February 2024 - Kia Sonet Petrol Facelift Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Updated (Feb 28, 2024): This update of the 2024 Kia Sonet facelift petrol variants explained article includes our buying recommendation based on the latest ex-showroom prices. In our evaluations, a big part of the basis of our recommendation comes from the value for money and ownership experience aspect of a car.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Kia Sonet Petrol?

The pros or advantages of 2024 Kia Sonet petrol are:

• Option of 3 petrol powertrain combinations - 1.2L normal petrol-MT, 1.0L turbo petrol-ACMT, 1.0L turbo petrol DCT
• The auto-clutch manual transmission (ACMT) is a game changer for its convenience, mechanical simplicity and nominal upfront cost
• ADAS features make it one of the safest cars in the segment as ADAS features have the potential to completely avoid an accident in the first place
• Pretty much all variants are well-loaded for the expected price and the feature distribution is fantastic
• The higher variants, even without the ADAS, impress us with their long list of features like ventilated front seats, power driver seat, front parking sensors, rear window sunshades, auto-dimming inside mirror and Bose sound system with a subwoofer

The 2024 Kia Sonet petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• ADAS features not available with manual or auto-clutch transmission
• Dual-clutch automatic transmissions are yet to prove their long-term reliability in Indian driving and climatic conditions
• No CNG bi-fuel option; Brezza is currently the only car in this segment with CNG option and the Nexon is likely to get it sometime in 2024
• Missing features like split-rear seatback and 360-degree camera — Addressed with 2024 Sonet facelift

More drawbacks may be added depending on the launch prices once the full price list is revealed.

Also Read: Hyundai Car Offers For Feb 2024 , i20, Nios, Aura, Venue, Verna

Maruti Suzuki Car Offers, February 2024 , Baleno, Dzire, Swift, Grand Vitara

Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car EMI Calculator

What Is The Price Of 2024 Kia Sonet Facelift Petrol Variants?

The petrol variants of the Kia Sonet 2024 is available with 3 powertrain options:

• 1.2L normal petrol-manual (5-speed MT)
• 1.0L turbo petrol-auto-clutch-manual (6-speed ACMT)
• 1.0L turbo petrol-automatic (7-speed DCT)

The base powertrain is available only in the lower 3 variants with prices starting from Rs. 7.99 lakh and going up to Rs. 9.90 lakh. The turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain is available in the mid 3 variants and it costs between Rs. 10.49 lakh and Rs. 13.39 lakh. There’s only one variant offering the normal petrol and turbo petrol-ACMT powertrains. The price gap between the two suggests that the jump to turbo petrol manual costs Rs. 59,000.

The turbo petrol-automatic is available in the higher-spec variants with prices ranging from Rs. 12.29 lakh to Rs. 14.69 lakh. Here too, the HTX variant is available with ACMT as well as DCT automatic transmission option. Here, the price gap of Rs. 80,000 suggests that you’ll have to pay this amount for the convenience of fully automatic transmission.

Please note that in both the cases, the price gap between any 2 powertrains is not the only way to identify how much Kia are charging for the upgrade. That’s because there are also feature differences and a more expensive powertrain brings with it some additional features to somewhat offset the price jump.

New Kia Sonet Petrol HTE - Base Model Features

The HTE base model of the Sonet petrol only gets the 1.2L normal petrol engine with a manual transmission with an ex-showroom price tag of Rs. 7.99 lakh. It offers the following standard features:

In the base model of the Sonet, you may miss the following features:

• Touchscreen or music system
• Steering-mounted controls
• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Rear power windows
• Rear parcel tray

The Sonet base variant with the 1.2L normal petrol engine has a decent number of features for a car of this segment and price range. However, the higher HTK variant is just so well equipped that we’ll strongly advise against buying the HTE. It’s not a bad option. Just that the HTK is so good, that it makes HTE redundant.

2024 Kia Sonet Petrol HTE vs HTK Variant

Just like the base variant, the HTK also gets the same 1.2L normal petrol engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. It costs Rs. 8.79 lakh (ex-showroom), which is Rs. 80,000 more than the lower HTE variant.

