The Kia Sonet recently made its debut in India in production form with the launch coming up next month. The Sonet will be available in six trim levels – five in the standard Tech Line spec, and one with the sporty GT Line cosmetic pack. The Tech Line variants on offer will be the entry-level HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, and HTX+ while the GT Line will be available solely in the fully-loaded GTX+.

And we are here to explain to you the differences between the Tech Line and the GT Line.

Let us start with the differences on the exterior on both the lines. Apart from a badge on the grille, the Sonet GT Line gets red accents on the signature ‘Tiger Nose’ grille, a different design for the front air intake, red accents for the lip, wheel center caps and at the base of the doors, red brake calipers (front only), and a black rear bumper with a red highlight for the chrome-lined faux exhaust finish.

On the inside, the most noticeable difference is the color scheme – the GT Line has an all-black interior with GT Line logos and contrast red stitching for the seats, gear lever, and steering wheel. Depending on the variant, the Sonet Tech Line will have an all-black interior, or a black-and-beige interior with silver surrounds for the AC vents.

Kia Sonet Tech Line interior

Kia Sonet GT Line interior

The Sonet Tech Line will be available across the board with more variants to choose from the base HTE to a well-kitted-out HTX+, while the GT Line will only be available in one fully-loaded GTX+ form. The Kia Sonet HTX+ – the highest version in the Tech Line – is almost on par with the GTX+ on equipment, but misses out on 6 airbags (Tech Line models only get 2 airbags), front parking sensors and wireless smartphone charging.

In terms of powertrain, there are a total of three engine and five gearbox options for the Kia Sonet, and all of those are available with the Tech Line models. The GT Line as of now can only be had with the 1.0-liter turbo-petrol paired to a 6-speed iMT or a dual-clutch automatic transmission that makes 120 bhp and 172 Nm of peak torque and a 1.5-liter diesel engine that makes 100 bhp and 240 Nm of torque when paired with the 6-speed manual, and a meatier 115 bhp and 250 Nm of torque when paired with the 6-speed automatic.

The naturally-aspirated 1.2 petrol making 82 bhp and 115 Nm torque will only be available in HTE, HTK, and HTK+ trims; the 1.0-liter turbo-petrol is available HTK+ onwards, while both automatic options – the 7-speed DCT (turbo-petrol) and 6-speed torque converter auto (turbo-diesel) – will be offered in the mid-spec HTK+. The iMT will be available with all variants except for the base HTE and HTK trims.

The Sonet will be rivaling the likes of Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300.