Kia Sonet Vs Hyundai Venue – Which One Is Better?

Throughout the series of articles, we have done on compact-sized SUVs, we have always talked about the multifold increase in competition that the segment has witnessed in the past couple of years. The buyer has been at the absolute gain with each competitor offering great value. Hyundai Venue has been churning out great sales numbers since its launch. With the launch of its cousin concern- the Kia Sonet, competition has spiced it up.

Venue and Sonet share a lot in common, they sit on the same platform, powered by the same engines, and are nearly even stevens in terms of features on offer and thus their comparison does come across as very interesting to find out which one of them manages to edge other when compared head to head.

Kia Sonet Vs Hyundai Venue – Price

The Sonet and Venue both go pretty much head-to-head when the price range is considered. Both these cars offer a ling list of variants. It is not difficult to choose just the right one, the one serving your needs. The range spanning across Rs 6 lakhs cuts across segments. The pricing of the base variants is pretty similar. The Sonet goes much higher on the top end (Rs 12.99 lakhs against Venue’s Rs 11.63 lakhs) because of the diesel automatic option, which is exclusive to Kia’s ‘wild beast’

Dimensions

The identical dimensions of both sub-4m SUVs have been talked about enough, almost everywhere. Every brand attempt to get within the financial and physical boundaries. These cars are based on the same platform but still, I couldn’t help but notice the differences (subtle but significant), slight tweaks with the design can bring.

The Sonet is both wider and taller than the Venue. The car also manages to offer 43 litres of extra luggage area without cutting on space for passengers. Both the cars with 2500mm of wheelbase have a decent amount of cabin room on offer. 

Also Read: Kia Sonet Vs Toyota Urban Cruiser: Which SUV To Buy?

Engine Specifications

1. Diesel

Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue, both cars are sister products from sibling Korean companies. Hence, they share origins and platforms. These are only natural to find points of similarities in this comparison. Usually, Engine is a criterion where brands (especially in India) tend to play safe. Manufacturers find reliable well-matched units and continue with them (only with minor tweaks) until they are outdated or customers heartily seek a replacement.

Here, it is much understandable why Hyundai and Kia opted for the same 100PS/240Nm diesel unit. The engine did pretty well on-road and with customers in case of Venue, and it would have been irrational to go for something else for the Sonet which is pretty much the same car, mechanically.

The Sonet though also comes with an option of a diesel automatic unit, producing 115PS of power and churning out 250Nm of peak torque. These figures are pretty impressive and do make a strong case if the buyer is flexible with his/her budget.

2. Petrol

It is pretty much the same story for the petrol drivetrain as well. Both cars are powered by the same 1.2-litre Naturally Aspirated unit (paired with a 5-speed manual transmission), producing 83PS of power and a torque output hovering 115 Nm.

This unit though makes for an unattractive blotch on the brochures, but the idea here is to extend the accessibility of these cars to a wider customer base which it does by bringing the costs of the initial variants against the middle offerings of premium hatchbacks in the market.

You always have the option to spend a premium to opt for manual/automatic (iMT or DCT) turbo petrol unit which churns out quite impressive figures (120PS/172Nm). This offering caused quite some hype among both-the enthusiasts and the average customer.

Also Read: Kia Sonet 2020: First Drive Impression

Features Comparison

Hyundai’s cars have always been known to pack a decent number of features, the case with Venue is no different. It is a features-loaded car with some very exciting equipment on offer. On the other hand, the Kia Sonet has a widening list of features that can really give the current segment leader a tough fight.

As already mentioned above, both these cars pack feature that is good enough to settle for them without really having to brainstorm a lot. Both of the compact SUVs get comfort features like automatic AC, rear AC vents, cruise control, electric sunroof, height-adjustable driver’s seat, touchscreen infotainment system, connected car technology with remote control, wireless charging pad, engine start/stop button & keyless entry to name a few.

However, it is the inclusion of top-notch features like LED headlamps, air quality control, ventilated front seats, 7-speaker Bose sound system with mood lighting & 4-inch MID over Venue, helps Kia Sonet strike the claim of being better equipped among the two.

For the Hyundai SUV, it can narrow down the difference somewhat with features like 60:40 split rear seat, lane change indicator, cooled glove box and cornering headlamps which the Kia Sonet misses out on. 

Even on the safety front, the creamier trims of both the offerings feature segment topping 6-airbags, ABS with EBD, hill start assist, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), rear parking sensors and camera. Sonet, however, packs in the ability to appeal as the safer of two alternative thanks to inclusions like Brake Assist (BA), traction control and parking sensors on both front and rear sides. All these features help Sonet edge out Venue on the safety features front.

Verdict

The venue is a brilliantly balanced offering. It has been churning out great sales figure owing to a numerous reason including a rich feature list, powerful turbo engine option, fuel-efficient diesel engine and decent safety features. Now, with the launch of Kia Sonet, the competition for Hyundai Venue has become stiffer.

The Million-dollar question that still demands an answer is which one should you pick? Since the engine and transmission options are the same, it primarily boils down to features. If the features lists are taken into consideration, the Kia Sonet seems the better bet packing all that Venue has and scoring extra points with inclusions like air purifier, front parking sensors, ventilated seats and many other premium features. The Kia offering also gets a bigger boot, clearly emerging out as the favourite.

However, reliability is the one factor where the Hyundai SUV surely do better, thanks to company’s brilliant track record in India and also Venue’s own goodwill that it has established in the past couple of years.