KIA Sonet

Just like the exterior, the Sonet shines when it comes to the interior. With a nice blend of high-quality material, an attractive design layout, with a whole premium feel. The cabin is focused on comfort and convenience, and looks simple, catering to the everyday commutes and even long road trips.

Design

• Even a compact SUV, but the cabin comes across as decent in size, complemented by soft-touch materials and a clean and functional dashboard layout.
• The detailed vehicle information at the cockpit and a high-tech ambience make it elegant 
• The superior quality faux leather upholstery mostly comes in all variants, gives an overall upmarket feel and luxury to the cabin
• The funky and sporty digital cluster fits in nicely, which is quick to glance at and offers clear vehicle info.
• The clean, simple and minimalistic design of the cabin makes it the best place to be in, quite friendly and welcoming too.

Driving Position

• Commanding driving position makes you comfortable across all types of driving conditions
• The height-adjustable driver seat and tilt-adjustable steering wheel allow you a personal choice of settings
• The windows aren’t that big but provide you decent visibility and are easy to access with control on the door

Passenger Comfort

• The seating capacity is five people, but frankly, four people would feel more comfortable in long road trip conditions. 
• There is enough leg, head and shoulder room at the back
• The ventilated front seats are a great comfort feature to have, especially during summer.
• Air conditioning is quite strong, and with dual-zone automatic climate control, at rear AC vents provide quick and consistent cooling.
• Then the passenger also gets power windows, sun shade and soft touch seat for a fatigue-free drive.
• An electric sunroof would make people sitting in the back quite comfortable with the fresh light.

Storage

• The compact size of the Sonet means space is tight, but that doesn’t mean you struggle. Actually, there are a lot of Practical storage solutions in the cabin. 
• Starting from a cooled compartment in the centre console for drinks.
• The door pockets and glove box provide space for larger items like water bottles.
• Additional cup holders and an overhead sunglasses holder for organised and easy access to belongings.

Boot Space

• The Kia Sonet’s boot space isn’t very big, and understandably so, as this is a compact SUV. 
• But 385 litres is enough for your everyday needs, be it groceries or small luggage
• Additionally, extra space can be created by rear seat folding, which makes it flexible for family road trips.
• The boot space isn’t the largest in the segment, but it is largely considered practical for urban users.

• Driver and passenger airbags
• Three-point pre-tensioned seat belts and an ISOFIX child seat.
• Anti-lock Braking System and Electronic Brake-force Distribution
• Vehicle Stability Management for stability during simultaneous braking and cornering.

• ADAS Level 1 with 10 autonomous safety features, including Front Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, and Front Collision Warning.
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System alerts
• A 360-degree camera and ultrasonic parking sensors.

A glance at the Sonet quickly reveals that it looks a lot bigger than its rivals in the segment. Not just that, but it looks quite bold and rugged with modern design from and side profile. Essentially, its exterior design makes it distinctive and quite appealing to the Gen Z and families

• The 3,995 mm in length, 1,790 mm in width, and 1,610 mm in height make the Sonet quite sizable and give it an imposing road presence.

• At the front, the Kia’s Signature Tiger Nose Grille, complemented by Crown Jewel LED Headlamps and Star Map LED Daytime Running Lights, all of which make it attractive and also functional. The chiselled bumper enhances its sportiness, and so does the rear spoiler.

• The style is further defined by its 16-inch sporty crystal-cut alloy wheels, fitted with all-wheel disc brakes

• Similarly, the rear is equally attractive, largely due to the Star Map LED connected tail lamps.
• The Sonet offers a wide palette of vibrant colors including Glacier White Pearl, Sparkling Silver, Clear White, Pewter Olive, Intense Red, Aurora Black Pearl, Xclusive Matte Graphite, Imperial Blue, Gravity Gray, and dual-tone options like Glacier White Pearl with Aurora Black Pearl and Intense Red with Aurora Black Pearl, allowing buyers to personalize their vehicle

Ride and Handling

Now on to the most vital aspect, which is how the Sonet scores in terms of ride and handling, as it will determine whether you should go for it or not

• The first impression of our drive is certainly positive, we discovered the Sonet is quite comfortable to drive in the city and highway, the engine revs well, and the torque is sufficient for your city driver as it absorbs most bumps well in our cities.
• Quickly in our subsequent drives, you figured that the suspension does a great job of balancing comfort and control, and most of the city drivers will appreciate it.
• But not everyone, at times, the suspension may feel a bit firm and noisy on some challenging terrain, but honestly, not often, but in extremely rare situations. 
• On the handling of the Sonet, there is hardly anything to complain about, as we found out. It is super responsive, agile, and this will be quickly visible when you start to navigate bumper-to-bumper traffic or wish to park at tight spots. You’ll also like the fact that the Sonet is compact, and it is a huge relief to know how little space it needs in a situation like this. 
• The steering is quite soft and lighter, and so you feel no pressure on driving, be it city or a longer highway drive, when you have the steering long time
• Since this is a compact SUV, Kia has managed to keep the fun-to-drive elements with the Sonet by offering you a peppy engine and the excitement when you get those empty roads occasionally
• To, basically, we felt quite content driving the Sonet, and there isn’t anything alarmingly wrong with this SUV. Rather, we have some positive feedback like a practical, exciting SUV which promises reliability, superb ride quality and sorted handling, which will be a big factor for prospective buyers in KSA.

