The Kia Stonic has been a hit in the USA market, and it is one of the affordable and reliable options amongst other competitors. Kia is one of the Korean brands that has been introducing their SUVs and crossovers internationally and has built up a reputation for manufacturing reliable cars. With Kia Stonic, you get a compact crossover with a sporty look that offers a great combination of specifications and practicality.
Other models from Kia like the Sportage and Sorento provide better off-road capabilities but are not as compact of a package as the Stonic. In this article, we will take a look at Kia Stonic Specs & Performance, how it has become so popular in the USA market, and how it lines up with the rest of the competition in the market.
Kia Stonic: Overview
Kia Stonic comes with a capacity for five passengers, and is available with options for petrol, diesel, or a 48V hybrid electric solution. The 2020 models are generally hybrids with a three-cylinder 1.0T GDi engine that offers about 99 or 118 bhp of output power.
These are accompanied by a six-speed manual gearbox and dual-clutch auto transmissions. Costumes can choose from four different trim levels for the car – LX, EX, GT-line, GT-line+, and Connect. The prices range from $23,990 to $33,990 according to the trim level.
Starting with the entry-level Stonics, you get projector headlamps, alloy wheels (16-inch), Apple CarPlay or Android Auto integration in an 8-inch touchscreen display. You also get other useful features like roof rails, cruise control, rear parking sensors, and forward collision indicators.
With the GT-line models, you get alloy wheels (17-inch), privacy glass, reversing camera, LED headlamps. It also features heated seats with the top end GT-line models with other extras like smart key ignition, two tone paint, and faux leather or cloth interiors. The seven-year warranty is also a lucrative addition for customers.
Kia Stonic: Specs & Performance
To understand where the Kia Stonic lines up with the other competitors in the USA market, let’s take a closer look at the specifications of this car and its overall performance.
Engine Performance, Suspension, and Drive
With the Kia Stonic, you get a torsion-beam rear axle suspension that offers a relatively roll-free ride. The steering is a bit on the lighter side, with the same applies for the gearbox. You get a good grip on the road while driving, but the suspension may not provide sufficient damping on some of the more aggressive bumps.
The Kia Stonic allows you to maintain your speed on corners, and overall provides a dynamic driving experience. The 1.0T GDi engine is an improvement from the engines used in older Kia cars like the Rio. You get a downsized turbo unit with options for either 118 bhp or 99 bhp, and offers a smooth ride without much noise. The torque can go upto 1500 RPM with this engine and can cover 0-60 MPH in 10.4 seconds with 118 bhp, and 11.4 seconds with 99 bhp respectively.
Running Costs
The Kia Stonic doesn’t cost too much to run, and offers a great MPG of 50.4 which should be quite affordable in the long run. It isn’t the best in class, but should offer enough efficiency for most people. Also, the CO2 emissions are reasonably lower at just 127 g/km.
Depreciation is not much of an issue for the Kia Stonic, and you should be getting quite a good value for this car down the line. The residual values are on par with more recognized cars like the Nissan Juke or Renault Captur.
Interior Design and Technology
The design of this car focuses on a small SUV/Crossover setting and offers a lot of style in this compact package. It features a tiger nose grill design and also includes swept back headlamps with LEDs. The crossover design is shared with Kia Rio SUVs and offers standard-fit roof rails and a lot of paint options.
The Kia Stonic also offers the customer to choose from either a faux leather interior or black cloth materials to choose from. The fit and finish of the car is quite premium and has hard and brittle-looking black and grey plastics. The interior is made of soft-touch materials and there are options for grey, bronze, orange, or green highlights.
Entertainment Options and Satellite Navigation
The Kia Stonic offers an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It offers great clarity and usability with a great resolution and provides clear app icons to navigate easily while driving. You also get either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integrations for better GPS navigation.
Apart from this, there is a TomTom live traffic integration to get a clear idea of traffic jams and other problems while on the go. The dashboard also offers stereo control, bluetooth, and a reversing camera for parking. The specifications offered by Kia Stonic are totally justified for the price.
Comfort and Cargo Space
The overall comfort and the space offered for both passengers and cargo is quite good. Just one of the downsides of this car would be the smaller seat height which may be a hindrance to some customers.
Although this car is advertised as a compact crossover, it can accommodate quite a lot of passengers and cargo inside. The wheelbase is similar to Rio and you can only get five-door style. However, compared to some other crossover rivals in this category, the Kia Stonic can be a bit cramped in terms of rear seat legroom.
Kia Stonic: Verdict
The Kia Stonic is quite reasonably priced, and offers a preferable car for most customers out there in the USA. Also the available colour options are quite good, and the performance is on par with the competition. Some of the fundamental features are better in other competitors, but none of them offer the sleek style offered by the Kia Stonic.
The infotainment system and the interior technologies are quite good, and the mileage offered this car leads to lower running costs down the line. Also the depreciation of the initial cost is almost non-existent and the seven year warranty instills confidence for buyers.
