Kia Sonet vs Mahindra XUV300: a battle royale of the compact SUVs

Kia Sonet is equipped with a host of features, including a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen with navigation and live traffic information, Bose premium seven-speaker sound system with subwoofer, remote engine start, over-the-air (OTA) map updates and wireless smartphone charger with cooling function.

The Mahindra XUV300 also comes with a decent set of features such as dual-zone climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, steering modes, rear parking camera, front parking sensors, and a sunroof.

However, it does not offer connected car features and a wireless charger like Sonet.

The price of Kia's Sonet starts at ₹6.71 lakh and goes all the way up to ₹11.99 lakh.

Mahindra's XUV300 (ex-showroom) price starts at ₹7.95 Lakh and goes up to ₹12.3 Lakh.

The Sonet is available across 17 variants, including two petrol engines, two diesel engines (WGT and VGT configurations), five transmissions and two trim levels — Tech Line and GT-Line. The petrol variant will have a 1-litre GDI delivering power of 120 PS and another 1.2-litre G1 engine with a power of 83 PS. At the same time, the diesel option is powered by a 1.5 litre CRDi engine.

Mahindra offers the XUV300 in 13 variants — out of which, 5 are powered by petrol, and 8 are powered by diesel. Mahindra XUV300 W8 (O) AMT Diesel is the base version. And, Mahindra XUV300 W8 (O) AMT Diesel is the top-end version.

The Sonet comes with six airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ESC (electronic stability control), HAC (hill-start assist control), VSM (vehicle stability management) and BA (brake assist), Front and rear parking sensors, Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), Auto headlamps, and an ISOFIX child-seat anchoring point.

The Mahindra XUV 300 also bagged a 5 star NCAP safety rating. The car offers dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD, corner braking control, all 4 disc brakes, ISOFIX, collapsible steering and side intrusion beam, driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, speed-sensing door lock, impact sensing door unlock, high mounted stop lamp and panic braking signal.