Kia Stonic GT-Line (2021-2026)

Outshined by the new Hyundai Kona – I tested the GT Line variant of the Stonic, which is the range topper, offering more premium materials like a leather styled steering wheel and seats. Build quality on the outside is solid. You can push, push and knock everything from the centre console through to the doors, and you’ll be comfortable knowing this car can withstand some rough encounters.

On the outside, it’s all standard practice. There’s accurate panel gaps, easy to operate doors and plenty of tire walls to prevent constantly worrying about those 17-inch wheels scraping the curb.

This is the range topping Stonic, priced from $30,490. This is quite a step up from the base price of $23,490.

For those lucky ones that are grabbing the GT Line, you’ll find plenty of features for the price. These features include keyless entry/exit, partial leather seats, a sunroof, upgraded wheels, more power and a dual clutch automatic transmission.

If you’re a parent looking to buy a new car for your child or don’t like spending all that cash for those upgrades, the base Stonic’s space and styling will be plenty for a first car. As a Gen Z baby, all I’d really care about is if my phone can connect to Apple CarPlay for maps and music, which the base car already offers.

If you’re looking for a larger hatch and this isn’t your first car, the GT Line will make life a lot easier with all the creature comforts found here.This Stonic feels more premium, with a more up-market cabin than its base model counterparts.

The Stonic comes with a 7 year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is very impressive.

And to fill the Stonic up with a full tank of fuel? That’ll set you back around $65 on average. It’s not exactly cheap, but you shouldn’t see the Stonic chew through that fuel unlike some heavier SUV’s.

You also get capped price servicing, with the total cost of these services over 7 years or 70,000km of driving coming to $3,299.

On paper, this is a disappointing power plant. This is a 1L turbocharged three cylinder producing 74kW @ 6000rpm and 172Nm @ 1500-4000rpm.

The power to weight ratio however, is around 60kW per tonne, which isn’t the worst ratio in the world, but it’s certainly nowhere near enough for a ‘sporty drive'.

Here’s the best part: that’s not what the Stonic is meant to be. It’s not meant to be a sports car, instead, reading these specifications for the engine is only going to persuade parents to purchase this car to drive their child in. It’s enough power to get around, but certainly not enough to get in big trouble.

Accelerating off the line, and powering up the Stonic GT Line, you do have to dig deeper into the accelerator pedal to really get it going. Simply due to a lack of an AWD system, and the fact it’s missing some additional power.

It’s not going to win any drag races, but the power plant does make for a good economical and sensible choice to save money on fuel.

You have a choice of three drive modes, with Eco being the mode the car always starts up in. A personal pet peeve I have is when a car starts up automatically in the worst drive mode, but it’s easy enough to change.

I never found myself driving around in Sport mode, as I didn’t see a point to this.

Dual-clutch transmission in small SUVs have become more prominent in recent years, with the worst example found in the Nissan Juke.

These can be jerky and awkward at low speeds, but really shine when you need the gearbox to be responsive in shifts - something you certainly don’t need in traffic.

In the Stonic, I actually found that the gearbox offered the relaxed experience of a dual-clutch, while also being crisp to shift when getting up to the speed limit.

On my initial drive back home, I really wasn’t loving how numb the steering was, and at higher speeds through corners, you’ll be guessing where the wheels are more often than not.

However, it’s going to be comfortable for long trips and across potholes, and is really smooth out the road.

When it comes to how the Stonic drives, the vehicle is more-so a bit of a box on wheels; it’ll get the job done and do it comfortably, however it just won’t match it’s sporty styling.

The combined fuel consumption of this vehicle is claimed to be 5.4L/100km. I averaged around 7L/100km whilst driving around town, where you’re most likely going to be driving the Stonic most of the time.

There’s a minimum of 352L of boot space, and if you fold the 60:40 split seats down, you’ll get a maximum of 1155L. A thoughtful shelf can also be found back here to stop loose items rolling around in the boot. It’s a fairly large boot even without the seats folded down, and when you do open up the interior space a little more, there’s definitely enough space to head away on a long road trip.

As a viable and sensible option for a first car, the Stonic delivers. It’s cheap to run, well-built, safe and easy to drive.

It’s well suited for a new driver, and also for anyone looking for a small SUV that’s easy to park in the inner-city. Outside those buyers, the Stonic is a tad under-powered and possibly lacks a few features you could find on a regular hatchback, like a Hyundai i30.

Honestly, I'd be opting for the new Hyundai Kona over this. It's more up to date, offers a better driving experience and offers less complicated motors and gearboxes around this price too. Which have been pain points for some reviewers here.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.