Kia Sonet is set to receive a major facelift with many design changes and some feature updates as well. The compact SUV made its debut in India in August 2020 and now, the India-made Kia Sonet is exported to over 70 countries across the world such as Indonesia, Mexico and the Middle East.
Spy shots of the upcoming Sonet have been spotted in South Korea but since the Sonet is built in India, it could be one of the prototypes sent to Kia headquarters for testing. Up front, the new Sonet gets sharper headlamps and a new grille finished in piano black. Even the bumpers look new with bigger fog lamp housings.
The headlamps and the fog lamps appear to be connected by a vertically positioned element speculated to be wither LED daytime running lamps or turn indicators. From the side, the 2023 Kia Sonet resembles more or less the same but gets some design tweaks on the doors and cladding. The alloy wheel design and wheel cap design shall be fresh and the test mule has donned made-in-India Apollo tyres.
| Maruti Brezza | Hyundai Venue | Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre mild-hybrid | 1.2-litre petrol/ 1.5-litre diesel/ 1-litre turbo-petrol | 1.2-litre petrol/ 1.5-litre diesel/ 1-litre turbo-petrol | 1.2-litre turbo-petrol/ 1.5-litre diesel |
| Power | 101bhp | 81bhp/ 98bhp/ 118bhp | 81bhp/ 9bhp, 112bhp/ 118bhp | 117bhp/ 108bhp |
| Torque | 137Nm | 114Nm/ 240Nm/ 172Nm | 115Nm/ 240Nm, 250Nm/ 172Nm | 170Nm/ 260Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed MT, 6-speed AT | 5-speed MT/ 6-speed MT/ 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT | 5-speed MT/ 6-speed MT, AT/ 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT | 6-speed MT, AMT/ 6-speed MT, AMT |
The rear gets a flatter look with the tail at the back, the tailgate design is new and the tail-lamps are reworked as well with new L-type units similar to the upcoming Kia Seltos facelift. Don’t be surprised if the Sonet facelift gets connected LED units as well as dynamic turn indicators.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza was the most-selling compact SUV in March 2023 with reported sales of 16,227 units up 30 percent from the same period last year. The current-generation Kia Sonet, although it reported 26 percent year-on-year increase in March 2023 from March 2022, sold only 8,677 units in that period. In comparison with Nexon, Venue and Brezza, the Sonet was the least selling of the lot. Here’s hoping that the facelift tips the balance in Kia’s favour.
| Dimensions/Model | Maruti Suzuki Brezza | Hyundai Venue | Kia Sonet | Tata Nexon |
| Length | 3,995 mm | 3,995 mm | 3,995 mm | 3,993 |
| Width | 1,790 mm | 1,770 mm | 1,790 mm | 1,811 |
| Height | 1,685 mm | 1,617 mm | 1,642 mm | 1,606 |
| Wheelbase | 2,500 mm | 2,500 mm | 2,500 mm | 2,498 |
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