2021 Kia Stonic

So here we have the new 2021 Kia Stonic, designed with practicality in mind.  It’s said to be a small SUV, and I guess I’m getting more and more used to the ‘anything looking like a raised Hatchback’ getting the letters SUV alongside them.  Still, the Kia Stonic is a fun car that has Kia’s signature grille and nice wide lower air intake running almost the full width of the car.  These features lend themselves to giving the Stonic a rather appealing face with sporty lines running over the length of the car’s body shape.  The black trimmings that run around the wheel arches continue along the sills, helping to promote, at the very least, some mildly rugged SUV genes and SUV styling cues into the Stonic SUV.

The Kia Stonic comes with some great standard equipment across the range.  All versions are fitted with snazzy LED daytime running lights, neatly integrated roof rails and a cute rear spoiler. Alloy wheels start from 15-inches for the LX entry model, while the top of the range Limited is fitted with larger 17-inch wheels with plenty of jazz.  There is no doubt that the Stonic is a nice looking small car.

So, the Stonic is actually based on, “surprise, surprise”, the Kia Rio Hatchback.  It has an identical 2580 mm wheelbase.  As can be seen, the new Stonic rides 70 mm higher and has an added 35 mm to the Rio’s width measurement.  As I mentioned: it really is a glorified hatchback on stilts but we can call it a small SUV to keep everyone happy!

Kia have also pulled and stretched the back end of the Hatchback shape out to give the Stonic’s boot an extra 70 mm in luggage space – which is pretty handy and quite possibly the handiest ‘everyday’ alteration on the original Rio Hatchback design.  Boot space is thus a larger 332 litres when the rear seats are up and in place.  The rear seats have a 60:40 split-fold design, which will enlarge the boot space to 1135 litres once you fold the rear seats down flat.

Inside the Stonic you’ll find the cabin is a very practical space with numerous storage areas throughout, including a centre console box, cup holders for a tonic, and bottle holders in each door.  The Stonic is well put together but does feel a bit budget in its materials and trim.  However, that’s what would be expected in this price bracket.  The Stonic still boasts a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shifter on all models.

2021 Kia Stonic

Infotainment systems are the bee’s knees these days.  Everything seems to be bright lights and glitzy electronics, so we find that the 2021 Kia Stonic has its newly upgraded 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six speakers to keep pace with the changing times.  There’s also a reversing camera with dynamic guidelines that are included as standard, making life very easy for drivers who would otherwise struggle in tight city carparks.  Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also part of the Stonic kit, and smartphone connectivity is standard across every model.  Satellite navigation makes its appearance in the Limited models, while all models feature a 4.2-inch TFT LCD colour instrument display to deliver key information to the driver.

Out for a drive and you’ll notice that the Kia Stonic rides pleasantly, thanks to predominantly being tuned specifically for our Australian road conditions once rolling off the boat.  The steering is light and nimble and you can turn through 180 degrees in only a 5.2 metre arc.  Under the hood lies a peppy motor with a 1.4-litre capacity and it is standard across the bread and butter Stonic models.  This petrol engine is mated to a conventional six-speed automatic and uses Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) technology to tease out the best bits of the 74 kW and 133 Nm available.  Around town cruising is where this powerplant loves to be. On the open road the engine keeps up at the legal limit but you can hear the engine working a little harder than some other small engines in this class of car.

If you want to take your Stonic on the open road more regularly, then the GT Line and GT Line+ get their power from a gutsy 1.0-litre, three-cylinder GDi Turbo petrol engine.  This motor is mated to a more conventional seven-speed dual clutch transmission arrangement and feels all the perkier for it.  The 1.0-litre has an identical power output of 74 kW, however with a much lustier 171 Nm of torque now available there is a manlier feel to the way the Stonic gets up and goes or just cruises the motorway.  It also offers better fuel economy, with an average of around 6 litres/100 km easily attainable.  CO2 emissions are a pretty decent 125g/km.

Small and light aren’t always a great recipe for safety but the Kia Stonic feels well-made and boasts plenty of safety features.  The 2017 Euro NCAP test gave it 3 from 5 stars, so there are other models that fare better in this regard.  Still, features like Hill-Start Assist Control, Electronic Stability Assist (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Rear Parking Sensors, Front Parking Sensors (excludes LX), Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist Rear (excludes LX and GT line) and Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist (excludes LX and GT line) are available and working with the best intentions.

What other options are out there?  Well you could look at a Toyota Yaris Cross, Mazda CX-3 and a Volkswagen T-Cross, though life in the small SUV market is very congested.  The three mentioned above are arguably the best in the small SUV class.  The Kia Stonic offers a very good package for a very good price. Plusher interiors, stronger standard safety features and few more mod cons like wireless charging would make it too a top-spot contender – particularly with the energetic 1.0 Turbo purring away under the hood.

2021 Kia Stonic

The 2021 Kia Stonic models include the:

• Stonic LX
• Stonic EX
• Stonic Limited
• Stonic GT Line
• Stonic GT Line+

For any more information on a new Kia or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Kia dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!