THE RANDLE REPORT

KIA STONIC: What’s not to like?

 

Stonic 'First Edition'

After exhibiting commendable restraint through the alternating thirty and forty limits from Heathfield to Punnets Town, Three Cups Corner is the signal for all those going into Battle to cut loose for the rollercoaster ride along the near Alpine connecting ridge road.

White vans, agricultural vehicles and home-going workers hurtle confidently and apparently safely through hills and valleys, long straights and s-bends, squeaking past oncoming drivers with the opposite goal in mind.

Some cars are better suited to this adventure than others. Few make it a real pleasure and one such is the Kia Stonic.

If you drive a lot of different cars, getting used to a new one doesn’t usually take too long, although it might be a while before you really drive it to its best advantage. I’ve remarked before how easy it is to feel at home in Kia models. Everything seems to be where you would wish to find it (with the exception of bass and treble settings on the test car’s radio), so all controls not only fall easily to hand, but respond in a natural and comforting manner.

I initially drove Stonic at a UK presentation in its ‘First Edition’ - i.e. upper spec - version, and was immediately impressed by its poise and balance. There are some fine roads in and around Newbury and the Oxfordshire border and the car made the best of all of them.

Styling, as we have come to expect from the Korean firm, is distinctive and exudes a real presence. Slightly curving the forward edge of the bonnet works well and slightly reduces the vertical dimension of the ‘shark mouth’ grill. The two tone colours of the example I drove lend further distinction to the car, though these are not to be found on the ‘2’ model I’ve been living with this month.

Visibility is another plus point, with no enormous A-pillars to dodge around to view the outdoors.

On a journey from Kent to Gloucester by way of Watford, Stonic demonstrated what an easy car it would be to live with. Frugal on fuel, more than able to keep up with other traffic and hardly ever out of sixth gear, it scores as highly on the mechanical end as the matters of comfort and convenience. Even overtaking manoeuvres can be achieved without the necessity to change down in many cases thanks to the seemingly never ending supply of torque from the 1.6 diesel engine and the perfectly mated box.

I remember when 10:1 was a high compression ratio for a family motor. Nobody talks about it any more, and the amount of pressure under which modern engines operate is best not thought about on a daily basis, but we can only imagine what it takes to produce 260 foot pounds of torque from 1500 revs upwards.

Along with other manufacturers, much of Kia’s attention has been on the stiffening of the passenger compartment. As I explained earlier (see Body Torque in the Randle Report archive), there has been a long history of compromise between suspension and torsional rigidity. As tolerances in build quality can be more finely tuned, so the suspension set up can really come into its own. And Kia have gone the extra kilometre to refine ride and handling for European expectations.

Stonic 1.6 CRDi '2'

Especially in the handling department, this has been a total success. Ride wise slightly less so on the test car with the ghastly potholed thoroughfares of Cheltenham causing no little disturbance to car and occupants. Miracles are not to be expected, of course, and Cheltenham is about as bad as it gets. I wonder if Gold Cup racegoers realised they’d need to be going over the jumps before they clapped eyes on a horse.

Meanwhile, back on the road to Battle, I’m leading the charge into an s-bend when a misguided game bird breaks cover from the woods on the right and runs out into my path. A glance in the mirror and I have time to stop, let him finish his crossing and get back up to speed without inconveniencing the next car through the bend.

It helps that, in the tradition of great front-wheel-drive cars, Stonic can be taken up through the gears without losing its sense of direction.

Over the brow of the next hill and there’s a lorry parked facing me. The oncoming carriageway is clear as far as I can see, so I keep up the momentum and sweep past the obstruction. However, the lorry is also parked directly opposite a side lane from which, with perfect timing, emerges one of those people who only look one way before pulling out.

I’ve long since given up attempting to use modern car horns. You usually have to hurl yourself at the steering boss with enough force to set off the airbag to get any response from them and, since the advent of multiplex wiring, by the time they manage some kind of squeak you are probably already at home in bed.

So it was a case of getting through the narrowing gap while it still existed, and all of Stonic’s systems - chassis, steering, gearbox and engine - delivered what was needed, still leaving time to flash warnings at the now swiftly oncoming traffic.

Passenger and luggage spaces are all very adequate, and the extra height granted to the suv concept makes entering, leaving and loading easier than ever. Four hours at a stretch was comfortable in the car without any stiffness or after effects, and Kia’s unique seven year warranty could help you get very attached to it indeed.

At this writing, the on the road price for the Kia Stonic CRDi ‘2’ is £17,795.

Manufacturer site: www.kia.com/UK