Hyundai Venue N-Line vs Kia Sonet GT-Line – Which one is the sportier sub-compact SUV?

When Kia launched the Sonet in India in two versions, the Tech Line and the GT-Line, the latter impressed the younger buyers with its sportier take on visual appeal. While it is an expensive proposition, the sportier red accents and all-black cabin of the GT-Line made the sub-compact SUV feel even more premium.

Now, Hyundai wants to make the new-generation buyers feel the same with its newly-launched Venue N-Line. Designed along the lines of the i20 N-Line, the new Hyundai Venue N-Line also gets a host of visual tweaks, thus making it a sportier advancement over the regular version of the Venue. We compare Hyundai Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line and find out which one offers you more bang for your buck. 

Price

While the Hyundai Venue N-Line is available as a petrol-automatic SUV only, with its prices ranging between Rs 12.16 lakh to Rs 13.15 lakh, the Kia Sonet is available with both petrol and diesel engine options, the prices for which vary between Rs 12.59 lakh to Rs 13.79 lakh. Following are the variant-wise prices of both Hyundai Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line:

Hyundai Venue N-Line

• N6 – Rs 12.16 lakh
• N8 – Rs 13.15 lakh

Kia Sonet GT-Line

• GTX Plus 1.0 iMT – Rs 12.59 lakh
• GTX Plus 1.5 MT – Rs 12.99 lakh
• GTX Plus 1.0 DCT – Rs 13.19 lakh
• GTX Plus 1.5 AT – Rs 13.79 lakh

(All prices mentioned above are ex-showroom, pan India) 

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Engine and Performance

The Hyundai Venue N-Line shares its 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with the Kia Sonet GT-Line. Here, in the Venue N-Line, the engine is offered with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard in both of its variants, and produces 120 PS of power and 172 Nm of torque, much like in the Kia Sonet GT-Line.

The Kia Sonet GT-Line, on the other hand, offers more versatile powertrain combinations. It also offers the combination of a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, but here, there is another gearbox option of a 6-speed iMT for the petrol engine. In addition, the Kia Sonet GT-Line is also available with a 1.5-litre diesel engine. This powertrain claims 100 PS of power and 240 Nm of torque with a 6-speed manual gearbox and 115 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Petrol

Diesel

Exterior and Dimension

When it comes to dimensions, the Kia Sonet GT-Line has a clear advantage over the Hyundai Venue N-Line. While both the SUVs are equally longer, the Sonet GT-Line is a wider and taller SUV, while having more boot space and higher ground clearance on offer.

Design

Both the Hyundai Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line are based on their regular versions but come with a host of garnish elements which help them look sportier in comparison. Starting with the Hyundai Venue N-Line, the SUV retains the heavily-revised front fascia with the new chrome-studded grille of the regular version, but gets the N-Line badge on it. The front and rear bumpers also look different with red accents, and there are additional red-coloured touches on the roof rails and front brake callipers. The design for the 16-inch machined alloy wheels also looks different from those of the standard Venue.

Like the Hyundai Venue N-Line, the Kia Sonet GT-Line also comes with a host of red touches over the standard version of the SUV, known as Tech-Line. The Sonet GT-Line comes with red-coloured inserts on the piano black front grille, which also bears a GT-Line badge. The front bumper looks revised here with vent-like elements over the skid plate, which also comes garnished with a red strip at its bottom. The Sonet GT-Line gets the same 16-inch machined alloy wheels as the top-spec Tech-Line model but gets a red finish for the wheel hubs and brake callipers. The SUV gets further red touches on the strip over the door cladding on the side and over the faux exhaust opening designs on both sides.

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Interior and Features

On the inside too, both the Hyundai Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line get special treatment over their regular-looking counterparts. Starting with the Venue N-Line, the SUV gets an all-black theme with red accents and N-Line logos for the cabin, unlike the dual-tone black and beige of the standard Venue. The Venue N-Line also gets a different three-spoke steering wheel, which it shares with the i20 N-Line. The Venue N-Line is packed with premium features like an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a dashcam with dual cameras, ambient lighting, a powered driver’s seat and a new fully-digital instrument console.

Like the Hyundai Venue N-Line, the Kia Sonet GT-Line also ditches the black and beige upholstery of the Tech Line variants for a sportier all-black cabin with red accents. It also gets red stitches and GT-Line badges on the seats, steering wheel, door armrests and transmission cover. The AC vents here are surrounded by dark chrome rings, while it also gets sporty-looking aluminium pedals.

Verdict

While both the Hyundai Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line offer a decent amount of sportier garnishes and add-ons, we feel that the Sonet GT-Line comes across as a more versatile option, thanks to the varied engine and gearbox options it offers. Also, while both the Venue N-Line and Kia Sonet GT-Line are almost the same in performance due to the turbo-petrol-automatic powertrain shared between them, the latter offers a slightly longer equipment list and is also the bigger car in terms of dimensions.

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