Kia made some noise at this week’s 2020 Auto Expo in India, and among its big reveals were two concept cars: the Sonet and the Seltos X-Line.First up is the Sonet, which is an entirely new compact SUV from the Korean carmaker. It’s a stylish little concept that features Kia’s design cues, most notably the signature tiger-nose grille. In fact, it looks a lot like the Seltos from the front end. The Kia Sonet aims to cater to the tech-savvy crowd, with a cabin that boasts a 10.25-inch infotainment and navigation system with UVO connect, a premium Bose audio setup, and an intelligent manual transmission. Its maker has yet to reveal any further details, but Kia has confirmed that this will be launched in India by the second half of this year.
At first that may seem faintly ridiculous, but when you look at the Venn diagram of price, proportions and performance, the Ateca lives in a little world of its own. To get vaguely comparable speed and power from any other medium-sized SUV, you’re looking at spending around £50k+ on a Porsche Macan S or an Audi SQ5. But although it may be marooned in its own micro-sector, that doesn’t mean it has a free pass. A £40,000-ish Seat – sorry, Cupra – has a lot to prove, starting with how it drives
Pros Hot hatch performance with SUV styling and practicality
Cons £40k for a Seat with somewhat unconvincing branding
The Cupra Ateca SUV is a brilliant family car that’s fast and great to drive, but you’ll have to accept its gloomy interior and boy racer exterior complete with tuner-esque branding.
Pros Surprisingly nimble Fizzing performance Still practical
Cons Boy racer looks Dark, gloomy interior A VW Golf R costs less
