Kia Stonic Review

Some cars are designed to get your heart pumping. If the Kia Stonic raises your heart rate… maybe go see a doctor, as it’s probably not the Kia having that effect! The Stonic is a sensible, useful car that’s unlikely to be on your lottery win wishlist, but promises to be fantastically easy to live with. And that’s what most of us want, really.

In isolation it’s a decent enough car, but compare it to its rivals and it doesn’t score particularly highly. It’s not as interesting to look at as the Nissan Juke, it’s not as fun to drive as a Ford Puma, and it’s nowhere near as practical as a Peugeot 2008.

The Stonic – which is a portmanteau of ‘speed’ and ‘tonic’ – will get you from A to B without any fuss. It’s good on fuel, fairly quiet, reasonably comfortable and should be reliable – with the backup of Kia’s seven-year warranty.

The Kia lands a sucker punch on its rivals when it comes to value. One view might be ‘pay more and you’ll get a better car’ but we think the Stonic is a great choice if you’re not keen on spending much on a PCP finance deal. If you compare a Stonic to similarly priced SUVs, you’ll typically find the Stonic is more powerful, newer and lower mileage. It’s definitely worth checking out if you want a SUV for the cost of a small city car.

There’s not much visual excitement in the Stonic’s cabin, but everything’s well labelled and within easy reach so it should be very simple to get to grips with. The materials are fine given the price, too.

Kia’s touchscreen works really well. It’s quick to respond and easy to use, and there’s a search function in the settings menu so you can get to the setting you want to adjust at the first time of asking. Most Stonics come with built-in sat nav, but it’s handy to know that every version comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Space in the Stonic is fine in isolation. Four normal-sized adults should have no problems finding a comfortable position, and the useful 352-litre boot is more than enough for a weekly shop or a pushchair.

It’s just when you compare the Stonic to its rivals that things don’t start to look so good. The Skoda Kamiq offers noticeably more rear-seat space, while most small SUVs come with a bigger boot. Mind you, the 4.1-metre-long Stonic is a little shorter than the Peugeot 2008 or Nissan Juke, so you might find it a little easier to park.

Early Stonics were offered with a turbodiesel or an entry-level 1.6-litre petrol engine, alongside the more popular turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol. It’s this engine we’d recommend to any Stonic buyer, and now it’s the only choice if you’re buying a new one.

The 1.0-litre petrol makes either 100hp or 120hp. Both engines drive similarly and you rarely notice the power difference in real-world driving. The 100hp version is powerful enough not to feel slow, and neither will set the Tarmac alight beneath your wheels.

It’ll also manage 45-50mpg fairly comfortably, and insurance groups are low. Typically, the Stonic sits in groups 10-12 out of 50, which is on a par with the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Cross.

The Stonic doesn’t give you a raised SUV driving position but, if you’re okay with that, you’ll find it fine to drive. Its steering is light, making it easy to drive around town, and the handling is agile and composed. Refinement is good, although the suspension is a bit fidgety and needs to settle down a bit.

As with other areas of the Stonic, it’s decent enough but nothing about the way the Kia drives is class-leading. The Ford Puma is far more fun to drive, while the Citroen C3 Aircross is more comfortable.