Kia Stonic 2018 Review

This is the Car Buyers Guide brand-new KIA Stonic 2018 review. Daragh Ó Tuama met it in the IAA in Frankfurt last week, and over the last couple of days he’s been enjoying it on the roads and in the surrounds of Berlin, Germany. This B-SUV will be arriving in Ireland towards the end of October 2017.
The secret to the success of the Kia Stonic will be the reasonable price tags, which range between €18,599 and €24,599, and the fact that the Kia Stonic is a good car. Last week we viewed the Citroen C3 Aircross at its static launch in Dublin. We would probably say that the C3 Aircross is nicer looking than the Stonic. It's quirkier, and feels more robust. But, judging by Citroen's focus on comfort instead of drive, the Stonic is probably a better handler on the road (we’re yet to drive the C3 Aircross - which is why we’re using the term “probably”!).
To drive, the KIA Stonic is good. This KIA is built using the Rio platform, but with some tweaks. For example, because of the bulkier body, the KIA Stonic is made stiffer by using very high tensile steel and 98 metres of bond adhesive. This, coupled with a retuned front suspension, new rear shocks and a new hydraulic rebound stopper, the body of the Stonic holds well and this results in good handling, a nice ride and a comfortable drive.
We brought the Stonic to one of the most fascinating test sites that I've ever been on. This was an old German, and then Soviet airfield called Flugplatz Werneuchen. At this location, various make-shift handling courses were put in place for us to check handling, turning, traction control, emergency brakes, reversing and more.
The tracks were fun, and it was gutsy for KIA to make them available to us. Courses like this can show warts and all from a car, but as we sped through the courses with our foot down revving second and sometimes third gear, this B-SUV handled itself neatly. Through the wet, the traction control systems kept us on course, and as we slid left to right through cones, the Stonic was as precise as it should be given the fact that it should not normally be driven in the way we were driving. But, given that the Stonic won't be driven like this in real life, and given that I got circa 100km under my belt over the last couple of days, the Stonic is surprisingly good on the road. It doesn't suffer hugely from body roll, it soaks up bumps easily, and it trots along without any difficulties. The steering can on occasion be a bit on the light side, but most buyers won’t necessarily notice this.
Powering this car is a line-up of familiar engines. All are available with the KIA Rio and other cars from the KIA range. There is one diesel and three petrol choices on offer. Entry level cars come with the 1.25-litre petrol engine. The diesel option is a 1.6-litre offering 100hp. The biggest seller for KIA will be a mid-trim level with a smooth 1.4-litre petrol engine. However, the one to look out for is the 1.0-litre 3-cylinder 120hp engine. Be warned though, while this engine is the most fun, it can be noisy at idle and while under pressure - it's quiet while cruising.
Higher trims will have plenty of Advanced Driver Safety Systems (ADAS) available. These systems include; Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Emergency Brake, Blind Spot Monitoring (level K4 only), and more.
Each car will receive a 7" display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. The interior is available with four colour variations. There is good shoulder, leg and head room to the front. The plastics in row two are slightly cheaper to the touch, but I was happy to see a USB charge point in the rear. None of our test models had a central armrest in row two, and one of the front seats had a storage pocket to the back of it. Row two offers good enough legroom, but at just under six feet tall, I would prefer to sit in the front. Head room is excellent in row two, and while three adults could squeeze in there, try to keep it to just two!
The boot offers 352-litres of space and has a split-level floor. When the boot floor is at the highest level, the 60/40 split second-row seatbacks can lie flat. Every KIA Stonic will come with a spare wheel.
The new KIA Stonic will arrive in Ireland on October 27th and we reckon it’ll do very well for what is a growing brand in this country. The B-SUV and C-SUV segment will be very interesting to watch over the next 12 months as we watch buyers shift their attentions.
To read our full Kia Stonic review, go here: www.cbg.ie/new-car-review-det...
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[@stuarthitchcock2880]

The Back kind of looks like the Stelvio. Great review!

[@JackInDaBoxx]

Any chance you guys cab review the Mazda MX5 RF?

[@CarBuyersGuideCBG]

+Jack Bailhache here's our launch drive review ruclips.net/video/pwp82C_6m7A/видео.html