Kia Stonic GT-Line 2021 Review

Launched this year, the 2021 Kia Stonic has thrown down the gauntlet before the light SUV price kings, the Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Venue – a car from the stable of Kia’s own parent company.

Priced from $21,490 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Stonic S with manual transmission, the new addition to the Kia range undercuts the Mazda by over $1200, but can’t quite knock the Venue off the throne.

The flagship of the range is the 2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line, the vehicle on test here. It’s priced at $29,990 drive-away, which means all the on-road costs are thrown in too.

What you get for that price is just the one configuration – or two, if you include the two-tone model like the test vehicle, with the sliding sunroof deleted. There are no options for the GT-Line, not a choice of manual or auto – it’s a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission only – and even the metallic paint is a freebie.

Standard equipment for the Stonic in this grade runs to 17-inch alloy wheels, a sports steering wheel, alloy sports pedals, carbon-fibre-look dash, a GT-Line style package, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-defog system and climate control.

That’s in addition to standard equipment also available on the lower-grade Stonic Sport, including six-way manual driver’s seat adjustment, 60/40-split folding rear seat, heated electric fold-in mirrors, cruise control, trip computer, power windows, six-speaker audio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration and satellite navigation.

Kia sells the Stonic with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with one year of roadside assistance that is renewed each year (for up to eight years) if you keep servicing the vehicle at one of the brand’s franchised dealerships.

Service intervals are pegged at 12 months/10,000km, and Kia offers capped-price servicing that ranges between $283 (10,000km) and $704 (40,000km) for a total spend of $3299.

Right across the range, the 2021 Kia Stonic packs a fair amount of safety kit for the money.

In the flagship Stonic GT-Line, buyers get the works, including the mandated stability control system and a separate vehicle stability management system.

Hill start assist and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) are both standard too, along with lane keep assist, lane following assist and driver fatigue monitoring.

Rain-sensing wipers, reverse parking sensors and a rear-view camera, plus auto-on LED headlights with high beam assist are also part of the standard specification. And on that subject, I can testify that the Stonic’s headlights are really good for a car at this price point.

Kia has specified the Stonic with frontal and side-impact airbags for the driver and front passenger, and side curtains to protect front and rear passengers.

ANCAP recently awarded the new 2021 Kia Stonic a maximum five-star safety rating, although somewhat bizarrely this was based on an older 2017 crash test of the related Kia Rio hatch.

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine under the bonnet of the 2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line produces 74kW/172Nm and is fairly refined by the standards of the type.

Until you give the accelerator a hefty prod, you might barely notice the Stonic’s engine is working, let alone that it’s a three-cylinder unit.

It’s more responsive in Normal mode than Eco mode, and more responsive again when set to Sport. While the engine is not that powerful at higher speeds, it does feel lively enough at lower speeds and produces impressive torque for lazier motoring around town.

There’s a fairly flat torque curve right across the rev range, and the engine is still picking up the pace all the way to 6000rpm, but the dual-clutch transmission then changes up a cog, about 500rpm short of the indicated redline on the tacho.

The idle-stop system restarts the engine promptly when required, but takes about half a second longer than usual to bring the engine to a stop from idle. It’s like the system is picking the right moment to stall the engine for optimal comfort – which is fine by us.

That system and the small displacement of the engine ensure that the Stonic is quite economical. On a 70km test drive it posted a figure of 6.7L/100km, but can do better than that in daily running.

All in all, the engine and transmission make a good team, the dual-clutch unit shifting smoothly through ratios that are closely spaced for optimal performance.

If there’s a minor niggle with the transmission, the clutch does pulse like DCTs of old when you’re backing the car down the driveway.

At open-road speeds the powertrain vibration and road noise merge, but the wind remains quite a distinct source of noise.

Despite the nature of the engine, its vibration is very well suppressed at 1500rpm and lower, and at freeway speeds it’s ticking over at 2200rpm – making no ruckus at all.

Kia has done well to manage the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in this car.

A member of the carsales team noted that the 2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line rides on even firmer suspension settings than the Toyota Yaris Cross he had been driving that same week, by coincidence.

And he wasn’t all that impressed by the Toyota’s ride quality in the first place.

Certainly, that is one of the first impressions you’ll note driving the Stonic – it’s not as supple as many will expect from a light SUV developed by a Japanese or Korean brand, despite its relatively high-profile Continental 205/55 R17 tyres.

At open-road speeds, at least – and even on lumpy country bitumen – the Stonic’s ride does smooth out.

There’s a level of dynamic control that goes with that firmer chassis tune too. The Stonic really dives into corners, especially on a trailing throttle, and the rapid steering response and feedback are complemented by the handling and roadholding, leaving the driver feeling secure and safe when cornering.

I would go so far as to say that the Stonic’s turn-in is better than I can recall of any recent car I’ve driven for around this price, and the crossover’s brake pedal feel is pretty good too for a car that’s essentially a $30,000 light hatch on stilts.

The Stonic’s driving position is quite practical, with a clear view of the easily legible instrumentation from the very comfortable seat.

You do feel like you’re behind the wheel of a typical small passenger car though, not a light SUV as such. To illustrate, the Stonic is only 30mm higher at the top of its roof rails than my daughter’s 13-year-old Mitsubishi Lancer.

So the Stonic ends up feeling very car-like to drive, particularly after piloting a vehicle like the Mazda CX-3, but that means the hip-point is right on for older drivers and passengers of average height (and little kids climbing in the back too).

There’s just one climate control zone, but the switchgear is really simple to use from either front seat. Likewise, the infotainment system takes no time to work out, although the voice recognition system won’t work without a smartphone plugged into the car.

Although the interior design is attractive, the materials inside don’t feel special – steering wheel rim and seat fabric aside – but the plastics are durable at least, and the Stonic is assembled for a solid feel. Things that could squeak and rattle don’t, although the suspension can be heard over harder bumps.

As a small, practical package, the Stonic is a case of hits and misses. There’s a compact space-saver spare in the boot, for instance, and there are no adjustable vents for the rear seat occupants. But in that respect, it’s little different from some of its rivals.

The rear seat is fairly roomy behind the driver, although headroom is capped for passengers up to 180cm tall.

While the rear seats do fold down for extra luggage space, there’s a step up from the boot floor to the rear of the folded seats, so carrying larger loads will be rendered difficult by that.

Scraping in at just under $30,000 – and that includes the on-road costs too, currently – the 2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line makes a compelling case for purchase.

You can’t go past the long warranty and the reasonably high level of equipment for the money.

The charges for capped-price services are reasonable, and cost of ownership generally is bound to appeal.

But most importantly, the Kia Stonic is a generally comfortable and safe vehicle that’s ideal as a second car for young families or as the primary means of transport for twenty-something singles who occasionally take their friends places.

How much does the 2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line cost?
Price: $29,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 74kW/172Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 125g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)

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