2020 Kia Sonet price comparison vs Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300

Kia has launched its third product for India, the Kia Sonet compact SUV, as a follow up to the Seltos SUV and Carnival MPV. The company says its already received well over 25,000 bookings for the Kia Sonet, as of its launch in the country, with those numbers only set to exponentially grow considering the wide spread of variants it's available in. Like the Seltos, the Kia Sonet is available in two main trim lines - the Tech Line and the sportier GT Line.

And while we have prices for most of the variants, Kia hasn't yet disclosed pricing for the top-of-line GTX+ with the automatic powertrain, variants that are reportedly proving to be most popular with buyers. We expect those prices to be revealed in the next week or so. If you're interested in buying a compact sub-4m SUV soon, here's a brief rundown of where the Kia Sonet slots in, compared to the top-sellers in the segment - the Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300.

Update: Pricing on the Kia Sonet GTX+ automatic variants has been revealed, at Rs 12.89 lakh for the 1.0 Turbo DCT and 1.5 diesel AT.

Meanwhile, the introductory pricing for the Kia Sonet with the 1.2-litre petrol engine starts at Rs 6.71 lakh, a marginal undercutting of the Hyundai Venue, as well as its rivals. The Kia Sonet 1.2 petrol is available in up to the mid-spec HTK+ trim (minus sunroof, LED headlights, keyless entry, cruise control, rear-centre armrest etc), making for a price range between Rs 6.71 lakh to Rs 8.45 lakh, all prices ex-showroom. The Tata Nexon with a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and six-speed MT starts at Rs 6.99 lakh, and goes up to Rs 10.54 lakh for a fully-loaded XZ+ (O) variant, for comparison. The G-NCAP 5-star rated Mahindra XUV300 with its 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and six-speed MT is another option, ranging from Rs 7.95 lakh to Rs 10.97 lakh.

Moving up, the Kia Sonet with the 1-litre turbo-petrol under the hood is only available with the clutchless automatic (iMT) or the dual-clutch automatic (DCT), with no manual gearbox option available, unlike on the Hyundai Venue. Prices for the Kia Sonet 1-litre turbo iMT range from Rs 9.49 lakh to Rs 11.99 lakh for the fully-loaded GTX+ variant (with all the headline goodies). In comparison, the Hyundai Venue with the same powertrain is priced between Rs 9.99 lakh to Rs 10.25 lakh. On the other hand, pricing for the Maruti Suzuki Brezza petrol automatic (a 4-speed torque convertor) starts at Rs 9.75 lakh, going up to Rs 11.4 lakh. The Tata Nexon petrol is available with an AMT gearbox, priced between Rs 8.44 lakh to 11.14 lakh.

If you prefer to have the 1-litre turbo engine with the 7-speed DCT in the Kia Sonet, it's a lakh extra, at Rs 10.49 lakh for the same HTK+ variant, with top-end pricing yet to be revealed. The Hyundai Venue 1-litre turbo with 7-speed DCT, the only directly comparable competitor, is available in one variant priced at Rs 11.46 lakh, or with the Sport trim for Rs 11.63 lakh.

Coming to the diesels, the Kia Sonet 1.5 diesel with a six-speed manual transmission is spread between Rs 8.05-11.99 lakh, for the top-end GTX+ variant. The Hyundai Venue with the same powertrain is priced in a range between Rs 8.15-11.58 lakh, for the top-end Sport SX (O) variant with all the bells and whistles. The Tata Nexon is priced between Rs 8.45 lakh to Rs 11.9 lakh for the diesel manual, while the Mahindra XUV300 1.5-litre diesel manual is priced between Rs 8.7 lakh to Rs 11.75 lakh.

Kia has also revealed pricing for the GTX+ variant of its segment-first diesel automatic (torque convertor), at Rs 12.89 lakh. With no real competition for a diesel engine paired with a smooth-shifting torque convertor automatic in this segment, for reference, the Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300 diesel variants are available with AMT gearboxes, the Nexon diesel AMT being priced between Rs 9.8 lakh and Rs 12.5 lakh, with the XUV300 diesel AMT carrying a sticker price between Rs 10.2 lakh and Rs 12.3 lakh.

Also Read:

2020 Kia Sonet diesel auto and manual road test review

2020 Kia Sonet petrol iMT and DCT road test review