iMT was a major upgrade for several of Kia and Hyundai cars. It was first offered with the petrol variants and later introduced with diesel as well. While iMT offers a range of benefits such as clutchless gearshifts, it does have a learning curve.
This is especially true for folks who are accustomed to using the conventional manual gearbox. Sources tell Rushlane that Kia will soon bring back manual transmission option with diesel variants of Seltos and Sonet. Whether iMT is retained or discontinued with diesel variants remains to be seen.
Seltos and Sonet share the same diesel engine. The 1.5-litre CRDi VGT churns out 116 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. Transmission choices include 6iMT and 6AT. Petrol engine options are different in case of Seltos and Sonet. Seltos has a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine and a 1.5-litre turbo petrol unit. The former makes 115 PS and 144 Nm. It is mated to either 6MT or IVT gearbox. The turbo unit makes 160 PS and 253 Nm. It has 6iMT and 7DCT as transmission choices.
Sonet petrol options include a 1.2-litre NA petrol and a 1.0-litre turbo unit. The former makes 83 PS and 115 Nm. It is offered with a sole 5-speed manual transmission. The turbo unit makes 120 PS and 172 Nm. Transmission choices include 6iMT and 7DCT.
With the ongoing festive season, Kia will be looking to bring back the diesel MT for Seltos and Sonet as soon as possible. Both Seltos and Sonet need a push, as rivals are giving tough competition. In compact SUV segment, Seltos was usually ranked at the second spot, next to Hyundai Creta. However, in recent times, Maruti Grand Vitara has been ranked second in specific months.
Sonet is facing even stronger headwinds with entry of new rivals such as Maruti Fronx and Hyundai Exter. In Sep, Sonet was ranked 9th in the list of best selling sub-compact SUVs. Hopefully, addition of diesel MT could help regain some of the lost ground. Sonet is also scheduled to get its facelift version. It could be launched later this year or early next year. It will come with new features such as ADAS.
iMT transmission may take some time to master. Once that is done, iMT offers the best of both worlds. However, there can be some issues that users may encounter. For example, the gear changes may not be as smooth as desired at low speeds. This is due to the time taken for the actuator to engage the clutch. Some users may also face issues when accelerating in first gear.
Another reported issue is that iMT may not be suitable for specific environments such as hilly terrain. Wear and tear of the iMT gearbox could also be higher if not used in the recommended manner. In comparison, a standard manual gearbox is simpler to use and ensures an optimal sense of control.