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Driven: Kia Stonic ‘2’ 1.0 T-GDi. Image by Kia.

Driven: Kia Stonic ‘2’ 1.0 T-GDi
Can Kia’s lightly revamped small SUV woo customers with its focus on value and practicality?

   



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Kia Stonic '2' 1.0 T-GDi

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Even Kia would admit the little Stonic SUV has never been the most exciting model in the South Korean brand's range, but the Stonic has had a little nip-and-tuck surgery over the past few years. Not only is there a new badge, as you'll find across the Kia range, but there are some other minor updates inside. But is this enough to keep pace with the compact SUV crowd?

Test Car Specifications

Model: Kia Stonic '2' 1.0 T-GDi MT
Price: £19,260 as tested
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power: 100hp
Torque: 172Nm
Emissions: 129g/km
Economy: 49.6mpg
0-62mph: 10.7 seconds
Top speed: 115mph
Boot space: 352 litres

Styling

The primary external upgrade for the Stonic is the new Kia badge, which should make very little difference, but somehow it manages to make the car look a little less frumpy than before. Not that the Stonic was an ugly car before, but the new logo does help to make it feel that little bit more modern and more upmarket. Perhaps even more important are the extra personalisation options, including new paint colours for the bodywork and the roof.

Interior

More pertinent are the changes inside, where Kia has fitted a larger eight-inch touchscreen and you can get Kia’s latest telematic technology, providing app-based access to vehicle data. That means it’s easier to check whether the vehicle is locked or find out how much fuel is left in the tank. As with so many other Kia products, the technology doesn’t look all that fancy, but it all works perfectly. Perhaps the displays aren’t the sharpest or the most modern, but they’re logically laid out, they’re easy to read and they respond to your inputs. Similarly, the Stonic’s cabin doesn’t look all that exciting, but it’s really well made. Some of the plastics might feel a bit cheap – that’s normal in cars of this size – but everything fits together well and it feels as though it will last the course.

Practicality

We often talk about small SUVs being based on hatchbacks, but the Stonic's relationship with the conventional Rio hatch is even closer than usual. It is, in essence, a jacked-up version of that car, which means it comes with a similar amount of interior space and a similarly sized boot. At 352 litres, the Stonic's boot is about 30 litres larger than that of the Rio, but it's almost 50 litres down on the Seat Arona and the gap is even larger to the Volkswagen T-Cross.

Performance

Our test car was a completely entry-level model with the 100hp petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, but that's no criticism. Although a 0-62mph time of 10.7 seconds and a top speed of 115mph is hardly exciting, it's perfectly adequate. You don't really need anything faster, no matter how appealing a little extra speed might be. And though performance is only adequate, economy is impressive, with the Stonic managing well over 50mpg on the official economy test. Carbon dioxide emissions of 125g/km aren't to be sniffed at, either. All that said, there are more powerful engines with 120hp and mild-hybrid technology, but they are little faster and they're marginally less economical. We'd stick with the cheaper 100hp option.

Ride & Handling

With that engine on board, it's no surprise to find the Stonic is anything but sporty. The word 'spongy' probably best defines the way this car drives, with a little bit of soft, well-contained body roll in corners and a slightly detached feel to the pedals and the steering. For those who want a small SUV that's fun to drive, look elsewhere.

Nevertheless, the Stonic is a very comfortable car, soaking up most of the lumps and bumps even on the UK's less-than-exemplary road surfaces. So while it isn't what you'd call fun, the Kia will serve its target market impeccably, proving comfortable and predictable at speed, while also offering ample manoeuvrability around town.

Value

The Stonic might not be much more spacious than a conventional hatchback, but then it isn't much more expensive. Prices start at £19,700, which pays for the '2' model we tested. That car comes with 16-inch alloy wheels as standard, an eight-inch touchscreen and manual air conditioning, plus the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity systems. Sure, it isn't the most luxurious thing on the market, but it represents good value when there's that much kit included.

Verdict

The Stonic is hardly groundbreaking, despite the mild visual update, but it's still an appealing compact SUV. Perhaps it's a closer rival for jacked-up hatchbacks such as the Ford Fiesta Active than 'proper' SUVs such as the Peugeot 2008, but even in this basic form, it's a comfortable and approachable small car with an air of solidity and reliability. In fact, in many ways, the less expensive and less well equipped variants actually make the most sense.



James Fossdyke - 19 Oct 2022



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2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.

2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.2022 Kia Stonic 2 1.0 T-GDi ISG. Image by Kia.







 

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