- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
74kW, 133Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
7 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2017)
2022 Kia Stonic Sport review
Kia's entrant into the increasingly competitive compact SUV segment is unashamedly urban focussed. But, there are some shortcomings.
- Handsome proportions
- Funky interior
- Light and nimble
- Asthmatic engine/transmission combo
- Not the last word in fuel frugality
- Servicing isn't cheap
How much does the Kia Stonic cost in Australia?
Just as they have the small car segment, where buyers are drifting away and into small SUVs, so too the light car class is experiencing its own continental drift.
Compact SUVs, a segment that didn’t exist a few short years ago, now command almost five per cent of the new car market. Buyers, once lured by diminutive dimensions ideal for inner city urban scapes, are now discovering they can have the same dimensions but in a higher-riding SUV.
One of the leading contenders is the Kia Stonic, its blend of youthful styling and relatively affordable pricing, a lure for many buyers.
The Kia Stonic is the second-best seller in the class so far in 2022, trailing only the venerable Mazda CX-3 which has held on to that mantle longer than a punch-drunk boxer holds on to hope.
And on the surface it’s easy to see why. The Stonic looks youthful and exuberant, its modern and edgy styling a boon in a segment where these things matter. Better yet, it doesn’t try too hard to be something that it’s not.
Ostensibly, the Stonic’s stance is redolent of a small hatchback, albeit one that sits a little higher on its haunches. It doesn’t try look like a rugged off-roader, because it isn’t one. No bad thing.
The Stonic range encompasses three trim levels – S, Sport and GT-Line – with three transmission and two engine choices. The range starts with the Stonic S, available with either a manual ($24,690 drive-away) or conventional six-speed auto transmission ($25,690 drive-away) and 1.4-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine.
The mid-spec Stonic Sport mirrors those transmission and engine choices with the manual priced at $26,690 drive-away and the auto asking for $1500 more at $28,190 drive-away.
Standing tall at the top of the Stonic tree, the GT-Line is equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and a more torquey 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine for a drive-away price of $32,190.
On test here we have the 2022 Kia Stonic Sport with automatic transmission and finished in a $520 shade of Sporty Blue paint for an as-tested NSW drive-away price of $28,726.
That stacks up favourable against the segment-leading CX-3 which in mid-spec Maxx Sport trim with an automatic transmission asks for $31,323. A front-wheel drive petrol Toyota Yaris Cross GXL is priced at $33,658 drive-away or $35,775 for the petrol-hybrid.
Key details | 2022 Kia Stonic Sport |
Price | $28,190 drive-away |
Colour of test car | Sporty Blue |
Options | Premium paint – $520 |
Drive-away price | $28,726 (Sydney) Offer pricing, not the total of base price plus options |
Rivals | Mazda CX-3 | Toyota Yaris Cross | Ford Puma |
How much space does the Kia Stonic have inside?
The Stonic’s urban edge continues inside where textured cloth bespeckled in a funky design takes centre stage. It covers comfortable seats that are supportive in most of the right places, although a little more side bolster wouldn’t hurt.
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As you’d expect of an SUV at this price point, plastics tend to be of the harder variety, although some brushed faux-aluminium garnishes break up the sea of dark grey and black inside.
It’s a pretty basic cabin – manual air conditioning rather than climate control, as example – but it’s comfortable and with enough practicality to satisfy most needs.
Storage considerations come in the shape of a small central bin, a pair of cupholders, flanked by a manual handbrake, and a decently sized cubby – perfect for smartphones – fore of the gear selector. The large door pockets can easily accommodate a bottle.
The second row isn’t the last word in roominess with adequate levels of space in key areas such as toe, knee and head. Three adults across will find it cosy, okay for shorter trips but probably a stretch for longer journeys. Smaller kids will be fine.
There are no cupholders in the second row, nor a fold-down armrest. Storage back there is limited to door pockets which can hold bottles. There is a single USB plug back there to help with keeping devices topped up.
The seats fold in a 60:40 fashion to liberate cargo space. With the back seats in use, there’s 352 litres of stuff-lugging ability, expanding to 1155 litres with those back seats folded away, although not flat, with a sizeable ridge to navigate where the seat backs meet the floor.
A space-saver spare lives under the boot floor.
2022 Kia Stonic Sport | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 352L seats up 1155L seats folded |
Length | 4140mm |
Width | 1760mm |
Height | 1520mm |
Wheelbase | 2580mm |
Does the Kia Stonic have Apple CarPlay?
A simple, yet effective 8.0-inch colour touchscreen hosts the Stonic Sport’s infotainment system.
In this specification, it’s equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation and DAB+ radio as well as wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, only the entry-level Stonic S scoring wireless smartphone mirroring. That’s no great loss, as time and time again we’ve found Kia’s wireless system to be glitchy. Wired is perfectly good.
