Comparison: Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos

The Kia Sonet is the best-selling Kia car in India. The Korean compact SUV attracts buyers with its sleek design, premium cabin, reliable and refined engines, and a lot of upmarket features. However, if you walk into Kia’s showroom to buy a Kia Sonet, you might end up buying the Kia Seltos. This is because a significant part of Sonet’s price range overlaps with a part of the Seltos’s price range. Basically, the top variants of Sonet sit near the mid variants of the Seltos, in terms of prices. To simplify the equation between the two, in this comparison of the Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos, we figure out what you will gain or lose if you choose the Sonet over the Seltos, or vice versa.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Dimensions & Design

Being a mid-size SUV, the Kia Seltos is obviously larger than the Kia Sonet compact SUV. This means five passengers will find themselves more comfortably accommodated in a Seltos compared to a Sonet. However, while the Seltos offers more headroom and legroom, it is only 10 mm wider than the Sonet, so for three passengers sitting abreast, the shoulder room would be almost the same in both.

As far as designs are concerned, the Kia Sonet and Kia Seltos do not differ much from each other. Both get an aggressive overall appeal. At the front, both get Kia’s traditional tiger nose grille, but with slightly different patterns, and the one on the Seltos gets chrome treatment. Almost the same is the case with sharp angular LED DRLs – the ones on the Sonet have a boomerang shape, while the ones on the Seltos underline the headlamps and extend into the grille. At the rear, both Sonet and Seltos feature vertically oriented tail lamps connected by a light bar. Overall, while the designs of the Sonet and the Seltos are quite similar, they are sufficiently distinguishable, and it is easy to tell one from the other.

The Kia Seltos is substantially larger than the Kia Sonet, and as far as looks go, both look sporty and aggressive.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Engine & Transmission

Each of the two Kia SUVs has three engine options: a naturally aspirated petrol engine, a turbo petrol engine, and a turbo diesel engine. While the 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine is the same in both Kia Sonet and Kia Seltos, the petrol engines of the Seltos are larger than the petrol engines of the Sonet. A key thing to note is that the Sonet does not offer any automatic transmission with its naturally aspirated petrol engine, while the Seltos offers a CVT automatic with its NA petrol engine. The turbo petrol engines of both Sonet and Seltos generate exciting magnitudes of power for their respective sizes and weights. Both turbo petrol engines come with the same transmission options. Meanwhile, since the diesel engine is the same on both SUVs, the diesel-powered Sonet feels more powerful and delivers better mileage, because it is smaller.

The Kia Seltos is more powerful than the Kia Sonet, however, since it is larger as well, it does not make much difference in the overall performance of both Kia SUVs.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Features & Comfort

While both SUVs are designed to offer premium atmospheres in the cabins, the Kia Sonet and Kia Seltos have many differences in terms of interiors. The Seltos offers a cleaner interior layout with a clearer and more minimalistic dashboard. It features a dual-screen setup that consists of a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Whereas, in the Sonet, a 10.25-inch touchscreen is propped on the dashboard, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is set in the recess in front of the driver seat. Moreover, the Seltos features wing-shaped AC vents on the ends of the dashboard, and slim trapezoidal vents under the touchscreen, whereas the Sonet features vertically oriented rectangular AC vents. The flat-bottom steering is almost similar in both SUVs. All the same, the panoramic sunroof in the Seltos makes the cabin look airier, which is a key benefit, as both SUVs have dark coloured interior themes that makes passengers feel claustrophobic.

As far as features are concerned, both Kia Seltos and Kia Sonet pack more than enough modern-day perks to offer a premium experience. Both feature ventilated front seats, a Bose sound system, a powered driver seat, and even a dual-camera dashcam. However, the Seltos has a few edges with a larger dual-pane panoramic sunroof and dual-zone climate control.

On the inside, both Kia Seltos and Kia Sonet feel almost equally premium. However, due to a panoramic sunroof, the Kia Seltos feels airier on the inside. In terms of features, the Seltos offers more goodies.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Safety Features

Neither the Kia Sonet nor the Kia Seltos has been tested by any NCAP, so no comment can be made about their structural strength. Nonetheless, both cars are packed to the brim with safety features. Both Kia Sonet and Kia Seltos feature six airbags, ABS with EBD, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill Assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, and many other safety features as standard. However, the main factor that gives the advantage to Seltos is its radar and camera-based Level-2 ADAS safety suite. This suite consists of Forward Collision Warning and Avoidance Assist [Car, Pedestrian, Cyclist, Junction Turning], Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Following Assist, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Leading Vehicle Departure Alert – Blind Spot Collision Warning, Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, Safe Exit Warning, High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, and more.

Whereas, the Sonet features a Level-1 ADAS safety suite, which is only camera-based. The Sonet’s ADA suite offers Forward Collision Warning and Avoidance Assist (Car/ Pedestrian/ Cyclist), Lane Keep Assist, Lane Following Assist, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Leading Vehicle Departure Alert, and more.

The Kia Seltos packs a more advanced ADAS safety suite and hence, is a safer offering than the Kia Sonet.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Price comparison

As can be seen, the price range of the Kia Sonet partly overlaps the price range of the Kia Seltos. However, both Sonet and Seltos offer more or less the same value, considering their prices and overall packages.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: Which one should you buy?

You see, in the range of Rs 8 – 11 lakh, the Kia Sonet is the only yet an attractive proposition. Around Rs 11 lakh, you get mid variants of the Sonet that offer an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a single-pane sunroof, automatic AC, and more. The powertrain options in this range include a petrol engine with manual transmission, a turbo petrol with iMT, and a diesel engine with manual transmission. Since most buyers prefer manual transmission to automatic, overall, the mid-variants package of the Sonet is more than appealing.

All the same, if you are looking to spend around Rs 12 to 14 lakh, the larger Kia Seltos might be a more suitable option for you. The HTK (O) variant of the Seltos, which costs Rs 13.05 – 14.61 lakh, brings you a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, cruise control, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment, a digital instrument cluster, and more. The panoramic sunroof single-handedly makes this price range more in favour of the Seltos. The powertrain options that you get in this range are an NA petrol engine and a diesel engine, both with a manual transmission. Meanwhile, in the same price range, the Sonet adds cruise control, dual-camera dashcam, traction modes – Sand/ Mud/ Wet, drive modes – Normal/ Eco/ Sports, paddle shifters, an air purifier, and more.

Over Rs 14 lakh, the only significant additions that the Sonet brings are a Level-1 ADAS safety suite, a 4-way powered driver seat, a 360-degree camera, a Bose sound system, and ventilated front seats. Whereas, the mid-variant of the Seltos that costs around Rs 15 lakh adds a dual-zone climate control, and more.

To put it in a nutshell, if you are looking to buy the upper mid variant or the top variant of the Sonet, it would be wise to look at the mid-variants of the Seltos, which are in the same range and offer a larger SUV, along with many upmarket perks.

Kia Sonet vs Kia Seltos: FAQs