The current oil crisis might have sidelined the Sonet as electrified cars boomed in sales. Even in its own lineup, the Sonet was the last pure combustion engined vehicle launched, as those after it were either hybrids or BEVs. But the Sonet doesn’t let itself be overlooked by its flashy siblings. It has its own flair that leads to great value despite the tumultuous times we are in right now.

It looks great at first, second, and many more glances. It dons the new aesthetic of Kia very well and has that mature stance despite its subcompact dimension. The front face is a bit busy, but it stops there. The other sides of the Sonet have just the right amount of contours to avoid being bland.

The cabin is what captivated me the most. It puts your money in the right places and results in a great aesthetic especially here at the front row. It’s a whole new world, so to speak, compared to the likes of the Raize or the Creta. People who like to see where their money went will certainly appreciate this. We have leather seats, padded contact points, and a good design overall for the dashboard. I also commend how the gloss black trims are relegated to non-touch areas. This is why despite this unit having more than 25,000 kilometers, there’s minimal scratches in these glossy surfaces.

What I loved about the Sonet most is it has everything I’d want in a modern car. Aside from being a crossover, it has USB Type C ports, rear air vents, Apple and Android connectivity, climate control, Wireless charger, rear camera, and a full suite of Advanced Driver Assist System. There’s even a sunroof for extra aesthetic when driving at night.

It also helps that the Sonet is very easy to drive. It doesn’t have a turbo and yet the 1.5-liter engine doesn’t seem stressed in carrying the car even under full load. Acceleration is easy to manage and the brakes are very comfortable—a word that’s rare to use in describing brakes. The Sonet doesn’t have an electronic parking Brake or auto brake hold, and so one would think it would be as stressful to operate in stop and go traffic situations, but the opposite is true. It doesn’t need a deep press in order to hold, and so your leg won’t be stressed in such scenarios.

The ride is also very comfortable although it would pray for a bit of mercy come curvy roads. It can tolerate EDSA and C5’s truck lanes but has noticeable body roll, which again, can be forgiven. There won’t be any problems though for city driving for sure.

Best thing about the Sonet is the efficiency. This beauty can pull off 9.5 km/L in the city with normal traffic and reaches 22.7 km/L on the highway. Granted, you don’t pull off a lot of overtakes. Still, that’s a good figure for a non-turbocharged engine in this size of a car.

There’s not much to say about this car other than its good despite the price. It’s no wonder that before the crisis, we see a growing number of these on the road. The only downside it has, unfortunately, is it’s not electrified. You can’t fault it for missing that though.

In my opinion, the previous Kia Stonic chased a price point. Kia did a different take with the Sonet and just decided, again in my opinion, to be the best they can, then manage the price point later. It really is nicely kitted considering the price. If you are not ready for electrified cars yet and need a small one for the city and weekend getaways, the Kia Sonet SX remains to be a great choice.