Turbocharged Kia Sonet going on sale soon – More power, higher price

Kia has revealed a turbocharged derivative of its popular Sonet crossover as well as a new range-topping EX+ specification, both of which are going on sale in South Africa from Monday, 11 July.

These additions bring the Sonet line-up to a total of six derivatives.

Although the starting price for the crossover has not changed, it now has two new flagship models going for R359,995 and R389,995, respectively.

More power

Kia’s Sonet range was previously only available with a naturally-aspirated, 1.5-litre petrol engine, but now customers have a second choice of a 1.0-litre, turbo-petrol.

The new power unit is also connected to a more advanced gearbox than before: a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic.

This setup generates 88kW and 172Nm and it improves upon the emissions and fuel consumption of the standard models, said Kia, although its official figures have not yet been revealed.

For comparison, the non-turbocharged Sonet CVT produces 85kW and 144Nm and achieves an average fuel consumption of 7.2l/100km.

The new 1.0-litre engine is exclusively available on the top-end Sonet EX as well as the newly-added Sonet EX+.

New top-end trim

Alongside the introduction of the new drivetrain, Kia has also added a more premium specification to the Sonet line-up called the EX+.

This derivative builds on the equipment of the EX through the addition of artificial leather seats with red contrast stitching, folding electric mirrors, cruise control, automatic climate control, a drive-mode selector, a larger digital driver’s display, and side and curtain airbags – bringing the total number of airbags in this crossover to six.

All this equipment comes on top of an 8.0-inch central display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a leather multifunction steering wheel, a reverse camera with rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, and ABS with hill-start assist.

The EX+ then sits on 16-inch alloy wheels as standard and can be identified through model-specific taillights with a “signature graphic.”

Price

The South African pricing and expanded model line-up for the Kia Sonet are as follows:

Kia Sonet 1.5 LX Manual – R296,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 LX CVT – R317,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX Manual – R316,995
Kia Sonet 1.5 EX CVT – R337,995
Kia Sonet 1.0 T-GDI EX 7DCT – R359,995
Kia Sonet 1.0 T-GDI EX+ 7DCT – R389,995

All units are shipped with a 5-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, a prepaid 4-year/60,000km service plan, and 5-year/unlimited-kilometre roadside assistance.