India, The Kia Sonet X-Line Has Arrived

After a few teasers, Kia India has finally given in and launched the Sonet X-Line. If that rings a bell somewhere, it follows a similar mantra to the Seltos X-Line. Can’t be bothered to recall? Don’t worry; we’ll get to the details in a bit. First, the prices. The Sonet X-Line is available in two variants –petrol-DCT and diesel-AT. Where the former costs INR 13.39 lakh, the latter comes with a sticker price of INR 13.99 lakh.

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The Sonet X-Line is derived from the GTX+ trim level. And if you compare the prices, the X-Line derivatives cost INR 20,000 more than their respective GTX+ counterparts. Now, with math out of the way, let’s look at what makes the X-Line stand out. First is the colour. It’s finished, including the shark fin antenna, in a shade called Matte Graphite. That alone has some weight as no other sub-compact SUV offers a matte paint option. Then there are the 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, which come with silver brake callipers. Other bespoke touches on the exterior include gloss black elements such as the grille, front and rear skid plates, OVRM caps and the rear bumper.

We’re not done with the exterior yet. The Sonet X-Line also features dark hyper metal accents, an X-Line emblem and a dark chrome garnish on the fog lamps. Indoors, the sporty-looking seats feature orange stitching and X-Line logos. In addition, there’s a leather-wrapped flat-bottomed steering wheel (with orange stitching) and a black headliner.

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Predictably, there are no mechanical changes to report. So, the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine offers 118bhp/172Nm, and the 1.5-litre diesel mill pumps out 113bhp/250Nm. The smaller motor comes with a 7-speed DCT, whereas the larger one has a 6-speed AT (torque converter) to handle transmission duties.

The Kia Sonet X-Line is most likely to attract more attention. In India, Kia’s sub-4 metre SUV competes with multiple potent rivals, including the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue and the Mahindra XUV300.