Kia Stonic Subcompact Crossover Revealed

Days after the reveal of the Hyundai Kona, sister company Kia has come up with its offering in the fast-growing subcompact Crossover category. This is the Kia Stonic.

The name is a play on the words speedy and tonic - Kia wants you to know that this is an exciting to drive and well-built crossover. The design is clearly inspired from larger SUVs from the company such as the Sportage and Sorento. Design highlights include the company's signature 'tiger-nose grille, sleek headlamps, a contrast colour 'targa-type' roof, black cladding with a kink on the side, faux skid plate at the rear etc. 

Customers will be able to choose from up to 20 colour combinations while buying the Kia Stonic, with five paint options available for the roof/ORVM covers/spoiler. The first units will be on sale in European markets from September 2017.

Inside, the stylish theme from the outside continues. Here too, customers will be given a choice of colours to make the cabin exciting. The cabin has been designed to be practical but also look funky, things like the climate control module shaped like a joystick are unique touches. The Stonic gets a free-standing touchscreen infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity functionality as standard. Kia claims the Stonic has class leading interior dimensions for maximum passenger comfort. The luggage compartment has a 352-litre capacity and gets a movable floor for added convenience.

In Europe, the Kia Stonic will be offered with a range of petrol and diesel motors, all paired to a manual transmission with power sent to the front wheels. Petrol engines include a 1.0-litre turbocharged unit, a 1.25-litre naturally aspirated unit and a 1.4-litre naturally aspirated unit. The diesel variants of the car will be powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel motor.

Kia claims that the Stonic will be an exciting crossover to drive, with quick handling responses and a stable ride. To enhance safety, the Stonic will be offered with electronic stability control, torque vectoring through braking, straight line stability and cornering brake control. Advanced assistance systems include autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition and forward collision alert, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, high beam assist etc.

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The Kia Stonic is just over 4-metres long, 4140mm to be exact. Though bringing its length under the magical 4-metre limit could be a task, Kia could consider the Stonic for the Indian market too - it could potentially compete with the likes of the Ford EcoSport and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Kia has already announced that it intends to set up a plant here in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and the first products from the factory would roll out in 2019.