By Ian Strachan.
Kia’s compact SUV – the Stonic – is pitched into the fiercely competitive European compact SUV sector. So it needs to be good.
Fortunately it is. This is a brisk, comfortable and well-specified car from the Korean manufacturer which was originally designed for the European market.
The European SUV sector is forecast to grow rapidly over the next few years despite the decline in diesel sales, so the latest Kia Stonic upgrade arrival is well timed.
I test drove the Stonic in 1.0 T-GDi 2 specification. The 1.0 litre three-cylinder diesel unit gives you 99 ps of horsepower, has a top speed of 115 mph and will get you from 0-60 in 10.7 seconds.
Like most Kia’s, the Stonic is very competitive. Pitched against some well-established competition, the range starts at not much more than £16,000. But despite its price it has high build quality, good interior trim materials, high levels of safety, a good specification and a roomy interior.
The Stonic has a quality feel to it inside and out, and it is certainly a good looker. It has a strong side-on presence, with a gently sloping roofline and roof rails and big windows. Handsome 16 inch alloys add to its side-on style. It also looks sharp and purposeful from the front with its black gloss radiator grille and new, modern, Kia badging.
Inside the car has a lot of class about it. My test vehicle had black cloth upholstery of a surprisingly high quality. The dash is simple and attractive, with a central eight-inch touchscreen DAB radio and media system, with controls mounted on the steering wheel.
Interior space is very good with plenty of cargo space which can be increased by lowering the fold-flat rear split seats. Specification on the ‘2’ spec which I tested includes heated, electrically adjustable, folding door mirrors, automatic headlight control, cruise control with speed limiter, air conditioning, rear parking sensors, hill-start assist and tyre pressure monitoring.
Other standard features include all-round airbags, a six speaker sound system with Bluetooth, music streaming and Apple CarPlay, automatic stop/start and electronic stability control.
The engine is linked to a smooth six-speed manual gearbox, This combination offers plenty of power with little noise or fuss. Acceleration is pleasingly brisk.
My only criticism is the lane keeping assist system which, in common with other manufacturers, can’t tell the difference between a white line and a tarmac seam in the road, so I spent much of the journey wrestling the steering wheel as it tried to take me towards the kerb. The system can be turned off, but it has to be done at the beginning of every journey, which is a pain. A case of technology not quite sufficiently developed.
Fuel consumption is good at 49.6 miles to the gallon in mixed driving, with CO2 at 129g/km. This specification comes at £18,900 on the road, which is very competitive for such a good spec. You get a lot of car for your money. You also get Kia’s industry-leading seven year 100,000 mile warranty
It’s difficult to fault this offering from Kia which is based on the Korean maker’s Rio supermini. It’s a welcome addition to a competitive sector with a very keen price.
