Kia Sonet Long-Term Ownership Review
The Kia Sonet is a popular choice in India’s compact SUV market. It offers stylish looks, a feature-rich cabin and strong performance. Kushal Arora, who runs a digital marketing company, purchased the Kia Sonet HTX Turbo Petrol DCT and has covered a distance of approximately 53,000 kms.
After using the car for city drives, highway trips, and daily work runs, he shared his honest feedback based on long-term ownership.
Comfortable Cabin and Useful Features
The Kia Sonet is known to offer a premium cabin feel. The interior is spacious, and both front and rear passengers are comfortable during long journeys. The seats are supportive.
The infotainment system works well, and features like wireless connectivity, sunroof, reverse camera, automatic climate control and ambient lighting add to the comfort.
Stylish Exterior and Strong Build
One of the reasons why many people like the Sonet is its modern design. The car looks great even after being used for over 50,000 kms. The front grille, sharp headlights and sporty design give it a bold presence on the road.
Owner also appreciates the build quality – the car still feels sturdy and there are no loose parts or wear on the exterior. The paint and finish have been well maintained, making the car look almost like new.
Drive Modes and Gearbox
The Kia Sonet comes with different drive modes that help adjust the performance based on the road or your driving preferences. These modes include Normal, Eco and Sport. The gearbox is smooth and responsive, especially in city traffic. The paddle shifters also allow manual gear shifting, which makes driving more engaging and fun for car enthusiasts.
Unique Tech Features
The biggest highlight of the Kia Sonet is its tech package. Features like cruise control, wireless charger, touchscreen system and paddle shifters make driving easy and fun.
Driving Experience and Engine Performance
The Sonet variant that Kushal owns has a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine and DCT (dual clutch transmission). Owner is very happy with how the car performs in both city and highway conditions. The engine is powerful and responsive, and the automatic gearbox shifts gears quickly.
The car picks up speed easily, making it easy to drive in traffic. On the highway, the engine feels strong and confident. Even after 53,000 kilometres, the performance is still stable, and there are no engine-related issues or drop in power.
Mileage – Decent for Turbo Petrol
Fuel efficiency is not the main strength of the turbo petrol engine, but the Sonet gives a decent mileage considering the performance. It’s around 10 to 11 kmpl in city traffic and around 15 to 16 kmpl on highways.
If you drive smoothly without sudden acceleration, the mileage improves, especially on long journeys. For those who love to drive and don’t mind a little less mileage, this is acceptable.
Real-World Mileage
Kushal has been closely monitoring the fuel economy of his car.
Here is the mileage he has observed in different conditions:
- Normal mode: Around 9 kmpl
- Eco mode: Up to 11 kmpl
- Long highway trips: Around 15 kmpl, when driven steady
Service and Maintenance
Owner has maintained a regular service schedule and mostly visits authorised Kia service centres. The only major cost was tyre replacement, which is normal after crossing 45,000 kms.
He finds Kia service staff helpful and the service process seamless, which adds to ownership satisfaction. The maintenance cost has been around ₹10,000, which is reasonable for a turbo petrol automatic SUV.
Drawbacks of Kia Sonet
Owner shared that the only small issue he noticed is that the car feels a little less powerful when more than two people are sitting in it, especially during quick pick-up or going uphill.
This is something he noticed while travelling at full capacity. This is somewhat expected, as the 1.0L engine is small and focuses more on efficiency than outright power.
Conclusion
After driving the Kia Sonet HTX 1.0 Turbo Petrol DCT for over 53,000 kms, Kushal Arora is very happy with the car. It looks modern, feels comfortable on the inside and has a lot of useful features that make driving fun and easy.
There are some minor drawbacks like the engine feeling a bit weak when there are more people in the car and average mileage in city traffic. But overall, the experience has been great. Kia’s service is helpful and the maintenance cost is not too high either.
If you are planning to buy a stylish and feature-rich compact SUV, the Kia Sonet is definitely worth considering.
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