Kia Sonet diesel manual to make a comeback with facelift

Will be offered alongside iMT gearbox; petrol powertrain line-up to remain unchanged.

Published On Dec 07, 2023 06:22:00 PM

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Following a couple of official teasers from Kia, a leaked brochure on the internet now gives us all the 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 line-up. 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 line-up 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 line-up. 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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