• A full 10.25-inch digital cluster shows clear, detailed vehicle information.

• A functional and seamless-to-use 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with standard support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• Bluetooth hands-free calling, multiple USB ports (front and rear), and wireless charging.
• A high-quality, premium audio promises superior sound quality and improves the overall in-cabin experience.

• An electric Sunroof for openness.

• Steering Mounter controls with ADAS, cruise control, and remote engine start/stop.
• To assist in parking ultrasonic sensors on front and rear bumpers.

• A rear camera with dynamic for safe and easy parking.

Kia is retailing the Sonet in KSA with four variants, all get the same 1.5L engine and performance elements suitable for city and highway driving. Some of the standard features across all variants are CVT transmission, keyless entry, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ABS with EBD, and a sleek infotainment system.

• The LX is a base variant; you can buy it at an attractive price of SAR 68,876 with all the necessary features, with a comfortable cabin. Buyers looking for an extremely competitive price for Sonet should consider these variants.
• The LX2 variant price shoots up by nearly SAR 10K, but for reasons that are worth considering. In this variant, you get additional features such as a 360-degree camera, electric sunroof, fabric seats, foldable rear seats with 60:40 split, and far more safety features, and so a lot loaded to take care of a superior overall experience.

• The EX 2Tone variant starting at SAR 88,662, gets an attractive dual-tone exterior along with some top-end features like alloy pedals, glove box cooling, and some extra driver assistance features. This variant is for those buyers who want a more elegant and standard SUV equipped with some great exterior styling and an appealing look with a premium touch.

• The top-tier EX, priced at SAR 92,940, a lot higher than the base variant, at this extra premium comes with fully-loaded features and adds extra refinement to the Sonet. So, if you’re in the market to spend money on a complete package, and don’t want to miss out on any key features, then the EX is your choice with the promise of full comfort, safety, and style.

Sayarabay Recommends: Anyone looking for a value variant of the Sonet, then it is not that difficult to recommend the LX2 for obvious reasons. At a very reasonable price, without spending that extra money, the LX2 gives you almost everything useful the SUV has on offer. Like a 360-degree camera, electric sunroof, and foldable rear seats, which are quick, frankly, necessary for ease of driving and navigating effortlessly inside the city. It actually is a perfect choice with modern tech and most comfort features without shelling out a lot of extra bucks. While the LX is more basic and a lot affordable, it misses out on some pretty essential features. Similarly, the EX 2Tone and EX variants are expensive as they come with premium and stylish features, which are good but not necessary if you are looking to save some money.

This compact SUV is stylish, modern, bold and a perfect city SUV for small families or individual buyers. Like Kia is known for, the Sonet is well-equipped with advanced features, a 10.25-inch digital cluster, touchscreen infotainment supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and safety features. Despite being a compact SUV, the cabin is quite spacious with a higher-quality interior and modern tech. This is further bolstered by ADAS Level 1 with multiple autonomous functions. The refined and performance-oriented powertrain promises great driving and handling for everyday city and highway cruising.

Furthermore, Sonet is offered with a comprehensive safety package including airbags, ABS with EBD, and a 360-degree camera, ensuring you are safe. However, the suspension isn’t the smoothest, which makes the ride a bit stiff on rough terrains, but other than that, there is hardly any negative about the Sonet, and it comes out as the most obvious choice in its segment. All of this at a very reasonable price, and lower running and maintenance costs, hence making it a value for money package in KSA right now.

Other Cars to Consider

• Hyundai Venue: A lot affordable but equally promising and stylish SUV loaded with features and tech.
• Chevrolet Groove: A compact SUV that comes with a reliable engine, sophisticated tech and safety features at an extremely competitive price.
• Chery Tiggo 4 Pro: A bargain in the segment with sporty design, capable powertrain and attractive design at a starting price of SAR 68,000.
• GAC GS3 EMZOOM: A bold and sporty-looking SUV, promises peppy performance and great comfort with superior infotainment and safety
• Toyota Urban Cruiser: An elegant-looking, rugged SUV in the segment that comes with Toyota’s promise of reliability, lower running costs and is packed with features at a reasonably attractive price.