Urban crossover, so it is called Kia Stonic, the B SUV that represents the proposal of Koreans in this segment destined to grow in the future. Some claim that the high-wheel car will also dominate the B-segment, embracing the demands of a market that seems to appreciate the look of the crossover and the raised driving position.
So Kia interprets the question by answering with Stonic , a car that - like many colleagues - takes from the world of SUVs only the name but completely leaves aside more or less sophisticated all-wheel drive systems. Here the goal is a model for a young public, also made to travel thanks to a good habitability and with engines that are strictly children of the philosophy of downsizing.
Infotainment and interior
The interior is curious for the choice of Kia to create a bridge between past and future. If the dashboard becomes so dominated by the 7-inch infotainment display , compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay , the buttons remain. Unlike many who try to make them disappear or reduce to a minimum, Kia prefers to surround the display with nice buttons easy to reach: the touchscreen is comfortable, but nothing moves on the traditional keys in terms of speed of use and reduction of distractions.
Choice appreciated less by design lovers, more by those who look at the practical side. And the practical side is the winning one also in the lower section: reducing the space occupied by the automatic climate controls has allowed to create two rooms : the first is the traditional "cockpit", large for larger smartphones , and the second is a shelf where an S7 Edge is placed without problems so that you can place a second smartphone, your wallet or any other small object. Look at the images of the video to realize how much space there is ... not unimportant! Not enough for you? Just to mention the useful things in everyday life, there is also the eyeglass holder on the upper part of the passenger compartment.
If in the central section of the dashboard the choice halfway between the traditional and the innovative convinces, someone could complain of an excessive attachment to the past for the instrumentation that still maintains the analogs. Polo has also put it on a B segment and T-Cross will do the same for the B SUV but the digital instrumentation is still an exclusive endowment of the richer productions, and with Stonic the philosophy is to keep prices affordable. Here on Stonic you have to settle for a central screen that shows all the information needed by the pilot. Reactive the infotainment with a simple and immediate interface that shows some slight slowdown only when it has to work with Android Auto because of the times of mirroring.
The upper part of the cockpit offers the usual materials more cared for than the Spartan plastics of the lower section: choice understandable on this segment but it is not understandable that, for the plastic surrounding the controls of electric windows, you have chosen to insert a material that holds the fingerprints ... just in a part where the hand is positioned more often! Why Kia ... why?
The boot section gives Stonic a full enough. 350 liters are not at the top for a B-segment crossover but there is a clarification: first Kia has chosen to stay in compact size (4.14 meters) and then has privileged the pace for habitability. However, the left pocket is very comfortable, there is a practical double bottom and you only have to pay a load threshold not very low.
A crossover at affordable prices
For this we first tackle the "list" chapter and then move on to the driving dynamics. Stonic Urban , the entry-level entry, starts at € 16,250 with the 100 hp aspirated, € 17,250 with the 120-horsepower 120 hp and € 18,750 with the 110-hp and 1.6-liter diesel. These figures include the 7-year warranty, infotainment already standard and with Android Auto and CarPlay, manual climate, bluetooth, volanto commands, light sensors, adjustable and heated electric mirrors, USB and AUX.
Style costs respectively 17.750, 18.750 or 20.250EUR and adds alloy wheels, electric windows for all four windows, cruise control and limiter, fog lights, second USB socket, leather gear, DAB radio, rear view camera and parking sensors. Energy is only for the two turbo engines: at 21.250 or 22.750EUR there are 17 wheels, automatic climate, navigation system, LED daytime running lights, aluminum pedals, automatic high beam, rain sensor, automatic braking with pedestrian recognition, lane monitoring , keyless, tinted windows, perforated leather steering wheel and driver's attention monitoring.
The 84-horsepower petrol, specific for novice drivers, follows the prices of the 1.4-liter MPI.
Road test
So let's talk about the first impressions from the road test. The comfort chapter comes out as regards the spaces: on board you are wide , in four you will not have problems in height or depth and the fifth can stay there even for a short trip. As usual, in segment B, speaking of long trips in five is forbidden and Stonic certainly does not revolutionize this assumption. The seats look at savings and can be seen in terms of ergonomics. Slightly enveloping and flat bottom, still manage to ensure a good comfort because the suspensions help in reducing the roll, to the minimum for this segment .
Engine chapter : the test featured the two turbos, petrol and diesel. The petrol seems slightly greedier than average fuel but the test was too short to draw conclusions. Easier to draw conclusions on the performances that, with 120 horses, make Stonic agile in all situations, perfect for city driving but also for out-of-town, able to not feel the weight of the crossover and with a shooting overtaking in fifth on the highway. The diesel does not make the 10 horses miss too much because it compensates with its typical low-end torque: higher and available first (260 Nm between 1,500 and 2,700 rpm). This is a different driving style that has pros and cons, what is certain is that consumption decreases for those traveling on longer suburban routes.
The soundproofing could be better taken care of: at highway speeds the aerodynamic noise and the rolling of the tires enter the passenger compartment, which is not the case with the noise of the diesel engine or petrol. Finally, the structure convinces : the car does not disdain sport driving, where for sports it means cheerful and fun, certainly not devoted to performance. Even among the curves of the mixed race a reduced roll and an estate that is never questioned, thanks to the specific suspensions and the frame, travel well.
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