First Drive Review: Kia Stonic
Monday, 14 December 2020
KIA STONIC
Price range: $21,990 to $33,990.
Powertrains: 1.4-litre petrol inline four-cylinder with 74kW/133Nm, 6.7L/100km, six-speed automatic transmission, FWD (LX, EX and Limited) or 1.0-litre turbo petrol inline three-cylinder with 74kW/172Nm, 5.4L/100km, seven-speed dual clutch transmission, FWD (GT-Line and GT-Line+).
Body style: Five-door SUV.
On sale: Now.
The Compact SUV segment is the hottest market in the game these days, with every manufacturer getting in on the jacked-up baby car act. Now Kia has charged head-long into the segment with the Rio-based Stonic, shaking things up with some very sharp pricing.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Following on from an extremely successful launch strategy of aggressive introductory pricing with the latest Sportage SUV, Kia followed up with an even more successful launch of the Seltos that saw the company power through the coronavirus pandemic with strong sales, even briefly unseating Toyota for the top spot recently.
**READ MORE:
* Kia upgrades the Rio for 2021
* Cerato GT does give you something to go with the bling
* Kia Niro Ex - the hybrid you might buy when you're not shopping for a hybrid
**
While having a product consumers actually want is a big part of the equation, Kia successfully leveraged this with some incredibly sharp pricing, particularly on the entry level models that went a long way in driving their sales success.
And now, with the launch of the Stonic compact crossover SUV, the company has done it again and is reaping even better sales as a result.
Kia has launched the Stonic in New Zealand at the incredibly competitive range-starting introductory price (only until December 31st) of just $21,990 for the entry LX model, with the rest of the range remaining strongly competitive as well. Slotting in above the LX, the EX retails for $27,990, while the Limited will land at $29,990.
The LX, EX and Limited are all powered by Kia’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 74kW of power and 133Nm of torque and is hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Coming in above the Limited are the GT Line and GT Line+ models for $31,990 and $33,990 respectively. These are both powered by the company’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine that packs 74kW of power as well, but drops its larger 171Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm.
The three-cylinder engine is attached to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. All Stonic models are FWD only.
All versions of the Stonic come with LED daytime running lights at the front, while the
Limited and GT Line+ also get LED combination lights at the rear, as well as LED headlights, while the others get bi-function projection headlights with static bending.
Roof rails and rear spoiler are standard, while all but the LX model get rear privacy glass and alloy wheels are standard across the range, with15-inch for the LX, 16-inch for the EX and different styles of 17-inch wheels for the Limited and GT Line models.
Inside the Stonic comes standard with a new 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which also displays the reversing camera with dynamic guidelines. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard on every model.
Satellite navigation is standard on the Limited, GT-Line and GT-Line+, while all models feature a 4.2-inch TFT LCD colour instrument cluster.
All models of Stonic also get Kia’s latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) as standard, which includes forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian, vehicle and cyclist recognition, lane keep assist, driver attention alert and lane follow assist.
Every model above the entry level LX gets adaptive cruise control, while rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring are also standard on the EX, Limited and GT Line+.
Where did you drive it?
A simple one-on-one launch was the order of the day for the Stonic, with just a single example available – so we were free to head off in our own direction. And we did.
The only model available for the launch was a Limited, so we grabbed the bright yellow example and headed out to some of our favourite roads out towards the Clevedon coast.
Of course, it started raining almost immediately, but this just served to highlight the Stonic’s impressive composure and stability for something so small.
The ride is firmer than you would expect, but the utter confidence the Stonic displayed over the varying quality of road surfaces out Clevedon way was impressive.
Out on the open road, the 1.4-litre engine tries its best, but is still far better suited to an urban environment, quickly running out of breath as it climbs in the revs and not really having the torque to keep the Stonic on the boil on a winding road.
But around town it is perfectly at home and while the six-speed auto can occasionally be a tad clunky and slow if you catch it off guard, it is generally an very good shifter.
As the Stonic is based on the Rio, we fully expect the 1.0-litre triple in the GT-Line models to address all these open-road issues, just as it did in the Rio (although it did have its own issues…).
What’s the pick of the range?
We only drove the remarkably well-equipped Limited, but were impressed with its value for money and quality.
While it isn’t quite the budget-hero the entry EX is, the Limited offers up an impressive amount of standard kit for $29,990 and looks even better in the metal than it does in pictures.
Although based on experience with the Rio with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and DCT, we suspect the GT-Line models may just be the sweet spot of the range.
Why would I buy it?
Because you want a compact city crossover that offers excellent value for money, looks great and is roomy and comfortable. Plus the lower-spec models are also impressively affordable.
Why wouldn’t I buy it?
Unless you are going for the entry-level model simply for its remarkable price, it could pay to wait and check out the GT-Line models with their stronger engines.
There is a vast array of options in the compact SUV segment these days and while the Stonic stands out with its value for money, there is no shortage excellent choices with strong pricing.