Kia Sonet X Line infotainment review: Why this screen matters more than ever

The infotainment system is now a buying decision. For a long time in India, a car's infotainment was a tiebreaker. In 2026, it is closer to a deal maker. A Deloitte study, cited across recent connected car market reports including Market Data Forecast's India Connected Car analysis (January 2026), finds that over 60% of Indian consumers now prioritise connectivity features when choosing a new vehicle, with the share even higher in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Virtue Market Research's India Connected Car study echoes the same number, reporting that more than 60% of Indian buyers now prefer smart infotainment systems with AI voice assistants, real-time navigation and personalised media over conventional setups. That is the context in which the Kia Sonet X Line lives.

Why the Kia case is worth looking at

Kia is no longer a new brand in India. In March 2026, it sold 29,112 units, of which the Sonet alone contributed 12,012, a 56% year on year jump, per Autopunditz's Kia India sales analysis. The same month, Spinny and SIAM data put Kia comfortably in the top five passenger vehicle brands in the country, behind Maruti Suzuki, Tata, Hyundai and Toyota.


That demand is not happening in isolation. In January 2026, Kia India announced it had crossed 500,000 connected cars on Indian roads, with connected variants now contributing close to 40% of its domestic wholesales. By April 2026, Kia Connect had crossed one lakh paid subscription renewals after the complimentary three-year window ran out, with a 30% plus retention rate. Globally, Kia reports a 97% enrolment rate on the same platform. And then Google moved the goalposts.

The infotainment screen is also the surface where Android Auto and Apple CarPlay live, which is exactly why this week matters. Just last night, at The Android Show: I/O Edition, Google announced what it called the biggest Android Auto rework in years: a Material 3 Expressive redesign, widgets on the car display, Immersive Navigation with 3D buildings and lane level guidance, FHD 60fps video apps including YouTube while parked, Dolby Atmos audio in supported cars, and Gemini Intelligence with Magic Cue that can scan your texts, email and calendar to answer questions and draft replies on its own.

Google named the launch-supported manufacturers. Kia is on the list, alongside BMW, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Skoda, Tata and Volvo. Which is what makes reviewing the Sonet X Line's infotainment in May 2026 interesting. You are not just looking at what it does today. You are looking at the runway.

The system, on its own merits

The Sonet X Line, the current top petrol trim, gives you two 10.25-inch screens, one for instruments and one for the central HD touchscreen, running Kia's latest ccNC (Connected Car Navigation Cockpit) generation interface. The display is sharp, has the brightness to hold up against Mumbai afternoon sun, and the touch response is quick enough that it does not feel laggy in the way some segment rivals still do. Menus are logically laid out. The home screen is customisable. Native navigation works, but most owners are going to project their phone within a week, which is the right instinct.

The big asterisk on hardware is connectivity. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on the Sonet are wired only. In 2026, this feels behind. You sit in the car, you reach for your cable, you remember that the wireless charger right next to you is now just a charger. It is a usable system, but it is no longer a current-generation choice.

Audio output is genuinely good. The seven-speaker Bose setup is the most pleasant surprise in this segment at this price, and is where the Sonet X Line earns its premium positioning more than any other single feature.

The voice assistant decision is hard to explain

Here is the part of the review that does not have a satisfying answer. The Sonet X Line has a physical voice button on the steering wheel. In every other modern phone-connected car, that button is the most important shortcut on the wheel because it triggers Google Assistant on Android Auto and Siri on CarPlay, which is where most users actually want their voice interaction to live.

On the Sonet, even with Android Auto or CarPlay running, the voice button routes back to Kia's own "Hello Kia" voice assistant. To get to Google Assistant or Siri, you have to long-press, or trigger it from the phone, or tap the assistant tile on the projected interface itself.

Kia's voice assistant is not bad. It understands English, Hindi, Tamil and Bengali. It can control the climate, windows, sunroof, and seat ventilation. It can pull cricket scores and weather, and it is one of the most localised native voice systems in the Indian market. But it is not Google Assistant, and the people who plug their phone in have already decided which assistant they want. The car overruling that choice on a hardware button feels like a UX decision in search of a justification. There is no setting in the current Sonet X Line trims that lets you change what the steering wheel voice button does, and there is no obvious reason this should be the case. Especially since, with Gemini Intelligence coming to Android Auto later this year, Google's assistant is about to get materially more useful inside the car. Kia owners need that button to be reroutable.

Kia Connect: where the system actually pulls ahead

The other half of the Sonet X Line's infotainment value is Kia Connect, which is the in-car experience extended to your phone, smartwatch and Alexa. The current Kia Connect 2.0 platform offers more than a hundred features across five pillars: navigation, remote control, convenience, vehicle management, and safety and security.

In day-to-day use, the ones that get used most are remote engine start with pre-cooled cabin (genuinely useful in a Mumbai summer), remote lock and unlock, find my car via 360 degree surround view monitoring through the app, geo fence and valet alerts, air quality readout, and one tap SOS and roadside assistance from the rear view mirror. The Sonet supports more than 70 of these features remotely through the Kia Connect app or smartwatch.

The piece that quietly matters more than most others is OTA. Kia Connect now pushes over-the-air updates for infotainment, maps, safety controllers and some performance ECUs, which means the car you bought yesterday can actually get smarter next quarter. Combined with Kia being on Google's named list for the upcoming Android Auto features, the Sonet X Line is one of the few sub fifteen lakh cars in the country where there is a reasonable expectation that the infotainment will materially improve through 2026 and 2027 without you doing anything.

A note on the drive

The infotainment review is the story here, but the package matters. The 1.0 Turbo Petrol DCT under the X Line is willing in the city and confident on the expressway, ride quality is composed, the steering is light enough for metro cities and weighted enough for short speed bouts, and the ADAS layer is mild but present. None of this is a reason to buy this trim. The screens, the audio and the Kia Connect ecosystem are.

The takeaway

The Sonet X Line is currently one of the best infotainment systems money can buy in the Indian compact SUV segment. Sharp screens, the best stock audio in the class, a deep connected suite in Kia Connect, and a runway of upcoming Android Auto upgrades from Google that the brand is on the launch list for.

The two things to be honest about are the wired-only Android Auto and CarPlay, and the voice button that refuses to hand off to Google Assistant or Siri. Both are fixable. One needs new hardware. The other needs a toggle in a software menu. Kia is one of the most software-forward mass market brands selling in India today. There is no good reason it should not fix the second one before the next OTA.