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Volkswagen T-Cross R-Line 1.0 (A) vs Kia Stonic SX 1.0 (A)

Kia Stonic Mild Hybrid 1.0T SX (A) Facelift Review

Buying a used car can be a risky business. But what if we could take away the risk?

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This is an old car model that is no longer for sale by the local distributor since Nov 2023.
Editor Review
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Volkswagen T-Cross R-Line 1.0 (A) vs Kia Stonic SX 1.0 (A)
23 Dec 2022  |  Kia Reviews
The VW T-Cross gives driver a taste of a larger SUV in a small body, while the Kia Stonic drives like a fun and peppy hatchback.
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Volkswagen T-Cross
More advanced cockpit
More versatile cabin and boot
Plusher ride
Higher price
Kia Stonic
More approachable
More driver-focussed cockpit
Better handling
Less expensive
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   Consumer Reviews of Kia Stonic Mild Hybrid
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3.5
 
12 Consumer Reviews
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Comfort
3.5 Reliability
4.0
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Handling
4.0 Features
3.5
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Exterior Styling
4.0 Interior Design
3.5
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Value for money
3.5 Engine Performance
4.0

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HYKKZ
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 08-Dec-2022
NOT WORTH TO OWN  Posted on 07 Dec 2022
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Comfort 3.0 Reliability 3.0
Handling 3.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 3.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 3.0 Engine Performance 1.0
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Review
I have owned the stonic 1.5 years, almost all the time it was working well, but do not expect to accelerate the car very soon, it will take at least 1 second to respond, and sometime you will get clutch slip especially between gear 2 to 3. It is very bad experience, because of this i want to break the car. I did sent the car back for servicing, but C&C sadi nothing wrong with engine or whatever, everything is fine, so we have to bear it. Very sad.

What I like
exterior design,
fuel quantity
road tax lower

What I do not like
clutch slip,
sometime tyre noise
engine power


Ragz
Neutral Newbie
3 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 27-Oct-2022
Ok for city drive  Posted on 26 Oct 2022
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Review
Drove for 8k plus. It is a good small compact car. Powerful to drive. Good pick up and cruising. Powerful for long distance as well.

Pros:
Powerful drive
Save petrol with mild hybrid
Cheap road tax
Blindspot warning
Front parking sensor
Wireless CarPlay

Cons:
-Small boot, not so good for long distance or if going to Malaysia road trip
-passenger leg room is lesser. Same as other typical hatch.
-Some time no need too much automation


Ericzhangjd
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 20-Dec-2021
Value for money and suit my needs perfectly  Posted on 09 Oct 2022
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 5.0 Features 5.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
Quite nice little car to drive and suits Singaporean family needs well!

I would avoid using the Eco mode though. That said, the normal mode is fuel efficient enough compare to other cars.

What I like
Car play
easy to drive and park
decent truck space
fuel efficient

What I do not like
default mode is Eco mode and have to change it to normal mode every time I start the car


Eric19
Clutched
2 reviews
7 points
62 forum posts Joined on 23-Oct-2002
Still ok for a small cc car  Posted on 05 Aug 2022
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Comfort 3.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 3.0 Engine Performance 5.0
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Review
It's now at 7,000km and I feel I would like to share my thoughts on this car. Was deciding between the NOTE e-kicks and this. In the end the wife decided.

Its quite a perky "Small" Car with its 1 Litre turbo engine. Driving on Eco mode is still powerful enough for your daily usage (I drive alone mostly) and surprisingly, much better than my previous Made In Korea 1.6 saloon. I like the stylish shape of the Stonic with its muscular look, even more after I upgraded to 17in rims and wider tyres. (stock was 15ins).

Don't expect the interior finishing to be like conti feel, there's a lot of hard plastic everywhere, as expected of this price range for a Made In Asia car. What I like is the 8ins infotainment system which comes with wireless Apple and Android Auto. Seat comfort is only so so for me maybe because I am tall, only after I installed a seat cushion (bought online) it was slightly better. However, I don't thnk it will be comfortable for long range driving. Rear pax space is quite good if you are up to 1.7m, anything more it will be quite a squeeze. Boot space is expected of a hatch back unless you fold down the rear seats.

What surprises me was the brakes, it doesn't have that mushy feel and does a good job in bringing the car to a stop. Thumbs up for this. The mild hybrid, which I am driving, also gives me around 15km/l (average) with 100% Urban driving. My best was 25km/l on a long stretch from BKE to airport. Aircon is good too, however, its best to turn off auto start stop if you want a continuous cooling feel.

Now comes the big "Negative", the DCT is a pain to drive. As mentioned by another reviewer, you will get occassional clutch slip especially between gear 2 to 3. Have brought back to C&C for diagonstic, but, nothing came through. So, I just have to leave with this inconvenience.

