The budget subcompact crossover market is thriving at the moment. Case in point, the Toyota Raize is one of the best-selling models in the country. There are other alternatives out there, mostly from the Chinese, and those seem to be picking up as well.
From the mainstream and established companies, however, the options are few and far between. But it seems that Kia wants to address that matter.
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Kia Philippines recently posted a teaser of a new model coming this June. Per the usual with these teaser photos, it’s hard to tell what model the company is bringing in. Upon closer inspection, however, it looks like it’s the Kia Sonet. Finally.
Why do we think it’s the Sonet? If you check out the shape of the grille and the small bit of the headlight seen in the photo, it appears to line up with the mini crossover. We’ve ruled out the Sportage and the Carens as the part where the headlight meets the grille don’t match. It’s a bit of a bold prediction, but we’re sticking to our guns for that.
Should it be the Sonet, that means the South Korean automaker finally has a (much needed) contender in the budget subcompact crossover class. It’ve been available in India and certain parts of Southeast Asia now, and we reckon it’s about time we get it too.
The Kia Sonet was first unveiled in late 2020 and given a major update in 2024. The new look is more aligned with the brand's current design language with sharper headlights, more dynamic tail lights, a bolder grille, and new bumpers. The interior was also given a bit of a refresh with a rearranged center stack.
It will be interesting to see what powertrain options Kia Philippines will offer for the mini crossover. In other markets, there are three engines available. It starts with a a 1.2-liter, four-cylinder with 82hp and 115Nm of torque, followed by a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder turbo making 120hp and 172Nm of torque.
A turbodiesel is also on offer, namely a 1.5-liter that puts out 115hp and 250Nm of torque. The gas engines can be mated to a five-speed manual, a CVT, or a dual-clutch transmission, while the diesel can be paired with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.
If Kia Philippines wants the Sonet to succeed, then it should nail the pricing just right. It’s unknown at this point, but it shouldn’t be too far from its prime competitors. Over in India, the Sonet ranges from 799,000 rupees, all the way to 1,575,000 rupees. Converted to local Philippine pesos, that’s a spread of approximately P552,000 to P1,090,000. Should the local distributor stick close to that, then this baby crossover has every reason to succeed.
