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Picked Kia Sonet over other compact SUVs: Initial ownership experience

13th September 2024, 14:51 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

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I wanted to exchange my old Hyundai i10 and had shortlisted the Venue, Maruti Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV 3XO and Sonet.

BHPian shankz recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hi everyone, I wanted to share my Kia Sonet Facelift HTX iMT TGDi Petrol purchase experience.

I wanted to exchange my Hyundai i10 Magna 1.1 which had aged 12.5 years in Delhi-NCR.

Selection

Compact SUV was the target, hence the shortlisted cars were as follows:

Hyundai Venue: Target version = S(O) Turbo MT. Hyundai had recently added a sunroof with map lamps to this version. I was offered a discount of 50k on this variant (for stock inventory) - without any negotiations. Last updated in 2022, Venue is in desperate need of a facelift - which is finally coming next year as per the news.
Maruti Suzuki Brezza: Target version = ZXI. Bad showroom experience - typical sarkari attitude, was kept waiting, no followups. 6 airbags only in top variant (ZXI+), very aged interiors. No discount was offered.
Tata Nexon: Target version = Creative. Bad ergonomics, Fit and finish issues, Noisy Turbo petrol engines. All-touchscreen dashboard was another letdown. Huge discounts were being offered: 80k on Creative + and 1L on Creative + S respectively (1.2 Turbo Petrol MT).
Mahindra XUV 3XO: Target version = AX5. It was just launched, had a too long waiting time (2-3 months). Plus it is not a good recommendation to buy the first batch of new cars in India. Also, it has a smaller boot - unable to fit my kid's stroller.
Kia Sonet: Target version = HTX iMT. Test drove it and liked it immediately, especially the clutch-free experience, premium interiors, both-tyre disc brakes, 6 airbags, silent engine / good NVH levels, rear sun-blinds, big boot space to fit my kid's stroller, front parking sensors, decent Kia after-sales service. HTX DCT was out of my budget. Although no upfront discount was offered, but managed a final discount of around 51k - stock inventory - this was for the pre-July update version i.e. no alloys, rear wiper, wireless phone charger. Used the booked-at-another-dealer tactic for the discount: Patience is the key.

Finally decided the Sonet over Venue purely on the ‘newness’ factor.

Colour chosen was Imperial Blue (Intense Red was not in stock). Final on-road price after the discount came out to be 12.65L (without the exchange - Haryana registration). 

Delivery

Since the car was in stock, it was delivered the next day after diligently following the Team-BHP PDI checklist. I verified the manufacturing year and date using VIN. Also, added the extended warranty (4th/5th year limited kms) and some basic accessories - and it was good to go. Dealer did not push for any extra accessories. Exchange price for the old car was renegotiated from 70k to 1.1L . Online portals and local dealers both were offering 1.15L. Car exchange was done on the day of delivery. The delivery process itself was quick and efficient. HSRP Number plates arrived after 1.5 weeks and registration smart card after 1 month.

Driving

Driving experience is bliss with iMT - especially when you are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Not sure why Hyundai discontinued it. The transition from MT to iMT was seamless for me at least. Overtaking is not an issue with the Turbo.

I was dreading the mileage on this - but finally got the following figures ( I am a sedate driver):