The engine start button is positioned on the left, and very close to the aircon button. At times, I have accidently pressed the wrong button, hahaha.

If you can accept the occassional clutch slip issue, I would say this car is not too bad.

What I like
- Powerful and good acceleration for a small cc engine
- Good fuel economy for a Korean car
- Wireless Android Auto
- Good stock brakes

What I do not like
- Build quality (a lot of hard plastic, uneven gaps esp. at glove compartment)
- Sudden engine brake effect
- Clutch slipping
- Still using the tradional handbrake
- Only driver side with auto window


Laz
Laz
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 07-Jul-2022
Dct problem  Posted on 07 Jul 2022
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Review
Driven the car 10k km, experienced multiple times of the dct slipping or disengaging during driving. Inform SA during servicing and nothing was done. And I know I'm not the only one experiencing this issue. Seems like Kia will not address this issue for the cheapest range car


redramen
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 24-May-2022
Fairly Good If You Can Accept Its Quirks  Posted on 24 May 2022
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Review
Here's my opinion having owned this car (EX variant) for 6+ months and driven 6000+km.

It's a fun drive, with better than expected acceleration feel if you rev up the engine a bit.

With how rattling the test car was at 8000km mileage, I expected the same for my car. True enough, there was some rattling after 5000km, but completely inaudible in the cabin.

Internal space is slightly smaller coming over from a Honda Jazz 2nd Gen. Tailgate also feels heavier than the Jazz.

Fuel economy is also comparable to the Jazz with the Stonic being driven in Eco mode 99% of the time. Mild hybrid system is only capable of maintaining 35km/h speed - your speed will start to drop the moment the system kicks in.

Engine brake kicks in erratically when coasting (without sailing mode) in order to charge the hybrid battery. So you never know when you need to use the foot brake. Brakes also feel a bit mushy - you need to step on the pedal for real with 5 people in the car.

Hauls 5 people without much of a struggle. With the rear seats down, I also managed to fit a 27.5" Hardtail mountain bike after removing the front wheel.

Wireless android auto is a bit clumsy to set up, but the wired connection cuts off from time to time. The audio volume dial is on the left of the touchscreen as it seemed to be ported from a left-hand drive design. But the controls on the steering made up for it.

Engine start button is also on the left, thus not easily accessible if you're just trying to start the engine from outside the car.

Shutting off the car is also a bit clumsy if you don't follow the exact sequence, e.G. Leave door open before shutting off.

Likes:
- Comfortable for its size
- Decent sound insulation
- Decent acceleration with some revving
- Competitive price relative to the market
- Manual handbrake

Dislikes:
- Build quality (uneven panel gaps; Rusting screws; Rusting brake caliper clip; Fading paint at areas not outward facing)
- Hybrid is too mild (electric motor can only maintain 35km/h speed)
- Unpredictable engine brake effect (to recharge hybrid battery)
- Engine stop/start needs to be disabled with each engine start
- Mushy brakes
- Rear seats tight for 3 adults
- Unable to control windows immediately after car shuts off


corproral
Neutral Newbie
50 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 07-Apr-2021
Nippy little compact  Posted on 27 Feb 2022
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 5.0
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Review
This Kia Stonic has been around for quite some time now but has got a new mild-hybrid engine to go along with its turbocharged engine.

What I like
It's a nippy little thing and quite responsive for the segment, so long as you put it into its normal or sport driving mode of course.

But even in eco mode this car still shines. You get to utilise a fair load of that hybrid tech even on a regular drive to work thanks to the sailing function - which turns of the engine and lets you coast on the road.

And the lack of engine braking means the car can carry a lot of speed, making driving on the highway really stress-free as long as there's some distance between you and the car ahead.

What I do not like
As with all these compact crossovers, space at the rear is just ok, and space for luggage is not that great.

Build quality in the cabin is decent, but don't expect any quality materials or decoration. This Kia Stonic has been around for some time and you can see it in the cabin. There's plenty of black plastics which do standout against the modern infotainment screen.


Adamenko
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 15-Mar-2009
You can feel the TURBO  Posted on 26 Feb 2022
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 5.0
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Review
This is my second Stonic, but this time I got Mild Hybrid version, 'cause the government was giving a rebate. Compared to the pure petrol Stonic this version has 3 driving modes - Eco, Normal and Sport. Eco is "Too eco". It is too bad that each time I start the engine I have to push 2 buttons to disable the "Super Eco" Mode - Economy mode (which engages the battery and keeps RPM on a lower limit) switching to Normal and disable engine on/off at the stop or traffic light ('cause it shuts not only the engine, but the aircon as well). Dealer told me that there is no way to have "Normal" Mode permanently. Normal mode is the same as on the petrol version, but I noticed that when a car in front of me is driving slow, Stonic's engine is loosing power and downshifting, making the engine to rev. Eco mode will be nice when boarders will be open and one will be able to drive to Malaysia. You can off the aircon and enjoy open air and fuel economy. I also like the sport mode, as it allows to accelerate really fast and overtake "Slow players". Boot space and rear leg space is not much, so this is pure urban car to send your kid to school and go get some groceries. Value for money.

