In the run up to the RDE emission norms that will be effective from April 1, Kia has rolled out some important updates to almost its entire line-up in India. The Carens, Seltos and Sonet see major changes to their powertrain line-up. While prices for the updated Kia models are yet to be announced officially, here’s a rundown of all changes that have arrived on the Carens, Seltos and Sonet.
- New 1.5 turbo-petrol on Carens, Seltos replaces 1.4 turbo unit
- Sonet gets more powerful diesel-MT powertrain, new iMT gearbox
Kia Carens
What’s in: The biggest update on the Carens is a new 160hp, 253Nm, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that recently debuted on the Alcazar, and will soon be offered on the all-new Verna. This new engine brings a 20hp and 11Nm bump in output over the outgoing engine. It's on offer with a new 6-speed iMT gearbox as standard across the range, while higher-spec models get a 7-speed DCT gearbox. Additionally, the 1.5-litre diesel engine also gets the 6-speed iMT gearbox now.
What’s out: The older 140hp, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit has been discontinued. Kia, also, no longer offers the option of a manual gearbox with the turbo-petrol or diesel engines as they've been replaced by the 6-speed iMT unit. The 115hp, NA petrol is the only engine with a manual gearbox on offer.
Kia Seltos
What’s in: Initially, the Seltos will only come with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and turbo-diesel engines. Like the Carens, the Seltos’ 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine will also be replaced by the new 1.5-litre unit, but that will likely be introduced at a later point of time, possibly with the midlife facelift that’s expected towards the middle of the year.
The 1.5-litre NA petrol continues with the 6-speed manual and CVT gearboxes as before, but the diesel engine gets the new 6-speed iMT gearbox along with the 6-speed torque converter automatic continuing from before.
What’s out: Like the Carens, the manual gearbox has been given a miss on the diesel. The 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine have also been discontinued for now.
Kia Sonet
What’s in: Unlike the above two models, the Sonet only sees changes to its diesel engine line-up. So long, the diesel engine on the Sonet was offered in two states of tune: 100hp (MT) and 115hp (AT). With the RDE update, both gearboxes now come with the 115hp state-of-tune, which also brings it in line with the updated Venue. The 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol and the 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engines continue as is.
As far as gearbox options are concerned, the diesel mill gets the 6-speed iMT gearbox in place of the 6-speed MT, while the 6-speed torque converter has been carried over as is. The gearbox options on the petrol engines remain unchanged.
What’s out: Buyers of the Sonet will miss out on a diesel-MT powertrain as that's replaced by the iMT unit.
Lastly, the 220hp, 2.2-litre diesel engine that’s offered on the Carnival MPV also gets updated to meet the new emission norms, but the specifications and configuration remain unchanged.
Do you think the lack of a diesel-MT powertrain from the entire line-up will be a major miss? Let us know in the comments below.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
