2024 Kia Sonet facelift recently broke covers. This was the first major upgrade to the subcompact SUV ever since it was first launched in August 2020. The facelift involves quite a few noticeable styling changes as well as feature upgrades. Let us look at what all has changed in the new Sonet from the pre-facelifted Sonet.
Kia Sonet old vs new: Design
Up front, the 2024 Sonet gets a revised fascia courtesy of a redesigned L-shaped integrated LED headlamp and DRL setup. The tiger nose grille is retained but it looks more angular this time. The front bumper is also tweaked which now houses new sleeker fog lamps. The side profile is almost identical to the outgoing model barring the new alloy wheels.
At the rear, the new Sonet gets new vertically-oriented LED taillamps with pixelated treatment instead of the wraparound units seen in its predecessor. A light bar across the tailgate’s width connecting the two taillights is retained. Further, the rear bumper has also been reprofiled which do not house the faux diffusers.
Kia Sonet old vs new: Interior & features
The layout of the new Sonet’s cabin interiors remains largely unchanged, however, there are plenty of feature additions. For instance, the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system now runs on an updated OS with new graphics. Same is the case with the digital instrument console. The climate control panel is also slightly different from the older unit.
There are new interior colour schemes on offer which include all-black with semi-leatherette upholstery, black and beige semi-leatherette upholstery, black and brown with leatherette upholstery, black leatherette upholstery, and Sage Green leatherette upholstery with black interior.
Other notable feature additions are four-way electric power driver seat, LED ambient sound lighting, paddle shifters, front ventilated seats, and a seven-speaker Bose audio system. The updated Sonet gets an improved safety suite, the most notable addition is Level 1 ADAS with features like Front Collision Warning, Front Collision Avoidance-Assist, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist, Leading Vehicle Departure Alert, etc. added to the kit.
Other safety enhancements include disc brakes on all four wheels from HTX onwards, six airbags as standard, a 360-degree parking camera, ABS, EBD, ESC, VSM, rear parking sensors, emergency brakes, and tyre pressure monitor system to name a few.
Kia Sonet old vs new: Engine, transmission options
2024 Sonet will retain the same engine and transmissions from the outgoing model. The entry-level variants will be powered by the 1.2-litre NA petrol that puts out 82 bhp and 115 Nm, This unit is exclusively mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The second option is the 1-litre turbo with an output of 11 8bhp and 172 Nm and two transmission options— a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 6-speed clutchless manual.
The Sonet will continue to offer a 1.5-litre diesel engine which delivers 114 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque. This oil burner is available with three transmission options– a 6-speed iMT, a 6-speed torque converter automatic, and a 6-speed manual gearbox that makes a return.