What I like
This Mild Hybrid version got new LED lights, very cool, in a few years I think I will not have a problem to trade it in with a good value and upgrade to a newer vehicle. The car is short and it is easy to do parallel parking. Forgot to mention new parking sensor system and approaching car signalling system - visual and audio. Even it is annoying (I always check my mirrors before switching lanes), but it helps to stay alert and avoid those who are speeding on the highway.
I also like the Sport mode which allows to accelerate very fast and leave in the dust slow moving "turtles"
Since I switched from very similar petrol Stonic, there are not so much difference, but Mild Hybrid is definitely better and value for money.

What I do not like
Stonic Mild Hybrid got a new infotatment system which I totally hade. Again, I'm comparing it to the similar system of a petrol Stonic. It suppose to be better, universal, etc, but it is constantly keeps un-pairing from my Android phone, which is really annoying. When I went to C&C asking to check, they said that nothing wrong with it... Another dislike - I'm not an automechanic, but I'm driving for donkey years and I can hear if I got a flat or something with the engine or suspension. This brand new unit got a problem with the steering system, especially when I start driving or do parking or take sharp corners on a slow speed I can hear mechanical clicking of the steering system. Previous car didn't have this problem. I went to C&C for regular servicing, they couldn't hear or identify the problem. The car is still under the warranty. I hope one day this problem will be narrowed down and fixed.


ilovetoyotacars
Neutral Newbie
24 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 25-May-2015
Decent little CUV, or hatchback?  Posted on 21 Dec 2021
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Comfort 3.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
First thing, as much as this is considered a CUV, I find it to be more like a slightly lifted hatchback. Which really isn't a bad thing, considering it looks quite good.

The Stonic is a little car that drives pretty well, the facelifted model with the mild hybrid system improved the drive, resulting in a smoother drive and improved fuel economy.

But the Stonic isn't without its flaws, being a small CUV, the ride isn't exactly that good, and it is pretty cramped inside, you wouldn't want to fit more than 2 at the back


technetium
Clutched
8 reviews
9 points
2 forum posts Joined on 20-Nov-2021
Can Feel the Turbo  Posted on 27 Nov 2021
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Comfort 3.0 Reliability 3.0
Handling 3.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 3.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
Test drove the Mild-hybrid, but have to say the mild-hybrid doesnt really do much... 1.0 CC engine complimented by Turbo delivers but with some lag.

What I like
Exterior styling: I actually think the Stonic exterior looks quite good for a "mini-SUV"

Turbo is punchy BUT... (see below)

What I do not like
The Mild-Hybrid only takes effect in "Sailing" mode above 70km/hr which has quite minimal effect.

Turbo is punchy BUT can feel the noticeable lag between putting foot down, waiting half a second, and a sudden push forward (more than expected). I feel like:
1) put foot down, wanting to gain speed
2) wondering why nothing happens
3) turbo kicks in, car lurches forward, me thinking 'oops too fast now'


quippery
Neutral Newbie
78 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 07-Apr-2021
Small gutsy little crossover  Posted on 27 Sep 2021
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Comfort 3.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 3.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
If you do go for a test drive, make sure you switch the car between the different drive modes. This thing can go from ok and mildly sluggish in Eco mode to actually quite brisk in Normal and Sport modes.

What I like
The new mild hybrid drivetrain really works hard to save on petrol. Set it to Eco and it will happily disengage the engine so you can 'sail' - basically coasting along on your momentum.

The whole system is also quite smooth and quiet enough.

What I do not like
There's black plastics all over the lower half of the cabin, which is ok considering the price.

Space at the back is also just enough.


TroyLeow
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
4 forum posts Joined on 23-Jun-2017
Pocket Rocket gets a MHEV boost!  Posted on 15 Jun 2021
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 5.0 Features 5.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 5.0
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Review
Test drove the EX model and confirmed the car on the same day. Was especially pleased by the sharp handling and increased torque from the mild hybrid system and the additional accessories such as wireless Apple / Android carplay, auto ac and leather wrapped steering etc. (features which were not present in the non-MH EX model) sealed the deal! Would highly recommend users on the fence to test drive the vehicle and get a feel of the torque for yourself. Slight turbo lag (which is normal), but the power kicks in almost immediately at the traffic light and the results show for itself when you pull ahead of other higher CC vehicles.

What I like
- Value for money (leather accessories, wireless Apple / Android carplay, auto AC
- Increased torque (from non MH Stonic)
- Good safety features (6 airbags etc)
- Sharp handling

What I do not like
Nothing really.

Kia Stonic Mild Hybrid
3.5 stars - based on 12 reviews