How have Kia Sonet owners found the long term reliability of the car?
It’s been a few years since the Kia Sonet has been around on Indian roads and like any new model, there are questions regarding its long term reliability. Given that Sonet is feature rich and has complex powertrains like 1.0L turbo petrol, potential buyers want to know how the car performs after the first honeymoon period. People are interested in knowing about common problems that owners have had, the cost and frequency of maintenance, and how Kia's after sales service is handling any problems. In fact, there are also some discussions about reliability of certain components such as DCT transmission or touchscreen infotainment system. What is of interest in this question is the ownership experience of the long term Sonet owners, any recurrent problems they faced and how the car has stood over a period of time in terms of build quality and performance.
My Sonet is over 2 years old now and it's been surprisingly trouble free. Regular services, no big problems. It still has the turbo engine pulling well and the interior holding up.
After around 18 months my Sonet DCT transmission started playing up. If it was in slow traffic, it would jerk. It was a pain though, so I had Kia fix it under warranty.
Results for overall reliability have been good, with persistent infotainment problems. It freezes occasionally and needs a restart. But Kia's software updates haven't completely fixed it.
I can vouch for the reliability of the Sonet because I take it for a taxi drive daily, and it still running after 80,000 km on the odo. Regular maintenance is key.
I’d hoped the build quality would be a bit more solid. After just a year I'm getting rattles from the dashboard and doors. It's not a major thing, but annoying for a car at this level.
With Kia service, it’s hit or miss. There are some great centers, and some not so great. Parts availability has been good though, which is key to long term ownership.
It's been a reliable 1.0L turbo engine, but thirsty. The running costs are worse than Kia claims, with long term fuel efficiency.
As a relatively new brand in India, I was worried about long term reliability. And after 3 years, I'm impressed. It’s as tight and responsive feeling as day one.
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