KIA Stonic

Stonic Overview

Launched as the most affordable model from Kia in its SUV lineup, the Kia Stonic is one of the well-accomplished SUVs/crossovers from the global portfolio of Kia. Positioned below the Seltos, the Kia Stonic has been made available in a total of three different variants – LX MT, LX AT, and EX AT, with six color options – Prime Red, Extreme Blue, Clear White, Flame Orange with Black, Flash Yellow with Black and Clear White with Black.

KIA Stonic Interior & Features

On the inside, the Kia Stonic carries an all-black theme, which does give the occupants quite an overall sporty ambience. The cabin carries a minimalist approach, which is devoid of visual drama, but still makes up for its practicality in the form of a number of small storage spaces and good ergonomics.

The driver’s cockpit of the Kia Stonic has been designed quite subtly, with a three-spoke round themed multi-functional steering wheel and a rather simple looking instrument console with a 3.5-inch MID in between. The wide center console of the dashboard here houses a large 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the middle and vertical AC vents with rounded boundaries, with this entire combination surrounded by dark chrome highlight.

There is a fine layer of piano black finish running across the width of the dashboard, below which there sits a rounded and elongated panel of automatic climate control buttons. Having decent space levels for five passengers, the Kia Stonic packs in a good amount of features like push-button start with keyless entry, driver seat height adjustment, etc., which is justifiable for an SUV of this category.

Stonic Exterior

The Kia Stonic is currently one of the oldest looking vehicles from Kia’s lineup, as it misses out on the latest design philosophies which Kia has been carrying out for its all-new generation SUVs. However, the Kia Stonic still manages to looks handsome, which is helped with its good proportions and dimensions.

At the front, the Kia Stonic looks sleek yet muscular, thanks to a combination of a wide and slim ‘tiger-nose’ front grille, which is rounded from its lower edge and tapered from side edges. The grille gets the assistance of sweptback trapezoidal headlamps, which have rounded edges and come integrated with halogen projector headlamps.

There are vertical faux air inlets positioned on the corners of the front bumper, which get boomerang-shaped daytime running LEDs. The silver skid plate and slim body cladding at the bottom of the front bumper add in the much needed macho appeal.

The side profile of the Kia Stonic is somewhat closer to giving it a crossover appeal rather than a proper SUV, thanks to a slightly sloping down the front bonnet. The slightly flared front wheel arches do give it a pronounced look, and so does the slightly uprising kink behind the rear window panel. The kinked design for the side body molding running sideways at the bottom does give it a unique look though.

At the back, the Kia Stonic looks quite simple, with its clean boot design and slightly rakish rear windscreen, with blackened and integrated rear roof spoiler adding some amount of visual drama here. The wraparound tail lamps with U-shaped LED inserts and tough-looking body cladding with thick silver skid plate complete the look of the Kia Stonic at the rear.

KIA Stonic Ride & Handling

The Kia Stonic is one easy to drive SUV with a well-sorted suspension combination of Macpherson struts with stabilizer at the front and coupled torsion beam axle at the rear. The stiff setup for this suspension somewhat aids in giving a sense of agility in the way it handles around corners but makes the ride quality slightly firmer.

Stonic Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Kia Stonic has a standard 1.4-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine under its hood. This engine produces a maximum power output of 95 PS with the 5-speed manual gearbox in the LX variant, and 100 PS with the 6-speed in the LX and EX variants in which it is available. With both the gearbox options, the peak torque output is rated at 132 Nm.

KIA Stonic Braking & Safety

The Kia Stonic is well-equipped with a decently long list of safety features, which includes dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking camera with sensors, electronic stability control and hill start assist.

Stonic Verdict

For its size and price, the Kia Stonic is one decently equipped SUV, which scores well on practical parameters like easy to drive behavior, a spacious cabin on offer, and a refined and economic petrol engine under its hood.