Will be offered alongside iMT gearbox; petrol powertrain lineup to remain unchanged.
Following a couple of official teasers from Kia, a leaked brochure on the internet now gives us all details of the upcoming Sonet facelift. Set to debut on December 14, the new Sonet will get design updates and a refreshed interior with new features, but the leaked brochure also reveals a key mechanical update – the diesel-manual powertrain is set to make a comeback on the compact SUV.
- Sonet diesel to get MT, iMT and AT gearboxes
- Sonet will continue to be offered in Tech line, GT Line and X-Line trims
- Will get ADAS suite, 360-deg camera, new digital instrument cluster
Kia Sonet facelift powertrain options
The Sonet was previously available with a diesel-manual powertrain at launch, but Kia later swapped it with an iMT semi-auto gearbox. In fact, the company, along with sister brand Hyundai, adopted a clear strategy where the former would only be offering iMT gearboxes with its diesel engine while the latter will offer a regular manual gearbox. Likewise, the manual gearbox was also discontinued on the Carens and Seltos.
With the facelift, however, Kia will be bringing back a regular manual gearbox to the diesel engine lineup. While the iMT gearbox has its conveniences, the lack of even the option of a manual gearbox is likely to have deterred some buyers. This leads us to believe that the manual gearbox could also make a return on the Carens and Seltos.
Meanwhile, the iMT and torque converter automatic gearboxes with the diesel engine will continue as is. The petrol powertrain lineup will also remain unchanged – a 1.2-litre petrol mated to a manual gearbox and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol mated to either the iMT gearbox or a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
Kia Sonet facelift trim and features
As before, the Sonet will continue to be offered in three distinct trim lines – Tech Line (HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+), GT Line (GTX+) and X-Line. The 1.2-litre petrol engine will be available only on the Tech Line trims while the turbo-petrol and diesel engines will be available across the lineup. Each trim line will also have its own unique styling elements and interior upholstery options.
The Sonet will also see several new feature additions such as 360-degree camera, ADAS suite, new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, powered front driver’s seats as well as traction modes for the automatic variants. Most of these features, however, will be limited to the higher-spec trims. To read more about the exterior and interior updates, click here.
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