In addition to all the features of the base variant, the Sonet HTK adds the following features to the mix:

In the HTK variant, there are barely any features you might miss considering the body-style, segment and price band. Still, if you ask us to nitpick, then here you go:

• Rear parcel tray
• Rear defogger
• Rear defogger
• Auto AC
• Split rear seatbacks

The HTK variant of the new Sonet 2024 adds so many must-have features, that it’s much better for budget buyers to just make the jump to this variant. For Sonet 1.2L petrol-manual buyers, this is our top recommendation and one that’s easy to recommend.

Pro-Tip: The only thing worth noting is that it gets 16-inch wheels. While the larger wheels look good, the 1.2L normal petrol engine doesn’t have enough bottom and mid-range torque to handle it effortlessly like a turbo petrol engine. So, you should consider finding a way to switch back to smaller 15-inch wheels. The lower rotating mass of smaller wheels will not only improve the drivability but also real-world fuel efficiency compared to the larger 16-inch wheels.

Kia Sonet Facelift Petrol HTK vs HTK Plus Variant

HTK Plus variant onwards, the Sonet gets the option of turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain. However, this is as high as you can go if you’re interested in the 1.2L normal petrol-manual powertrain.

With the base petrol engine, the HTK Plus costs Rs. 9.89 lakh, which is Rs. 1.10 lakh more than the lower variant with the same powertrain. The turbo petrol engine with a 6-speed auto-clutch manual transmission costs Rs. 10.49 lakh, which is Rs. 59,100 more than the HTK Plus normal petrol.

Over the HTK trim, the HTK Plus gets the following additional features:

Considering the asking price, you may miss the following features in the HTK Plus variant:

• Rear armrest
• Rear parcel tray
• Rear washer wiper
• Split rear seatbacks
• Adjustable rear headrests
• LED or projector headlamps

As you can notice, these are mostly rear-focused features but still worth having in a car costing around Rs. 10.0 lakh ex-showroom. The HTK Plus 1.2L is a fair bit expensive for what it offers while the turbo comes across as a better value. Because of the smart pricing, the turbo petrol engine comes across as an obvious upgrade.

Once we factored in the performance and driveability improvements, convenience and cruising ability of the 6-speed auto-clutch manual transmission and the exclusive features like sunroof, the turbo petrol managed to completely justify the price premium over the HTK 1.2L petrol-manual.

Thus, we think the HTK Plus variant is better to buy with the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain. In fact, the HTK Plus is the top recommendation for buyers considering the Sonet with this powertrain.

2024 Kia Sonet Petrol HTK Plus vs HTX Variant

The HTX variant onwards, there’s only the option of a turbo petrol engine but you also get the option of an automatic transmission. The HTX turbo petrol-ACMT costs Rs. 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom), which is Rs. 1.0 lakh more than the lower HTK Plus turbo. The jump to automatic transmission in this variant will cost you another Rs. 80,000 as the HTX automatic carries an ex-showroom price tag of Rs. 12.29 lakh.

Over the lower HTK Plus variant, the Sonet HTX offers the following additional features:

For buyers interested in the HTX variant, the automatic transmission seems to almost justify the price gap over the lower HTK Plus turbo petrol-ACMT. But the turbo ACMT itself seems a little expensive. If you don’t see value in the ADAS features of the higher GTX Plus variant, then you can go with the HTX automatic. The jump to the next automatic variant of the Sonet petrol is quite steep too.

2024 Kia Sonet Petrol Facelift HTX vs HTX Plus Variant

The HTX Plus variant is only available with the auto-clutch manual transmission and costs Rs. 13.39 lakh (ex-showroom). The price jump from the HTX to HTX Plus is steep at Rs. 1.90 lakh over the HTX turbo petrol-ACMT.

The big jump in price brings the following notable features to the mix:

The HTX Plus variant is only available with the turbo petrol engine and the auto-clutch manual transmission. If you don’t want the automatic transmission, then this is as high as it gets for you. The ADAS features are reserved for the GTX Plus and X-Line automatic only. Value wise, the HTX Plus is not recommended. You should either jump to the GTX Plus for the automatic transmission and ADAS features or save some cash and go with the value-centric HTK Plus trim.

New Kia Sonet 2024 Petrol HTX Plus vs GTX Plus Variant

The GTX Plus variant is only available with the automatic transmission and it costs Rs. 14.50 lakh (ex-showroom). This price is Rs. 2.21 lakh more than the lower HTX automatic variant and about Rs. 1.10 lakh more than the HTX Plus ACMT.

