely be useful and attract most consumers. However, there are few things that would have been really good to have fitted as standard considering the price of the EX model such as Cruise control, Day time running lights, LED/Xenon headlights.

Book a Kia Sonet Test Drive here