A pair of USB Type A plugs up front keep devices wired and juiced up. There’s also a 12V outlet.
A six-speaker audio system is decent enough without being the last word in sound quality. As a bonus, you can play the Stonic’s preloaded Sounds of Nature ambient tunes into the cabin for when you want or need to chill out behind the wheel.
The driver display consists of analogue dials flanking a small but effective digital screen that relays various driving and trip data.
Is the Kia Stonic a safe car?
The Kia Stonic wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded back in 2017. But, it should be noted that five-star score carries over from the Kia Rio, the low-riding twin of the Stonic. ANCAP has not specifically crash-tested the Kia Stonic which is built on the same platform.
The Rio scored an overall of 35.52 out of a possible 37, with a perfect 16 from 16 in side impact protection a notable highlight.
The Stonic Sport is fitted with a decent, if not comprehensive, suit of modern safety technology.
Autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection is standard across the range, as are lane-keep and lane-following assist as well as a driver attention monitor. Missing in action, and not available anywhere in the Stonic range, are technologies like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.
The Stonic is fitted with six airbags.
2022 Kia Stonic Sport | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (awarded to Kia Rio twin in 2017) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
How much does the Kia Stonic cost to maintain?
At $28,190 drive-away, the mid-tier Kia Stonic stacks up well against its main rivals. And its seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is unmatched in the Light SUV class.
Service intervals roll around every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Under Kia’s capped-price servicing program, seven years and 105,000km worth of workshop visits runs to a total of $2866, or around $409 per annum. That’s getting up there for the segment.
Comprehensive insurance runs to $1082.38 per annum, based on a comparative quote from one of Australia’s leading insurers and based on a 35-year-old male driver, living in Chatswood, NSW – insurance estimates may vary based on your location and driving history.
At a glance | 2022 Kia Stonic Sport |
Warranty | Seven years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1047 (3 years) $1958 (5 years) $2866 (7 years) |
Is the Kia Stonic fuel efficient?
Kia says the Stonic Sport with automatic transmission will use 6.7L/100km on the combined cycle. Our week with behind the wheel, covering a broad spectrum of use – from school runs, to daily commute and with plenty of highway running thrown in, returned an indicated 9.5L/100km. Frankly, that’s not a great return, and I’m by no means a lead foot.
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Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.7L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.5L/100km |
Fuel type | 91-octane unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 45L |
What is the Kia Stonic like to drive?
The naturally-aspirated 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinder under the bonnet pumps out 74kW and 133Nm. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission sending drive to the front wheels.
And straight off the bat, this is a compact SUV best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. There’s no urgency from the 1.4-litre, even when you ask a little more of it. Instead, there’s a lift in noise, but with little in the way of urgent acceleration.
Around town, the Stonic is perfectly fine moving with the flow of traffic, getting away with little fanfare and settling into a 50- or 60km/h rhythm easily. It’s when more is required, such as highway running or brisk acceleration where the performance hole is highlighted, the Stonic glacial in executing throttle commands.
The six-speed auto proved a little jerky around town, to the point where a quick scan of the specification sheet was needed to make sure it really was a regular torque converter automatic doing the heavy lifting and not the more-prone-to-hesitation dual-clutch.
The real ace up the Stonic’s sleeve is its nimble nature around town. Tipping the scales at a svelte 1192kg (tare), the Stonic feels light and easy to navigate through tight steer and laneways and is cinch to park in smaller spaces.
There’s a nice balance to the suspension set-up which does a passable job ironing out minor road imperfections, even if larger hits such as potholes and speed bumps feel a little harsher under wheel.
Road noise, on the other hand, remains an ever-present companion, particularly out on the motorway where the drone of tyre roar can start to grate a little.
Key details | 2022 Kia Stonic Sport |
Engine | 1.4-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol |
Power | 74kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 133Nm @ 4000rpm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Six-speed torque converter automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 62kW/t |
Weight (tare) | 1192kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Tow rating | 800kg braked 450kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 10.2m |
Should I buy a Kia Stonic?
The Kia Stonic Sport presents a handsome face, a visage matched by its funky, if a touch plasticky, interior.
It’s a decent value proposition too, certainly when compared against its main rivals in the segment. But, that value loses its gloss, the sandpaper coming in the shape of high servicing costs, a thirsty-for-the-segment fuel bill and some missing key safety technologies.
And then there’s the dowdy performance from the powertrain which, while perfectly adequate at urban speeds, falls a little flat when more is asked of it. Those who want more performance should look to the Stonic GT-Line with its more flexible turbocharged three-cylinder.
But, the compact SUV segment is arguably driven by style over driving dynamics and by that metric, the 2022 Kia Stonic Sport is worth cross-shopping against its key rivals.