Is there such a thing as a perfect car? No, of course not, because everyone’s needs are different. But if we consider current trends, versatility and value for money, this Kia Sonet must be right up there…
I’d like to immediately attack any potential buyers with the perceived negatives our team noted. As a very close relative of the Hyundai Venue, this stubby little Korean is on the smaller side of compact crossovers and city SUV’s. Read: it can handle a small family or four medium-sized adults with insignificant luggage.
This is evident by the acceptable level of front row dimensions and rather compact equivalents in row two. The car itself portrays a fairly aggressive front end (which I like) and a somewhat bland bum (which I don’t) and possesses a refreshingly small footprint at just 4.1m length, 1.8m width and 1.65m height.
Other crucial city-SUV dimensions include a generous 190mm of ground clearance, 500 un-braked to 800kg braked towing capacity, 392L boot space, 10.6m turning radius and a kerb weight of just 1,170kg. All of this has to be moved by the lively Kia/Hyundai “Gamma” 1.5L (1,497cc) MPi 16-valve in-line 4-cylinder petrol engine.
This rev-happy device develops up to 85kW at 6,300rpm (although it happily spins higher than that) and a slightly humble 144Nm at 4,500rpm. Despite multi-point fuel injection and six gear ratios, it’s the high-rpm torque figure which can be detrimental to performance when you add weight and/or altitude to the equation.
There is a much stronger (and more expensive) 1-litre turbo-petrol unit available but our dark test vehicle was a 1.5 EX specimen; which is available as a manual or CVT automatic. Guess which one we had? Yup, although the new crop of CVT’s are superb at mimicking gear ratios, we still encourage sporty drivers to go for a thorough test-drive before signing on the dotted line.
Kia South Africa alleges that this version of the Sonet will reach 100km/h from standstill in 11.8 seconds and despite hot weather, low mileage and a ¾ tank of fuel, our did it in a blistering 10.25 seconds! The top speed is apparently 170km/h and average fuel use from the compact 45L tank should be around 7.2L/100km.
In a shameless demonstration of its excellence, this “Aurora Black Pearl” example was averaging exactly that when we removed it from our hectic suburban environment and repeatedly floored it for performance testing. A once-off brake test from 100km/h took a more average 3.13 seconds and 43.74m; on fuel-saving Good-Year rubber.
It’s also worth noting that not everyone liked the styled silver hub-cabs on this vehicle, although others were shocked to find that they weren’t, in fact, real alloy wheels. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the bizarre gauge cluster, but it provides most of the information a modern driver requires; also thanks to a little trip computer.
For those folks who want to feel a bit more “premium” or upper class, I strongly recommend the upper models of the range because ours came with humble cloth seats and plenty of black plastic. Yes, this car is made in India, but no it does not feel or look dirt cheap. Budget friendly and a bit smelly when new? Yeah, maybe.
But I urge you to consider the family- and summer-friendly fabric seats, those quirky vertical air vents, their stylish pattern surrounds, a devilishly handsome steering wheel (with obligatory audio and cruise controls), a physical hand-brake and old-school rotary ventilation controls… to arrive at a beautifully simple and no-nonsense family car.
It also comes with everyone’s current favourite, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity via a big and friendly media screen; with physical shortcut buttons plus twin select and volume knobs. The ride is fairly pliant (except when fully laden at the back), handling is perfectly acceptable and so are the headlights and hooter.
So. What are you waiting for? Get down to your nearest Kia dealer to experience why the whole team at NamWheels had mostly good things to say about this new Sonet 1.5 Automatic. Each new sale also activates a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty (with roadside assistance) as well as a 4-year/60,000km service plan.