The Sonet facelift will have some unique styling touches.
27 Nov 2023 | 5002 Views | By Akbar Merchant, Autocar India
Kia India is gearing up to unveil the Sonet facelift in December this year, with sources telling us that prices could also be announced next month. The Sonet is getting a refresh three years after the SUV made its global debut in India, back in August 2020.
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Kia India is gearing up to unveil the Sonet facelift in December this year, with sources telling us that prices could also be announced next month. The Sonet is getting a refresh three years after the SUV made its global debut in India, back in August 2020.
Kia has been testing the updated Sonet in India for almost a year now, and while the one that’s headed here is still under wraps, the refreshed Sonet that will go on sale in international markets has been seen undisguised. Like the Seltos facelift that was launched recently, the updated Sonet will also have major changes to its plastic parts, with minimal sheet metal updates.
Leaked pictures on the internet confirm an all-new front bumper – GT Line and HT Line will get a different design – and new-look headlamps with drop-down elements that vertically extend into the front bumper. The daytime running lamp signature and fog lamp housings have been revised as well.
In profile, the overall look will remain the same, save for some differences in chrome bits and body cladding. The plastic wheel caps and alloy wheel designs, however, will be new for the entire line-up.
At the back, the wraparound tail-lamps have been swapped with new vertical units that are now connected by an LED light bar. It also gets a chunkier rear bumper with a dual-tone black and silver finish.
Sources have confirmed to us that the Sonet facelift that is headed here will have some unique styling touches from the one that has been seen abroad.
The refreshed Sonet will get tweaks to its dashboard layout along with incorporation of new switchgear. It could also get screens from the Seltos facelift. The instrument cluster will be all-new as well, at least for some variants, and will be similar to the ones on the Venue and the Carens. Additionally, there will be new shades for the upholstery throughout the line-up.
The Sonet currently comes with BS6 Stage II-compliant engines that were updated earlier this year, so there are no mechanical updates expected on the facelift.
The SUV will continue with the existing units – an 83hp, 115Nm, 1.2-litre petrol engine; a 120hp, 172Nm, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine; and a 116hp, 250Nm, 1.5-litre diesel engine. The petrol engine is expected to be mated to a 5-speed manual, while the turbo-petrol and diesel engines will retain the 6-speed iMT; there are talks of a diesel manual making a comeback in some variants. Additionally, the turbo-petrol and diesel engines will also get the option of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 6-speed automatic, respectively.
On the safety front, expect Kia India to provide six airbags as standard across all variants. Further, the Sonet could get ADAS – at least on its top variants – just like its sister product Venue, which is the only SUV in the segment that gets ADAS at the moment.
As mentioned above, Kia will show the new Sonet in India sometime in December, however, price announcement will take place later. The refreshed Sonet will continue to rival the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger.
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