With the subcompact-crossover segment heating up, Kia apparently no longer thinks it can get by with the front-drive-only, tallish Soul hatchback. We like the Soul, and we even named it to our 2017 10Best Trucks and SUVs list. The Soul is popular with consumers, too, although it’s not quite a crossover in the traditional sense—something that the newly released, similarly sized Stonic most definitely is.
With styling that brings to mind an angry French bulldog, plus funky personalization options and plastic fender and bumper cladding, the Stonic stands apart from the Soul. Plus, there are pseudo–skid plates jutting from the front and rear bumpers, so you just know this thing is rugged. It’s colorful, too: Kia said the Stonic will offer up to 20 combinations of two-tone paint schemes. There are five different colors available for the roof alone. Inside, the design is more subdued, with splashes of color here and there but a mostly mature, straightforward layout.
There are several tiny turbocharged gasoline and diesel engine choices for Europeans—and a standard manual transmission!—but we figure the powertrain lineup will be pared back greatly if, as expected, the Stonic reaches our shores.
That’s right; even though it’s a sibling to the just-announced Hyundai Kona—which is confirmed for the U.S.A.—the Stonic, so far, is guaranteed to go on sale only in Europe. We see no reason why it couldn’t also come to the United States—well, except maybe for that name. Chevrolet, and its lawyers, might object to a small hatchback-type vehicle with a name one letter away from “Sonic.”
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