Mahindra XUV 3XO Vs Kia Sonet: How Does Mahindra Fare Against Kia In The Sub-Compact SUV Category?

Indian automaker, Mahindra has been known in the country for its SUV portfolio and its reliability. In addition to that, the customer’s patriotic sentiments have led them to be ‘vocal for local’ giving Mahindra a much-needed boost. That coupled with great cars in its lineup namely the Scorpio N, Thar Roxx and XUV 700 have led to exponential growth of the company. While it was present in the sub-compact SUV category with its XUV 300, it was time for a much-needed revamp to it. Mahindra decided to do away with the XUV 300 and introduced the XUV 3XO, making it a like-for-like replacement. However, in a crowded space like the sub-compact SUV, it has to compete against German, Japanese and Korean automakers. One of these brands is Kia with two offerings in the category namely the Sonet and the Syros. While the Syros is more expensive, the Sonet falls in the same price bracket as the Mahindra XUV 3XO. Let’s see how the Mahindra XUV 3XO fares against the Kia Sonet in terms of engine, features, safety and pricing:

The Mahindra XUV 3XO and Kia Sonet are powered by three different powertrains. The Mahindra XUV 3XO is powered by a 1.2L three-cylinder turbocharged multi-point fuel injection engine producing 109.9 bhp and 200 Nm of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic (AT) transmission, a 1.2L three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine producing 128.7 bhp and 230 Nm of torque, paired with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic (AT) transmission, and a 1.5L four-cylinder turbo diesel with CRDe engine producing 115 bhp and 300 Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed manual and a six-speed AutoShift+ gearbox.

Kia Sonet, on the other hand, is powered by a 1.2L naturally aspirated four-cylinder Smartstream G 1.2 engine producing 81.8 bhp and 115 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, a 1.0L three-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 118.36 bhp and 172 Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed intelligent manual transmission and 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and a 1.5L four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine producing 114.41 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission and six-speed automatic transmission.

As budget sub-compact SUV offerings, both the cars are feature-loaded. The Mahindra XUV 3XO is equipped with features including rear AC vents, reverse parking sensors, skyroof, wireless charger, 10.2-inch digital infotainment system and digital instrument cluster, wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play, Bi-LED Projector Headlamps, LED DRLs, tyre pressure monitoring system and dual-zone climate control, among others. Whereas the Kia Sonet’s features include 10.25-inch digital infotainment system, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, remote control start and stop, front ventilated seats, electric sunroof, LED Ambient sound lighting and over-the-air updates, among others.

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The Mahindra XUV 3XO features Level 2 Assisted Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and 360-degree camera system with blind view monitor, available in its top variant whereas the Kia Sonet has only a Level 1 ADAS including forward collision warning (FCW), forward collision avoidance assist, Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), High Beam Assist (HBA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW) and Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), among others.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO has a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 7.99 lakh with the top variant priced at Rs 15.79 lakh whereas the Kia Syros has a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 7.99 lakh with the top variant priced at Rs 14.99 lakh.