Spec comparison: Kia Sonet facelift diesel vs Hyundai Venue diesel vs Tata Nexon facelift diesel

Kia recently unveiled the Sonet facelift, and now its India launch has also been revealed, which is 12 January. The long-due mid-life facelift has brought substantial updates to the sub-four meter SUV, keeping it up-to-the-minute, similar to its rivals. It also continues with a wide range of engine and transmission options. That being said, here we find out how the refreshed Sonet facelift diesel stack up against the Hyundai Venue diesel and Tata Nexon facelift diesel.

Engine, performance, mileage and transmission: Kia Sonet facelift diesel vs Hyundai Venue diesel vs Tata Nexon facelift diesel

As mentioned earlier, the Kia Sonet facelift keeps the same engine options as the previous model and also shares them with the Hyundai Venue. While there is 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit, here we focus on its diesel powertain, which is a 1.5-litre, inline four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel motor that makes 116PS and 250Nm of torque. The 2024 Sonet facelift marks the return of the six-speed manual gearbox for its diesel engine. Additionally, Kia offers a six-speed iMT and a six-speed automatic transmissions with this diesel unit.

In contrast, the 1.5-litre diesel engine of the Hyundai Venue is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. The power output remains identical to the Sonet facelift diesel.

The recently updated Nexon offers a 1.5-litre, inline four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine generating 115PS and 260Nm of torque. It comes mated to a six-speed manual or an AMT. With this mid-life update, Tata had also introduced a new seven-speed DCT automatic transmission for the SUV, but that can only be paired with the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine.

In terms of fuel economy, the Sonet facelift diesel delivers a mileage of 22.3kmpl with the six-speed iMT transmission and 18.6kmpl with the automatic unit, as per ARAI test cycle. However, the fuel economy figure of the Sonet facelift six-speed manual gearbox has not been disclosed yet. Whereas, the Hyundai Venue diesel has an ARAI-claimed mileage of 23.4kmpl.

The 1.5-litre diesel of Nexon facelift returns an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 23.23kmpl with the six-speed manual gearbox and 24.08kmpl with the AMT transmission.

Key features: Kia Sonet facelift diesel vs Hyundai Venue diesel vs Tata Nexon facelift diesel

Along with a new 10.25-inch dual-screen setup, the Sonet facelift now gets a 360deg camera, powered driver seat, and ADAS. It also continues ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, a built-in air purifier, over 70 connected car features, a Bose sound system, LED ambient lighting and a sunroof. Standard features include six airbags, hill-start assist, TPMS, and ESC.

The Hyundai Venue was the first car in its segment to get ADAS in September last year. Apart from that, the SUV also comes with six airbags as standard across all variants along with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an all-digital cluster, four-way powered driver seat, two-step rear reclining seat, cooled glove box, an electric sunroof, ambient lighting, a wireless charging pad, Alexa and Google assistant support, over 60 Bluelink connected car features, TPMS, and hill start assist.

Tata has bestowed the Nexon facelift with a 10.25-inch all-digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 360deg camera, front parking sensors, telematics, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a new nine-speaker sound system, and height adjustable co-passenger seat. Six airbags, ESP, and hill hold control come standard across all variants. The SUV continues with a sunroof, air purifier, ventilated seats, cooled glove box, three driving modes, paddle shifters, a wireless charging pad, and auto headlamps and wipers.

In conclusion, the Kia Sonet facelift offers the widest range of transmission options with its diesel engine, while the Hyundai Venue boasts the highest fuel economy figure. Since the mileage figure of the Sonet 1.5-litre diesel manual gearbox has not been revealed yet, it will likely be similar to the Nexon diesel. Further, the Tata Nexon facelift boasts the most powerful diesel engine and a wider array of standard safety features like the Kia Sonet facelift.

Also read

Hyundai Creta facelift officially unveiled ahead of 16 January launch

McLaren 750S to be launched in India on January 12: What should you expect?