Kia’s latest subcompact crossover, the Sonet, is far more capable than its small dimensions suggest. Blessed with high ground clearance, modern tech conveniences, and a comfortable cabin, it makes for a great road trip vehicle.
To demonstrate this, ACMobility, official distributor of Kia, organized an out-of-town drive with the Kia Sonet SX from Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to picturesque Tagaytay.
Designed to offer more
The drive began at the ACMobility Hub in BGC, where participants were introduced to the Kia Sonet’s list of features and capabilities.
The Sonet replaces the Stonic as the new small crossover in the lineup. It’s only a hair longer than the Stonic but is significantly taller, offering more headroom. In addition, it also has more ground clearance (at 205 mm), allowing drivers to venture off the road onto light trails for the occasional car camping.
It certainly looks ready to take on more rough stuff with more muscular fenders lined with rocker panels. It’s also quite distinct on the road with LED headlamps that creep down into the bumper, incorporating the fog lamps.
Inside, the Sonet offers quite a lot of kit for its price. The driver is greeted with a two-tone interior (with tan for the seats), a digital instrument cluster and large 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and so easily pairs to any smart phone. It also comes with automatic climate control, push-button start, and perforated leather seats and a power sunroof.
The drive
We soon departed BGC and began our drive to Taal Lake, and later on up to Tagaytay. The Sonet, powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine easily managed the three passengers per car. After all, that’s 115-PS of power and 144-Nm of torque. Its Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) ensured power delivery was smooth.
The Sonet (in SX trim) also comes with DriveWise, a set of advanced safety features that include Cruise Control, Lane Following Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance, and Downhill Brake Control. These features serve an extra pair of eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, helping to avoid mistakes or careless maneuvers that could lead to an accident.
Thanks to the well selected variety of roads: from highways, to rural streets, to winding mountain roads, we were able to get a great feel of how the Sonet performs.
The high driving position provides a great view of the road. Even though it’s smaller than most other vehicles, you don’t feel like you’re being dwarfed by SUVs. The comfort-tuned suspension soaks up the bumps well and well definitely smoothen out even the roughest roads. With just a few passengers, the Sonet requires minimal pedal effort to get going. The steering is light thanks to its precise electric power steering and makes it easy to judge just how much to turn in. The transmission is quite smooth, though we recommend going into sport mode or manually shifting when a bit more power is required. The disc brakes (on all four wheels) offer plenty of stopping power.
As for passengers, they’ll be delighted with the incredible space the vehicle offers. Standing at 5-feet, 9-inches, I often struggle in the back row. However, the Sonet offered quite a lot of legroom, making it easy to stretch out at the back and leave the driving to the other participants. Cargo space is also quite generous, offering more than enough room for overnight bags for three people.
A welcome breather
It may have been just a day drive, but it was certainly more than enough to experience all the Sonet has to offer. It may be marketed as a car for the youth, but its mix of practical ground clearance, generous space, and effortless drive make it a great choice for the daily grind or even drives out of town, no matter the age of the driver.
The Kia Sonet is available in LX M/T (P758,000), LX AT (P888,000), EX AT (P998,000), and SX AT (P1,158,000) trim levels. However, I highly recommend going for the higher EX or SX trims to truly enjoy all that this vehicle has to offer.