Kia South Africa this week introduced its new Sonet updated model to the South African market, building on a range that has surpassed all expectations since its local introduction in 2021 with a significantly updated exterior design, an upgraded interior, and a repositioned range in the highly competitive A-SUV segment of the market.
“With its sporty, eye-catching design, high-quality features and fun-to-drive dynamics, the Sonet has helped make Kia the brand of choice for trendy urbanites with big ambitions,” comments Gary Scott, CEO, of Kia South Africa. “Renowned for its inherent engineering, quality finishes and big car attitude, Sonet remains one of the most desirable small SUVs currently on offer. With this first update to the model, we’re confident that it will only grow in popularity.”
Exterior styling changes have not made any impact on the Sonet’s dimensions: it retains a height of 1,610 mm, length of 4,110 mm and width of 1,790 mm. The long wheelbase (2,500 mm) and short rear overhang free up space in the cabin and boot, giving the Sonet one of the roomiest cabins in its class, with a 385-litre boot capacity rated as one of the biggest in the segment.
As part of its refresh, a variety of colours are available. Complementing
perennial favourites like Sparkling Silver metallic, Gravity Grey metallic, Glacier White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Intense Red metallic and Imperial Blue metallic, Sonet gains one new colour option in Pewter Olive metallic. Customers also have a choice between Glacier White Pearl with a black roof or Red metallic with a black roof.
Inside, Sonet retains its high-quality, high-technology interior, with the familiar layout left largely unchanged. Two infotainment screen sizes are on offer – an 8-inch colour touchscreen and a 10.25-inch integrated colour touchscreen – depending on the grade. A combination of black cloth and artificial leather upholstered seats is standard, while higher specification models are fitted as standard with artificial leather upholstery.
The new Kia Sonet retains the familiar naturally aspirated 1.5-litre MPI and turbocharged 1.0-litre GDi petrol engines. The fuel-efficient 1.5 MPI three-cylinder engine produces 85 kW of power at 6,300 r/min and 144 Nm torque at 4,500 r/min, while the four-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDi engine develops 88 kW of power at 6,000 r/min and 172 Nm of torque between 1,500- and 4,000 r/min. Customers have a choice between a 5-speed manual transmission or CVT when opting for the 1.5-litre engine, or a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) when opting for the 1.0 T-GDi.
The inherent ‘big car’ engineering of the Sonet is complemented by additional features such as an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), ISOFIX child seat anchors and dual front airbags as standard across the range. Central locking with an immobiliser is also standard.
The Sonet LX
LX models come standard with body-coloured bumpers and trim for the electrically adjustable side mirrors, as well as a new 16-inch styled wheel that adds a modern, sporty touch to the exterior. Inside, black cloth upholstery combined with artificial leather is standard, with height adjustment for the driver’s seat. The steering wheel can be adjusted for rake, with the second-row seatbacks split 60:40 to create more or less cargo space as required.
Electric windows are on offer all around, with manual air-conditioning included as standard. Automatic headlight control (with escort and ‘welcome home’ functionality) provides illumination. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system takes pride of place on the dashboard, incorporating a reverse camera that is activated when the vehicle is in Reverse and features dynamic guidance lines for reverse parking. The Sonet infotainment system includes Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with steering wheel-mounted controls for telephony and audio. Six speakers are standard, as is a USB port in the front (with additional charging ports front and rear).
The Sonet EX
The popular Sonet EX builds on the solid foundation of the LX model, carrying over the same exterior styling while adding rear parking sensors. Exterior enhancements include the addition of rear fog lamps and roof rails, while the electric side mirrors gain integrated indicator signal lamps and auto-folding functionality. The high-mounted stop lamp in the rear spoiler, the rear combination lights, the positioning lamps and the front Daytime Running Lights are also updated from bulb to LED. Inside, a storage box with an integrated armrest is added between the two front seats, while the steering wheel and gear shifter gain leather cladding. Drivers also gain the benefit of conventional cruise control.
The Sonet EX Plus
The Sonet EX Plus adds a range of high-grade additional features to the extensive EX grade specification. Most notably, this includes an upgrade of the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment screen to a 10.25-inch unit integrated with a 10.25-inch TFT LCD ‘Supervision’ instrument cluster. EX Plus models also gain full artificial leather upholstery, the addition of an electro-chromatic rearview mirror and a wireless charging pad for mobile devices. On the outside, EX Plus models again a differently styled 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheel.
The Sonet SX
The SX grade is new to the Sonet range and presents the highest possible specification available. It builds on the exceptional EX Plus package through the addition of a range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which presents a very unique proposition in the segment. These include Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Follow Assist (LFA) and Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA).
Recommended retail pricing for the range is as follows:
Kia Sonet 1.5 LX Manual: R 366,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 LX CVT: R 391,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX CVT: R 411,995
Kia Sonet 1.0 T-GDi EX DCT: R 436,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX Plus CVT: R 454,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 SX CVT: R 484,995
All Sonet models ship as standard with an Unlimited Kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance. In addition, a pre-paid 4-year / 60,000 km service plan is included.
For more information visit – www.kia.co.za
