The sub-compact or sub-4 metre SUV space is clearly one of the most keenly contested segments in the Indian passenger car space. There are some very popular cars present here like the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford Ecos- port and the Mahindra XUV 300. As the festive season approaches, other automakers too are looking at getting some share of the lucrative pie. And so the past few days have seen the introduction of two new cars in the segment — the Kia Sonet and Toyota Urban Cruiser. Interestingly, both these cars are based on already existing products; while the former takes inspiration from the Hyundai Venue, the latter is essentially a re- badged Vitara Brezza.
Kia Sonet
We told you in great detail about the Kia Sonet when its world premiere took place in August. That included the engine and transmission options along with all the features that have been provided with the car. Now with the launch past us, we know exactly how many variants the car comes in and what are their prices. The Korean company has launched the car at introductory price of Rs 6.71 lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India) which is for the base HTE variant that comes with a 1.2 Petrol engine and a 5 speed Manual Transmission. In all, the Sonet is being offered across 17 variants, including two petrol engines, one diesel engine with two different configurations, five transmissions and two trim levels — Tech Line and GT-Line. Kia said that it was able to garner over 25,000 bookings for its car till the launch.
The 1.2 litre engine has come in the most afford- able variants that range from Rs 6.71 lakh to Rs 8.45 lakh. The popular 1.0 litre turbo petrol engine that we’ve seen on many cars from Hyundai like Venue and Verna, comes in 5 variants that range from Rs 9.49 lakh to Rs 11.99 lakh. Interestingly there is no manual transmission on offer here and the only available options are either a 7-speed DCT automatic or the new 6-speed IMT or intelligent manual transmission which is a clutchless technology but lets you change gears manually. Finally, the 7 diesel variants range from Rs 8.05 lakh to Rs 11.99 lakh and these include both manual and automatic options. However, the prices of some top-end variants of both
petrol and diesel engines are yet to be shared.
Kia has also revealed the fuel efficiency figures of all the engines. While the 1.2 petrol engine with 5 speed manual transmission delivers 18.4 kmpl, the 1.5 litre diesel promises 19.0 kmpl for 6-speed manual and an impressive 24.1 kmpl for the 6-speed automatic. Some of the features are a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen with navigation and live traffic information, an air purifier with virus and bacteria protection, BOSE premium seven-speaker sound system with sub-woofer, front ventilated driver and passenger seats, 4.2-inch colour instrument cluster, remote engine start via UVO connect and smart key (Automatic and Manual transmission), multi-drive & traction modes for automatic models and a wireless smartphone charger with cooling function.
Toyota Urban Cruiser
The Toyota Urban Cruiser is the second model to be launched in India under the global Toyota-Suzuki alliance following the premium hatchback, the Toyota Glanza. The Urban Cruiser is based on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, but the company has tried to make enough distinctions between the look and feel. On the exterior the SUV gets a two-slat wedge cut front grille with chrome that reminds of the Toyota Fortuner. The dual chamber LED projector headlamps with chrome accents and split LED tail lamps are also changed. There are 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels on offer and roof rails are finished in gun metal grey. The car also gets some new colour options in single tone as well as dual tone.
The interior also gets a new dark brown colour and you cannot miss the Toyota logo on the steering wheel. The 17.78 cm smart playcast touchscreen audio works with Android Auto, Apple Carplay and
Smartphone- based navigation. Some other features include engine push start/ stop button, rain-sensing wipers, auto AC and cruise control. The car runs on the same 1.5 litre four-cylinder petrol engine that we’ve seen on many cars from Maruti Suzuki including Vitara Brezza. Both Manual and Automatic Transmissions are on offer and claimed fuel efficiency figures are 17.03 kmpl and 18.76 kmpl respectively. All the variants of the car come with the smart hybrid technology which aids in better fuel efficiency.
In terms of safety the car gets dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, hill hold control and ISOFIX child seat restraint system. In all there are 6 variants on offer divided equally between manual and automatic. Prices for the manual variants range between Rs 8.40 and Rs.9.80 lakh (ex-showroom) while the automatic variants are priced between Rs 9.80 and Rs 11.30 lakh.