Kia is the fastest carmaker to sell 3 lakh cars in our country and the Seltos and Sonet are the sole reasons for it.
Recently, we shared a rather funny video clip of a Kia Sonet owner who is evidently frustrated as the compact SUV had broken down twice on a trip to the hills. In frustration, the owner stated that the compact SUV is even more autonomous than Mahindra XUV700. The reasons she said it was because, obviously, she didn’t need to drive it while it was being transported to the workshop on a flatbed. However, we tried contacting the owner of the SUV and after some digging around, it was found out that her vehicle had suffered a DCT failure. Now, this is exactly where people need to be educated about these sophisticated transmissions.
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Kia Sonet Towed 2 Times in 2 Months Due to Improper Handling of DCT
In the video we have above, the frustrated Kia Seltos owner jokes that while the XUV70 requires minimum input from the driver when the ADAS functions are activated, the Kia SUV requires no driver input at all. That is because the vehicle is being transported on the bed of the towing truck. She explains that this has happened to them for the second time in just 2 months.
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As per the information shared by the owner, the Sonet was taken to the hills. She mentions the issues crop up whenever the vehicle is taken to the mountain roads. This is not really surprising considering the fact that there have been many such instances reported even with other DCT-equipped cars. It must be noted that the Sonet has been available with 1.0-litre-DCT combo. The instruction manuals of all DCT-equipped cars clearly states that when stopping on an incline, the car should be in N or P mode. Instead, some owners continue pressing the accelerator pedal slightly to avoid rolling backwards. This overheats the gearbox, which, in turn, leads to the breakdown.
Common Issue with all DCT-equipped Cars
The issue of breakdowns owing to overheating DCTs is even pretty common in congested metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Even over here, users keep the transmission engaged by maintaining a slight pressure on the accelerator pedal while crawling in the traffic. This heats up the transmission, leading to a breakdown. This issue is generally not prevalent in cars equipped with torque-converter automatic transmissions. However, compared to all other automatics, DCTs are far sportier and much more engaging to drive. They also have lesser transmission losses.
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Specs
Kia Sonet and Seltos have made Kia the most successful new car brand in the country as per sales over the last few years. These SUVs are packed with features to the gill and have attracted new customers at an unprecedented rate. However, there are a few owners who are not as impressed by the Sonet as the others. Here are the details of this incident.
Sonet is powered by a 1-litre turbo-petrol (120 PS / 172 Nm) with a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT. The 1.2-litre petrol (83 PS / 115 Nm) comes with a 5-speed MT (1.2-litre petrol), whereas the 1.5-litre diesel is paired with a standard 6-speed MT and an optional 6-speed AT. The Kia Sonet range is priced between ₹ 7.49 lakh and ₹13.99 lakh, ex-showroom. It rivals the likes of Hyundai Venue, Maruti Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300. What are your thoughts on the matter?
