Kia’s littlest SUV has been heavily updated for 2026. Photo: James Coleman.
Our family’s Alfa decided to stop working the other week. But before your head explodes with sarcasm about how this was entirely unforeseeable and “such a surprise” – it was a flat battery. And it’s now back to running like a dream, thank you for asking.
But between when the doors wouldn’t even unlock to when the new bargain $450 battery went in, my wife had to ferry the kids around in my test car: the Kia Stonic. In all its $28,180 pov S spec glory.
And part of me quickly wondered if she’d deliberately left the Alfa’s lights on, because it sounded like she loved the boring white mini-SUV thing with its plastic steering wheel even more. She loved the simplicity, she said. Probably why she married me too.
But then, the following week – when I got to drive it to and from work – I too understood the appeal.
Especially at a time when Chinese brands are upsetting the market by throwing screens, sensors and software at everything to see what sticks, the little Kia was actually refreshing.
What is it?
Best of all, there was no beeping.
Being the pov S spec, this Stonic misses out the speed-limit recognition feature of the higher Sport and GT-Line trims – which means I could breeze through a school zone on a Saturday at an obedient 60 km/h without being assailed by beeps.
The Stonic didn’t come along all that long ago, in 2019, so really what we’ve received this year is a heavy, Simon-Cowell-level facelift. But better.
The big news is a new mild-hybrid powertrain, which replaces the raspy old 1.4-litre petrol with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol and a 48-volt battery. Apparently this drops fuel consumption down from 5.4 litres per 100 km to 5 litres.
The styling has also been brought into line with everything else Kia makes (except of course for the ugly Tasman duckling).
I like how they haven’t rubbed in the fact you could have done better – you still get modern screen graphics, a sharp reverse camera and designer wheels, even if there’s a lot of hard esky-like plastic and you miss out on niceties like LED headlights, climate-controlled air-conditioning and adaptive cruise control.
And no matter which one you’ve got – this, or the $32,290 Sport, or $35,740 GT-Line – you do still have to plug your phone in for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, annoyingly.
What’s it like to live with?
To be honest, I only realised it was a hybrid after reading it was a hybrid. Apart from when I was slowing to a stop at intersections, the engine always seems to be running.
It starts by default in Eco mode, for environmental reasons no doubt, when it is also very reluctant to get up and go. Not that you’re ever inclined to do that anyway, because the engine makes a noise like a great many leaves rustling. There is a Sports mode too, but I never engaged it even once. What’s the point?
My fuel consumption was also averaging about 7 litres – not terrible, but not brilliant.
But the Stonic is certainly a nimble thing, which makes it a joy to wield about town. The steering wheel feels well connected and the suspension does a good job at keeping bumps at bay. The seats aren’t special – shaped a bit like AI was prompted to design a thing for the average-sized human to sit in – but they’re comfortable enough.
It’s also small. Three kiddie seats were never going to fit across the back seats, so our eldest had to go up front while the Alfa was out of action. But the boot could still fit a pram (just) and I could run several lengths of 2.4-metre-long Bunnings timber through the cabin.
The verdict
In short, the Stonic did everything. And ours having cloth seats and basic tech, you don’t feel bad about making it do everything.
Yes, prices have crept up $2000 to $3000 across the range, which is unfortunate when a fully-kitted Chinese rival is available for what feels like a packet of lollies and a solid handshake. But it still stacks up against the usual suspects like the Hyundai Venue, Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and Suzuki Fronx.
It’s not exciting. But it looks smart, feels solid, and most importantly, doesn’t make you work any harder then you need to just to go to the shops.
Even if it’s still no Alfa Stelvio. Okay, darling?
This, or something Chinese for less? Photo: James Coleman.
2026 Kia Stonic S
- $28,180 (plus on-road costs)
- 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol, 48-volt battery, 88 kW / 172 Nm
- 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, front-wheel drive (FWD)
- 5.0 litres per 100 km claimed fuel consumption
- 1265 kg
- Not yet rated for safety
- 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty
Thanks to Kia Australia for providing this car for testing. Region has no commercial arrangement with Kia Australia.
Original Article published by James Coleman on Region Canberra.
