Kia To Bring Back The 3-pedal Driving Experience On The 2024 Sonet Facelift Diesel

• Kia will unveil the Sonet facelift on December 14.
• 6-speed manual gearbox to return on the diesel variants.
• Other engines, including the 120PS 1-litre turbo petrol and 83PS 1.2-litre NA petrol unit, will continue unchanged. 
• Key feature additions include a 360-degree camera, ADAS, and digital instrument cluster.
• The sub-4m SUV to launch in early 2024 with an expected starting price of around Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom). 

The 2024 Kia Sonet facelift will mark the return of the 6-speed manual gearbox on its diesel variants. The Korean marque is all set to reveal the revised sub-4 metre SUV on December 14. It marks the first major update for the Sonet, which has been on sale in India since the middle of 2020. 

Kia Sonet Diesel with 6-speed MT 

Pictured here: Kia Sonet iMT

In early 2023, Kia stopped offering the diesel-manual combination on the Sonet. Instead, the Korean carmaker offered an iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission), essentially a manual gearbox but without a clutch pedal. However, it seems that this has not been very popular and the previous three-pedal manual is what is preferred with this diesel engine. Meanwhile, to those who prefer the iMT, Kia will also offer this option on the diesel engine. 

The new 2024 Sonet facelift will be one of the few new cars in India to be available with a diesel option. Other cars in the segment like the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, and Mahindra XUV300 are the only ones to offer the diesel. 

6-speed diesel manual on other Kia’s?

Along with the Sonet, Kia had stopped the manual option on the 1.5-litre diesel powered Seltos and the Carens as well. Now, considering that Kia is bringing back the manual on the Sonet facelift, it is likely that other models might get this as well. 

Kia Sonet facelift features

The new Sonet will come with a new digital driver’s display, a 360-degree camera and ADAS tech like forward collision alert and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). The Sonet already gets features like wireless phone charging, a sunroof, ventilated front seats, and cruise control. All of these are also likely to be carried over from the current model. 

The Kia Sonet facelift will get six airbags, ABS, ESP, front and rear parking sensors, and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). 

Kia Sonet facelift Powertrain details 

Save for the addition of a 6-speed manual in the diesel engine, the 2024 Kia Sonet stays unchanged in terms of engine options. Kia will continue to offer the existing engine and gearbox options as per the details below:

2024 Kia Sonet price and rivals 

The pricing of the 2024 Kia Sonet is expected to be revealed in early 2024. While the outgoing model range currently starts from Rs 7.79 lakh (ex-showroom), we can expect a slight premium thanks to the new features. The Sonet will compete against the likes of the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, and Nissan Magnite.