Zigwheels PH most viewed for 2025: Kia Sonet

Kia Philippines — led by Ayala-owned ACMobility — has released the Sonet sometime last year. Despite being released in 2024, it still draws tons of views as many of our readers and site visitors tend to click on the said compact crossover in 2025. 

Landing a spot in our top 20 most viewed cars for the year, we understand why many car buyers have considered purchasing the model. To note, it is in tight competition with segment rivals Toyota Raize (which is in this list) and Mitsubishi XForce. 

That said, we will go over some of the reasons we believe why the Kia Sonet deserves to one of the most sough-after nameplates in 2025. 

Handsome exterior

There’s no denying that the Kia Sonet has the looks that blend sportiness and elegance in a small, attainable package. 

At the front, the compact city car boasts a sleek grille with small honeycomb patterns. These are flanked by lamps that seem to wrap around the edges of its fascia. A little lower sits its air vents garnished with silver trims, giving the appearance of a durable-looking skid plate. 

Onto its sides are strong, horizontal body lines that give the Kia Sonet a strong, chiseled profile when viewed from this angle. Here too, the crossover’s blacked-out claddings (on the wheel arches, lower portion of the doors, and side sills) are quite noticeable. 

And while we’re talking about blacked-out appointments, the vehicle also has black pillars and dark-colored roof rails. 

Boosting the character of the Kia Sonet is a set of two-tone wheels with a vortex-like design. We doubt it does anything aerodynamic-wise, but id splashes a dash of sportiness to the overall looks of the crossover. 

Its back side has several details such as LED taillamps connected by a light bar, a discreet roof-mounted spoiler with an integrated third brake lamp, and a boxy bumper that gives it a robust look. 

Overall, the looks alone of the Kia Sonet is enough for many car buyers since, let’s face it, one of the main factors that help us in deciding which vehicle to buy is the automobile’s looks. Adding to that, the design language of the compact crossover conveys the new image the Hyundai-owned brand has taken. 

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Modern interior 

We will won’t be surprised if those who viewed the Kia Sonet on our website are from today’s generation of car buyers. That’s because the cabin of the vehicle does appeal to more modern drivers due to the abundance of amenities that lean towards technology and convenience. 

Facing the driver is a D-shaped (or flat-bottom) steering wheel with multi-functional controls. Past it is a digital instrument panel measuring 10.25 inches. Here, relevant driving data in displayed in crisp detail, so those siting behind the wheel will not have to shift their focus just to see what’s on the gauge cluster. 

It is complemented by a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audio is sent to a six-speaker system with decent sound quality. 

The dashboard reflects its modern design with a simple and straightforward layout. The dash offers a touch of style with the textured surface and the piano black housing that holds the aforementioned screens together. 

Air conditioning controls are physical and tactile, which will be pleasing to older drivers who are more used to these types of buttons. Likewise, it gets a manual brake lever that gives off that satisfying — and reassuring — cranking sound when the bar is pulled up. 

For its seats, those who love earthy hues will be delighted to find that its upholstery comes in brown leather with perforation. These are not just plush, but also give decent bolstering for added comfort when taking on short or long drives. Having an armrest also helps provide drivers comfort when braving long trips. 

Decent power 

Propelling the Kia Sonet is the tried and tested 1.5-liter inline-4 engine paired with the marque’s intelligent variable transmission. The said setup dishes out some 113 horsepower and 144 Newton Meters of torque. 

While having the chance to drive the Kia Sonet for only a brief time, the author can say that it accelerates admirably and offers enough power to get from point A to point B. We are still to test the compact crossover to see how it fares in the freeway and how well can it match the pace of vehicles cruising in the expressways, so stay tuned to see our full review once we get our hands on a proper test unit. 

Chassis 

Supporting the Kia Sonet is a MacPherson strut arrangement at the fore and a coupled torsion beam axle setup at the rear. On that note, expect standard ride quality from the crossover since it gets basic suspension components. Nevertheless, this makes it durable, reliable, and easy to maintain compared to those with more complex devices. 

Stopping power comes from disc brakes front and back. In slow to average speeds, the said brake system offers smooth and dependable deceleration. 

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Safety 

The Kia Sonet is also a fairly safe vehicle thanks to a suite of technology including the Kia Drivewise advanced driver-assist system that adds the following features: 

• Forward collision avoidance assist
• Lane keeping and following assist 
• Parking distance warning 
• Driver assist warning 
• High beam assist 
• Down brake control 

Variants 

At the time of writing, the Kia Sonet is sold in four variants.

Here are their corresponding sticker prices: 

Kia Sonet LX MT	P778,000
Kia Sonet LX AT	P908,000
Kia Sonet EX AT	P1.018 million
Kia Sonet SX AT	P1.178 million

 

Also read:

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Karl Eldrew Yulo gifts parents brand-new Kia Seltos

Kia expands NEV line with EV5 introduction

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