The Stonic is the smallest SUV in Kia Australia’s model line-up and Kia refers to it as a ‘Light SUV.’ The Stonic is no light weight though and has plenty to offer an urban family packed into a nice-looking package.
The 1.0 litre, In-line 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is available across the range and produces a humble 74kW of maximum power and 172Nm of torque. There are three drive modes Eco, Normal, Sport and I spent the week in Normal mode. I found the calibration of Sport mode to be annoying as it would hold a gear longer and at higher revs and rev matched on downshifting. The official combined fuel consumption is 5.4L/100km and for my week I used 6.5L/100km.
The Stonic has been tuned for Australian roads to offer ride comfort and quality to match our local driving conditions and this shows as it rides well. The engine drives the front wheels and is paired with a the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with the Stonic still having a manual handbrake. The Stonic has an unbraked towing capacity of 450kg and a braked towing capacity of 900kg with a maximum towball download of 75kg.
This Stonic is the highest spec GT-Line and comes with keyless entry that requires you to push a button on the door handle only and keyless start, so the key can remain in your handbag at all times. The cabin has plenty of hard plastic on the door trims and other parts, but at this price point this should be expected. You do get a faux carbon fibre dash, a sunroof, and ‘Stonic’ carpet floor mats to enhance the cabin ambience.
The seats are covered with a premium trim with dual use of materials and stitching/embossing to give a more lux feel. Both front seats are heated and have manual adjustment for recline and forward/back with the driver’s seat also getting manual seat height adjustment as well.
Fans of physical buttons will love the single zone climate control in the Stonic, which uses dials for the air temperature and speed and push buttons for the mode selection. Above these is the 8″ infotainment touchscreen is paired with a digital driver’s dash for a sleek modern feel in the Stonic. The Satellite Navigation Multimedia System comes with 10 Years Traffic Information and Map Updates
The Stonic has wired Android Auto/Apple Carplay via a USB-A cord and Bluetooth functionality with the other media sources including DAB/FM, AM, USB music, USB video, and Sounds of Nature. There’s a cubby at the front of the centre console for your phone with one USB-A port and one 12V socket above it. Other storage options are pretty basic in the Stonic with a deep narrow pocket under the sliding arm rest, two rigid cup holders in the centre console, and good-sized drink bottle storage in front door cubbies.
I found that the rear seats had a surprisingly good amount of head and leg room for me and for young children there are two ISOfix/three rear tether child seat restraint points. There is no fold down centre arm rest, no rear air vents, and just one USB-A port between two front seats. While the drink bottle storage in rear door cubbies is awkwardly placed and only suitable for medium sized drink bottles.
The Stonic has a power assisted boot with the button to open it located on the boot only. The boot space was adequate for my weekly shop and would fit a pram and a smaller shop and if more space is required the rear seats have a 60:40 split fold mechanism with the release located on the outer rear seat’s shoulders. There are four substantial tie down points located in the sides of the boot and three hooks including one on the underside of the parcel shelf, one light, an additional storage cubby at side of the boot, and a temporary use spare tyre located under the boot floor.
The Kia Stonic has a 5-star ANCAP (2017) safety rating based on the Kia Rio as they share the same structure and safety equipment/performance. Passive safety includes driver and front passenger airbags, front side airbags, and curtain airbags. Active safety features of the GT-Line include Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning System – Car, Pedestrian, and Cyclist Avoidance, Lane Keeping Assist, and Lane Following Assist. The standard rear-view camera has front and rear parking sensors to make getting in and out of tight spots a synch.
The GT-Line also comes with LED Daytime Running Lights, LED Bi-Function Headlamps that are dusk-sensing and come on automatically, LED Front Fog Lights, LED Rear Brake Lights, and rain-sensing automatic wipers. The auto lights and wipers come with Kia’s handy feature that indicates on the driver’s dash was setting you have put them on, so that you know when they are set to auto or not.
All new Kias come with a 7-Year Unlimited Kilometre Warranty and one year of complimentary Roadside Assist. Owners can renew their Roadside Assistance package yearly, for up to eight years, by simply returning their vehicle to an Authorised Kia Dealer for its annual scheduled services. Membership will remain valid for one year following your scheduled service, and will be renewed if an Authorised Kia Dealer completes the vehicle’s next scheduled serviced within one year. For the Stonic, service intervals are once a year or 10,000km, whichever comes first, and the total service costs for the first seven services for Stonic are capped at $3,367.
The Kia MY25 Stonic GT-Line is priced from $33,540 drive away and premium paint costs an extra $520, this colour is Signal Red, so this Stonic was $34,060 drive away. You can Build & Price your Stonic online or visit your preferred Kia dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| You get a lot for your money | The Sport drive mode is annoying |
| It’s comfortable to drive | No rear air vents |
| The amount of room in the rear seats | Only two USB-A ports in the entire cabin |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.