Choosing between the Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue can be challenging for car buyers. These two small SUVs have much to offer in terms of style, features, and value. We’ll look at how they compare in key areas like exterior styling, interior space and quality, performance, fuel efficiency, safety ratings, and price.
Rather than declare an outright winner, the goal is to highlight the strengths of each model to help readers weigh which is better suited for their needs and budget. Both vehicles make a compelling case in the rapidly growing small SUV segment.
An Overview of Kia Sonet
The Kia Sonet is a well-designed compact SUV with a stylish look inside and out. It’s a versatile vehicle with good space for passengers and cargo and friendly entertainment, comfort, and safety features. Multiple engine and transmission options provide solid performance and fuel efficiency. Overall, it strikes a good balance of practicality, style, technology, and driving dynamics for its class. The Kia Sonet price in Chennai starts from ₹ 9.44 lakhs, reflecting the base model cost without including optional upgrades.
An Overview of Hyundai Venue
The Hyundai Venue is a small SUV designed for city driving. With compact dimensions, stylish exterior looks, and modern interior features, it’s aimed at urban consumers who want a practical yet eye-catching vehicle. The recent update brings minor design tweaks to align it with other Hyundai models. Overall, it combines utility and flair in one convenient package.
Kia Sonet vs. Hyundai Venue
1. Exterior Design
The Sonet has a more contemporary and sleek look than the Venue. Kia has given the Sonet a recent facelift, which makes it look quite modern and upscale. It has a sporty front profile with LED headlamps, striking DRLs, and some gunmetal grey accents that give it a premium vibe. The lines and surfaces are well-sculpted. At the rear, the tail lamps stretch onto the tailgate, which looks nice.
The Venue has its own charm, with a bold chrome-studded grille and split headlamp design. The front and rear bumpers have been updated to give it a more aggressive stance. Standard SUV elements like pronounced wheel arches, body cladding, and roof rails give it a good road presence. The side profile looks balanced and no-nonsense. Moreover, the Hyundai Venue N Line combines sporty aesthetics with impressive performance, offering an exhilarating driving experience.
2. Interior and Features
The Sonet has a very plush and modern-looking cabin. It offers superior features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen, digital driver display, cooled front seats, and ambient lighting. There’s good space inside, and the use of materials makes it feel quite luxurious for the segment. There are lots of practical storage spaces, too. Overall, the Sonet has a very comfortable and rich feel inside.
The Venue also looks nice inside but is less premium than the Sonet. It has a decent 8-inch touchscreen, a simple, clutter-free dashboard layout, and comfortable seats. The space is good enough for 4 adults. Convenient, too, thanks to 350 litres of boot space, which can fit quite a lot of luggage. It has most of the features you’d need but misses some basic stuff like an auto-dimming mirror or rain-sensing wipers. Overall, the Venue offers a balanced and functional cabin but lacks the luxury of the Sonet.
3. Engine and Performance
The Sonet offers more engine options—a regular petrol, a turbo-petrol, and a diesel. The regular petrol is good enough for daily city drives. The turbo-petrol is more powerful and exciting to drive. The diesel is strong and gets excellent mileage.
The Venue has three engine choices – regular petrol, turbo-petrol and diesel. The regular petrol offers decent punch, while the turbo-petrol is a tiny engine but packs a real punch when you step on the gas. The diesel delivers good power and strong acceleration.
4. Mileage
Regarding mileage, both Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue offer fuel-efficient engines. The Sonet has a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a mileage of around 18.8 km/litre, which is pretty decent for city usage. The 1-litre turbo petrol engine paired with either an iMT or DCT gives close to 19 km/litre, which is impressive. Where the Sonet shines is the 1.5-litre diesel engine, which delivers an exceptional 22.3 km/litre with the manual transmission.
The Venue’s mileage figures are also respectable. Its 1.2-litre petrol motor gives about 17 km/litre, while the 1-litre turbo petrol engine with either a manual or DCT gives 18 km/litre. The highlight of the Venue is its 1.5-litre diesel engine, which returns 22 km/litre, almost at par with the oil burner in the Sonet.
5. Dimensions
The Sonet and Venue are subcompact SUVs with similar overall lengths and wheelbases. They are under 4 meters long and easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
However, the Sonet stands slightly taller at 1.57 meters compared to the Venue’s 1.62 meters. The Sonet’s extra ground clearance can be useful when driving over rough terrain or speed bumps.
The Bottom Line
Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue are compelling choices in the small SUV category. The Sonet shines for its very modern, upscale interior design and features. It also offers multiple efficient engine options. The Venue is no slouch either, with its bold exterior styling, balanced cabin space, and good mileage across powertrains.
Ultimately, the Sonet wins by a small margin for having that little bit extra regarding luxury, comfort, and driving dynamics. But the Venue still packs tremendous value, especially for city-focused buyers. Test drives would be recommended to get a personal feel for the rear seat space and driving comfort before deciding between the two. Each caters well to different tastes and priorities.
