The South Korean car manufacturer Kia has introduced various changes in the available cars keeping in mind the preference of Indians. ‘Sonnet’ in the compact SUV category is also one of them. Got a chance to drive Sonet’s D1.5, IMT-GTX range of cars. Drove about 470 kms. It had mostly good and slightly unsatisfactory experiences with the car.
There are a total of 23 variants of the sonnet. ‘HTE’ is the base in it; While ‘X-Line Diesel AT’ is the top variant, the ex-showroom price of both of them is Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 14.69 lakh respectively; Sonet D1.5, AMT-GTX ex-showroom price is 13.89 lakhs.
It has a 1493 cc, 4 cylinder, 1.5 liter CRD-I VJT diesel engine that produces 116 PS of power at 4000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 1500 to 2750 rpm.
Such was the ride…
1) Drove ‘Sonnet’ for two consecutive hours from Navi Mumbai to Alibaug for a distance of about 80 km with four co-passengers. As the Mumbai-Goa highway has potholes, all kinds of capabilities of Sonet could be tested on this road. Especially seeing how economical the IMT gearbox is on such roads.
2) It’s boring to drive for two hours in a row with repeated pressing of the clutch, changing gears; But this experience did not come during the drive of the Sonnet. When a gear needs to be downshifted, the car beeps. Other cars don’t have time to downshift in third or fourth gear during minor potholes. In the Sonnet, however, the gears have to be reduced.
3) Ignoring the above, the Sonet has a lot to offer in terms of power from the engine, high speed road holding ability, instant controllability due to powerful braking etc. Special praise has to be given to the handling of the steering. Lighter handling at lower speeds and gradually heavier handling at higher speeds is a good sign in terms of road holding.
4) The air-conditioning system is also impressive, with ventilated seats for the driver and co-passenger, coupled with a Bose premium sound system and an electric sunroof to make long journeys a memorable one. Rear passenger seating is comfortable; But two adults can sit comfortably instead of three.
5) Average mileage of 15 per ride of Sonnet. It got mileage of 17 to 18 on highway and 12 to 13 on urban or bumpy roads.
What is IMT?
The Sonet gets a new IMT 6-speed gearbox. ‘IMT’ stands for ‘Intelligent Manual Transmission’ which works without the use of a clutch pedal. It can change gears like a regular manual gearbox. First time driving a car with this type of transmission; But the experience was good and different. For those who don’t want a clutch and want to change gears, there is an option of ‘IMT’.
Features and Security
7 speaker premium system from ‘Bose’ company, 10.25 inch HD touchscreen with navigation, electric sunroof, 4.2 inch advanced instrument cluster, Kia connected car app, ventilated seats for driver and front passenger, smart pure air purifier etc. ; The safety features include ABS with EBD, Emergency Stop Signal, Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Speed Sensing Door Lock, Auto Headlamp etc. depending on the variant.
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