2021 Kia Stonic 1.4 EX – The Power To Surprise Is True

The crossover SUV segment is one of, if not the fastest growing segment in the Philippine market. Every brand from Japan, South Korea, China, and even the United States are launching their own new crossovers, small and big. One of those brands in Kia. The Korean brand launched around two years ago the Seltos subcompact crossover. While we do see a lot of these on the road, it’s definitely not doing as well as models such as the Geely Coolray and MG ZS which are a lot more affordable.

Kia is taking another chance at the segment with another subcompact crossover, a smaller one at that. We have with us the 2021 Kia Stonic, the newest model to join the company’s local lineup, launched only in October last year. This model sits in between the Seltos and the Rio hatchback and already sold a respectable 345 units ever since its launch in October until December which makes it Kia Philippines’ 3rd best-seller for 2020.

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Kia Philippines sent us two units of the Stonic as part of its modified media drive event where we drove from Metro Manila to Tagaytay via Ternate, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas, and through the South Luzon Expressway on the way back home. This means we were able to take it through light and heavy traffic, expressways, and provincial highways with zigzag roads. With that in mind, what do we think of Kia’s latest model and does it really have the power to surprise with it’s supposedly iconic style?

Exterior

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First things first, the exterior. The moment I saw the Stonic sporting its Extreme Blue exterior color, I instantly fell in love with it. We also got the other unit in Flame Orange which looked quirky especially with its two-tone paint scheme where the roof is painted in black, following the usual trends with SUV’s these days. The front fascia of course makes use of Kia’s signature tiger-nose front grille, or faux grille perhaps as the one here is just a panel with no functional vents whatsoever. The main air dam is located below.

The headlights are halogen projector units which are good for its price point while the top-spec 1.4 EX variant gets boomerang shaped LED daytime running lights on the bumper in place of the halogen fog lights on the LX variants. The side is on the cleaner side with minimal body lines. The black plastic cladding on the fenders and on the lower part of the doors do give the side a bit more appeal. 

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Out back the Stonic continues with the side’s more simple styling. It does have a baby Sportage vibe, minus the faux light bar that connects the taillights. The single reverse light and rear fog light are on the bumper. There are also silver faux skid plates on both the front and rear bumpers giving a very nice contrast to the black plastic bumpers. Overall, the Stonic is quite a looker with its combination of aggressive and simple styling around.

Interior

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Inside, those familiar with the Stonics of overseas markets will notice the completely different interior. The local model is basically a Chinese-market Kia KX1 with a different name. Exterior differences are hardly noticeable but inside, it’s completely different. Admittedly, the dashboard does not look as good as the one on the international market Stonic but it does still look good. The design and layout is very easy on the eyes and is very practical to use. Materials are hard plastics everywhere with the only soft surfaces being the seats and slightly on the gear shifter and polyurethane steering wheel. All are of high quality though just like other Kia models. 

Being a tiny car, everything is within easy reach from the infotainment system and climate controls. The seats are wrapped in a nice fabric material which also has a nice pattern. The front seats are also quite comfortable and are noticeably the same seats found on the Soluto subcompact sedan. Overall, the Stonic’s interior goes for function rather than form, but still with the right amount of style.

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Technology and Safety

Right in the center of the Stonic’s dashboard is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This system is typical of Kia models which means it’s responsive, easy to use, and has great graphics. It also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard on all variants which is a necessity these days, at least for me. A reverse camera is another standard feature on all variants and it has guidance lines which makes parking a lot easier even with this vehicle’s tiny dimensions. Quality is on the more pixelated side but at least it’s there rather than not having it when you really need it.

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The 1.4 EX variant gets additional niceties with an automatic climate control system, rear parking sensors, and indicators on the side mirrors. What I do wish Kia would add not only in the Stonic but also in other models are additional USB ports. With only one inside the cabin, you’ll probably find yourself arguing with your passengers on who gets to charge their device or mirror their phones on the screen. 

Standard safety features on the Kia Stonic are dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, and ISOFIX childseat anchor points. The 1.4 EX variant adds stability control, hill-start assist, and an engine immobilizer.

Practicality

For its small size, the Stonic is actually a very practical vehicle. Inside, while we haven’t tried, Kia claims that it can seat 5 people comfortably. My guess is that it would be two regular sized adults in front and three smaller ones at the back. Storage is also a strong point with storage spaces everywhere in the cabin from large ones underneath the climate controls, in the center console, door pockets with bottle holders, and the decently sized glove compartment. 

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325 liters of cargo space is also made available in the back which means this can fit pretty much anything you need to put inside for daily use inside the city. The 2nd row can also be folded for additional space.

Engine

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Under the hood of the Stonic you’ll find a familiar powertrain. It shares its 1.4-liter four cylinder petrol engine with the Soluto and Rio which are both around the same size. It produces a decent 99 horsepower and 132 Nm of torque and is paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Yes, the Stonic despite its small engine does not get a CVT or an old 4-speed auto.

Driving and Comfort

As mentioned earlier, we had the Stonic for Kia’s first media drive event after everything went bad for the whole world about a year ago. Do note that everyone who joined the Kia Stonic Modified Media Drive were properly tested for COVID-19 and all safety protocols were followed.

We drove the Kia Stonic through every type of road possible from the streets of Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, through the NAIA Expressway and Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx), and provincial highways and streets of Cavite and Batangas provinces all the way to Tagaytay City. We experienced city streets with both light and heavy traffic, straight expressway driving at cruising speeds of 100 kph, and different provincial highway conditions with slow in-town driving and fun zigzag roads with both uphill and downhill driving. To sum it all up, the Stonic did very well.

Inside the city, the Stonic definitely has all the power you need for a city car. It’s like it was made perfectly for that use and for sure that’s what Kia is intending it to do. Acceleration is decent and the 6-speed transmission shifts with no sluggishness or delays. The vehicle’s size is also perfect for those narrow alleyways and tight parking spaces. Once you do get out on the expressway, you will feel that the Stonic will need a bit more power and probably different transmission tuning. In automatic mode, the 6-speed transmission is definitely tuned for fuel economy rather than performance. This is easily fixed by switching into manual mode and then the Stonic becomes quite the fun car. Using manual mode on uphill and downhill curvy roads was also quite fun and allowed us to make full use of the engine’s sub-100 hp output.

Steering is light and also had a very good amount of feel which made the Stonic fun to throw around the corners of the Ternate-Nasugbu Highway. It was very playful in the corners and we enjoyed every bit of it. Ride quality is decent and is definitely good in the city, okay for road trips outside.

In terms of fuel economy, the Stonic does really good. Inside the city we were able to get around 12 km/l in a  mix of light and heavy traffic plus with a heavy foot on the accelerator. Highway drives returned around 22 km/l but I think it can still do better than that. The drive from BGC to Tagaytay via Cavite and Batangas returned a decent average of 12 km/l.

Conclusion

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After experiencing what this small subcompact crossover has to offer, albeit for a short time, it’s not surprising at all how it quickly became one of Kia’s top-sellers last year considering how it was launched near the end of that year. Other than its very popular bodystyle which is pretty much the in-demand in every market around the globe, you get a very good package full of features at its affordable price of Php 925,000 for the top-spec 1.4 EX. Sure there can be some improvements in terms of its engine when outside the city but the overall package is what will get you. Kia Philippines definitely has a winner in its hands.

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