The GTX Plus variant gets the following features over the HTX Plus:

The inclusion of ADAS features makes the Sonet an exciting package in the B2-SUV space. Compared to all the additional features over the base model of the Sonet 2024, it doesn’t deliver exceptional value like the HTK Plus turbo ACMT or the HTK 1.2L manual. But, it’s certainly worth considering if you’re interested in a fully-automatic transmission. Kia didn’t price it as attractively as we expected. So, it remains a viable option in the Sonet petrol-automatic range, but it isn’t as easy to recommend either.

Kia Sonet Petrol GTX Plus vs X-Line Variant

The X Line variant of the Kia Sonet 2024 is mostly a cosmetic upgrade over the GTX Plus and costs about Rs. 20,000 more than the GTX Plus.

Besides the cosmetic changes over the GTX Plus, the X Line only adds all-windows 1-touch up/down feature.

Considering that this variant mostly adds cosmetic and style features, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if you should upgrade to this trim or not. Strictly in terms of value for money, it’s worth the extra price Kia are asking for over the GTX Plus.

Which Variant Of The Kia Sonet Petrol Should You Buy?

Let's start with the Sonet 1.2L normal petrol-manual buyers. You should skip the base model and go with at least the HTK variant as it offers most features you would expect from a car of this price band, segment and body style. It’s not that the base model is poorly equipped. But when you can get so much more in terms of features without compromising on value for money with just 1 variant jump, we feel that should be obvious. For Sonet 1.2L petrol buyers, the HTK is our top recommendation. If you’re interested in the HTK Plus variant, then we’ll suggest you instead settle for the HTK or go for the HTK Plus turbo.

For Sonet turbo petrol-ACMT buyers, the HTK Plus variant seems reasonably loaded and reasonably priced too. It earns our top recommendation while the others just come across as overpriced in comparison.

With the automatic transmission, the HTX is suitable for budget-conscious buyers or those who don’t want ADAS features. However, if you’re interested in the ADAS features, then the GTX is also worth buying. It’s worth noting that none of the 3 Sonet petrol-automatic variants pop out as obvious choices. We saw with the 1.2L normal petrol and the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrains that at least one of their variants comes across as an easy recommendation.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Kia Sonet Petrol?

Among the B2-segment SUVs with a normal petrol engine, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza comes out on top because of their higher displacement. It has much higher power and torque output compared to its rivals, which have smaller 1.0L or 1.2L normal petrol engines. However, it’s the Fronx that beats them all with its class-leading mileage figures.

The Sonet’s 1.2L normal petrol engine seems to have just about adequate performance for basic city driving. But, it will struggle to maintain expressway speeds without feeling stressed and the acceleration will be slow if you don’t downshift a gear or two.

*Estimated

With the turbo petrol engine, the Sonet has healthy power, torque and mileage figures.

The Sonet turbo shines in one area and that’s the auto-clutch manual transmission. With the auto-clutch, you don’t have to worry about modulating the clutch pedal in stop-and-go traffic and there’s enough torque available to make it easy to drive it with just the brake pedal on flat-ish terrain. So, it does most of what we expect from an automatic transmission while costing barely more than a full-manual transmission. Not only does it bring this convenience at a nominal cost, but it does so without adding much mechanical complexity. Thus, should the ACMT fail, the cost of repair and even replacement of the kit will remain very reasonable compared to CVT, DCT or TC automatic.

*Estimated

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how much any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator in India

What Are The Dimensions Of The Kia Sonet?

In terms of dimension, the Sonet is up there with the segment leaders. It doesn’t really shine in any specific area but in each aspect, it is very close to the top of the food chain. This shows in the Sonet’s road presence too as it looks quite aggressive.

What Are The Colour Options Of The Kia Sonet?

The 2022 Sonet petrol is available in the following 10 monotone and dual-tone exterior colours:

• Plain white
• Silver
• Red
• Grey
• Blue
• Green
• Black
• Metallic white
• Matte grey
• Red with black roof
• Metallic white with black roof

To find out the variant-wise colour option availability of the Sonet 2024, you can visit the following link:

2024 Kia Sonet Facelift – All Exterior Colour Options (Variant-Wise)

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples