Recently, the Kia launched a 7-seater version of the Sonet in the Indonesian car market. It gets retailed at a starting price of Rp 199,500,000, (INR 10,25,821). The Indonesia-spec Kia Sonet 7-seater model is manufactured at the company’s Anantpur production facility in India. But it features some significant differences compared to the Indian model.
Firstly, both 5- and 7-seater models of Kia Sonet offered in the Indonesian market are above 4-meters in length. Basically, the two versions are 4,120 mm long, which is 125 mm longer than the India-spec 5-seater Sonet. However, the width, height and wheelbase remain the same at 1,790 mm, 1,642 mm and 2,500 mm, respectively.
Like the outside, the interior design of the car remains similar to that of the 5-seater model, but there are two major highlights here. Firstly, the 7-seater version gets a 50:50 split for the third-row seat, which can be completely folded to create a larger boot space of 392-litres. Secondly, the second-row seats come with one-touch tumble fold and sliding functions by which a passenger can effortlessly access the third row.
Other than that, the feature list of the car remains unchanged. The Kia Sonet 7-seater gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with UVO connected car technology, traction control, wireless charging pad, drive modes, ventilated front seats, tyre pressure monitoring system, Bose sound system, rear AC vents and so on. For the third-row passengers, the SUV gets roof-mounted AC vents. The Indonesia-spec Kia Sonet 7-seater is sold in four trim levels, namely- Standard, Smart, Dynamic and Premiere.
The Kia Sonet 7-seater model derives power from a 1.5-litre Smartstream petrol engine which develops 113bhp of maximum power and 144Nm of peak torque. The motor comes paired with a 6-speed MT or an Intelligent Variable Transmission (iVT). Right now, the carmaker has no plans to introduce the 7-seater Sonet in India. It must be noted here that the Kia Sonet is one of the top-selling sub-4-meter SUVs in the country. The sub-compact model is known for its aggressive looks, many powertrain choices and a feature-loaded cabin. It rivals the likes of Nissan Magnite, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300.
