Kia Stonic

This is the new Kia Stonic and it's based on the recently launched Hyundai Kona compact SUV and while it's basically a Hyundai Kona underneath, there's something different about this compact SUV and it's hard to explain what's what about Kia's newest compact SUV until now.

2018 Kia Stonic

A stoic addition to the SUV lineup, the Stonic is just one of the key reminders that why make another crossover in a world full of crossovers on the road in the same way more and more people are becoming fatter after eating at McDonald's. With the sharp rise of SUV sales through the years, seems that Kia's on the roll right now judging the fact that they have so many SUVs to choose from such as the Mohave, the Sorento, the Sportage, the Soul, and the Niro hybrid. With the Stonic though, it promises to be a game changer in the ever-growing compact SUV race.

So what's it all about the Stonic? At first glance, the design was heavily influenced by the Provo concept as seen from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and that took them four years to plan this kind of crossover from scratch or so they thought. With such a promising concept-derived design, there is a very high probability that it will capture the target audience with ease, mostly young urban professionals.

2018 Kia Stonic interior

2018 Kia Stonic

While the exterior looks very eye-catching to some yuppies elsewhere, the interior is somewhat above average when you look at it and with its two-tone interior color combination, it's all about individuality first before everything else. For an above average interior, it still clicks all the right buttons for every nooks and crannies and very roomy indeed for your mates at the trip to the mall during the sunset on the weekends. It's also practical indeed because of its generous boot space and with the two-steep boot floor, there's so much stuff to store for your busy schedules. This crossover is all about getting the job done from one place to another and it's focused for those who are all work and all play, day in, day out, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

2018 Kia Stonic

Because it's based on the Hyundai Kona, the Stonic really behaves like an everyday city car but unlike the Kona, it's front-wheel drive only and the only engine offered is a 1.6L E-VGT engine that produces (ahem) 23PS less than the Kona's so it's 110PS of power output, 30.6kg-m of torque. Mated to a 7-speed DCT, combined fuel economy is expect to range from 16.7 to 17kmpl, depending on the size of the alloys. So, the bottomline on the Stonic's performance is while it shares almost the same characteristics as the Hyundai Kona, it couldn't match the Kona in every tangible way aside from the 23PS power gap between them.

What about safety? Well, the Stonic's got almost everything to keep them prepared for the long traffic in the metropolis and it has Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian recognition and Forward Collision Alert; Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert; and Lane Departure Warning System. Couple that with a brand new camera system with High Beam Assist and Driver Attention Warning and the result is a well-prepared crossover that is well prepared in the case of moderate to severe traffic conditions.

The price? The Stonic starts at 18,950,000 Korean Won, same as its Hyundai Kona relative, but what you will not like about the Stonic is the lack of almost everything the Kona has such as four-wheel drive, a more powerful turbo petrol engine, the Lane Keeping Assist, and pretty much about it. Even though the Kia Stonic lacks something that the Hyundai Kona had, it's all the right moves and the right curves and you can't deny having one right now.

Available colors: Click White, Moist Yellow, Signal Red, Smoke Blue, Deep Sienna Brown, Platinum Graphite, and Aurora Black Pearl.

Photo: Kia Motors