A SLICKER CITY SUV, AT LAST

ONE CAR — TWO CRITICS Stonic makes up for obvious omission from Kia line-up

Kia’s been a shining sales star in recent years, but a city SUV has been a glaring omission from its line-up. The new Stonic plugs the hole. Available from $22,990 drive-away, our family of testers sampled the range-topping GT-Line version at $29,990 on the road.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

IAIN: Teens and retirees don’t want cars these days. They demand SUVs. Cheap, little ones mainly.

JULES: Of course. City SUVs are far more appealing than city hatchbacks or sedans. Keep up, Granddad.

IAIN: Hey, it’s their money. The Kia Stonic’s a great example. It’s based on the Rio hatchback and shares its engine, gearbox and much of its equipment. But costs thousands more.

JULES: Yes, but it looks cooler than a daggy hatch. And it’s easier to climb in and out from.

IAIN: But a Stonic costs $3500 more than the equivalent entry-level Rio, and our GT-Line is $5000 more than the hatch alternative.

JULES: I’d pay the extra. The Stonic looks beautifully sporty. What are its rivals?

IAIN: A Kia Rio for a lot less? Okay, sorry. The Hyundai Venue (from $20,690), Toyota Yaris Cross (from $26,990) and runaway segment leader Mazda CX-3 (from $22,890).

THE LIVING SPACE

JULES: The Stonic is sporty inside too, but feels cheaper than I was expecting. I like the flatbottom steering wheel, metal pedals, fake leather seat bolsters and carbon-style dash trim. IAIN: There’s the usual very smart Kia layout, good build quality, climate control and sizeable 8-inch infotainment screen, though the doors are mighty slabs of hard plastic.

JULES: It needs more comfort. The dash and door plastics are too scratchy.

THE COMMUTE

JULES: It feels sturdy on the highway, but there’s a bit of road noise to tolerate.

IAIN: While the doors have a solid clunk to them, the Stonic doesn’t suppress the sounds as well as pricier, larger Kias.

JULES: It’s not a quick car, but perky. It scoots around town nicely.

IAIN: Like many rivals it uses a turbocharged three-cylinder. Just 74kW on offer, but its 172Nm of torque loads quickly to offer some fun.

JULES: If I’m grumbling, it can be a bit jerky when parking and at slow speeds.

IAIN: It has a sporty twin-clutch auto gearbox. Brilliant when up to speed, but a bit hesitant when meandering urban areas.

JULES: It cleverly keeps itself between the road’s white lines, steering itself if you stray, with some beepy telling off.

IAIN: And call me spoilt, but I’ve grown to love radar cruise control. Not available on the little Stonic.

SUNDAY RUN

JULES: Bowls club or university sports fields I’d imagine?

IAIN: Hopefully a few will enjoy some corners. Kia Australia sets up its cars’ steering and handling for our roads and preferences. This GT-Line gets a sportier tune than other Stonics, and it’s a decent balance of comfort and good cornering skills.

JULES: The turbo engine likes to rev too.

IAIN: I love its fun, quite raspy noise. The dualclutch gearbox is sharp when driving enthusiastically too. It really needs steering wheel paddles to add more involvement.

THE FAMILY

JULES: Despite being a city SUV, rear doors are

large so the kids can get in easily. No rear air vents though.

IAIN: Rear seats are firm but give reasonable head and leg room, though you wouldn’t want three adults across the back for long.

JULES: The safety kit and 5 Star ANCAP rating are good, but I don’t like missing out on rear cross traffic alert and a blind spot monitor.

IAIN: Hold on. Our GT-Line Stonic doesn’t have a 5 Star rating. Kia cheekily used the Rio’s 2017 safety rating for the 1.4-litre Stonic – deeming the cars so closely related – but it didn’t apply to our 1.0-litre turbo model. I’d suggest no Stonic would get 5 Stars if crashed in 2021, due to stricter rules on active and passive safety gear.

JULES: Very cheeky. Positively, I love the rear occupant alert. It monitors rear doors opening and alerts to ensure no kids are left behind.

IAIN: Kudos for Kia’s seven-year warranty and fuel economy of 5.4L/100km, which we almost achieved. Services aren’t cheap, and are every 10,000km rather than the 15,000km of many rivals.

THE VERDICT

JULES: I like the Stonic’s style, good looks and its easy-to-drive nature, but I want it to feel more special. It’s probably a better proposition at $22,990 for the entry-level ‘S’, as the $30,000 GT-Line has to compete with the Skoda Kamiq – a larger and classier feeling city SUV.

IAIN: I see the appeal, but personally I’d hop in a Kia Rio GT-Line for $5000 less. Or get an entry-level Kia Seltos with its larger dimensions and smarter cabin. Having said that, the Stonic is a welcome addition to the city SUV segment, and Kia will sell plenty.

What’s gone wrong with the Toyota Fortuner? It’s a seven-seater 4WD wagon, the little brother of the 200 Series LandCruiser and Prado and the cousin of HiLux, which sell by the boatload, largely because of the blue-chip Toyota badge. Fortuner should at least be on the podium in its class, surely?

Nope. It languishes in 12th place. Prado, in pole position, outsells it by nearly eight-to-one and its direct rivals, Mitsubishi’s Pajero Sport, the Isuzu MU-X and Ford Everest each won more than twice as many customers in 2020.

Clearly, Fortuner has an “Oh, not a feeling” problem. What is it?

VALUE

In late 2020 Fortuner received the same upgrade to its 2.8-litre turbo diesel and six-speed auto as the HiLux and Prado. Peak power increased 20kW to 150kW and torque by a hefty 50Nm to 500Nm. So it now shares class-leading outputs with Ford’s 2.0-litre turbo Everest.

Maximum claimed towing weight increases 300kg to 3100kg, thanks to more efficient engine cooling and transmission operation. At Fortuner’s gross vehicle mass of 2800kg, (including towball download), its legal maximum trailer weight is 2750kg. Prado will legally pull its claimed 3000kg maximum at its 2990kg GVM.

Toyota also claims greatly improved fuel efficiency — more than 17 per cent around town and 11.6 per cent overall. We couldn’t achieve the official numbers. Our Fortuner used 1012L/100km in town. On the highway, it will do 8.0L/100km, getting you near enough to 1000km from its 80-litre tank. Prado’s tank is 150 litres.

In the cabin, a larger infotainment screen features button and touch interfaces for main menus, excellent voice control and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. A digital speedo is also added.

Toyota discounted Fortuner by more than $5000 in late 2017 to fire up sales; they’ve taken $3000-$4000 of that back for the 2021 update.

The base Fortuner GX is $49,080 plus on road costs. That’s still more than $10,500 cheaper than Prado GX — which has the same engine and transmission — and $8010 less than the 2.0-litre Everest Trend.

Fortuner GXL costs $54,350 and Crusade, tested here, is $61,410.

Servicing is required every six months, which is ridiculous.

COMFORT

Despite niceties such as leather-faced seats, JBL audio and (the world’s slowest) power tailgate, Crusade feels more like $30K than $60K in the cabin — industrial and impoverished, with hard, shiny plastics, (very) fake tree trim, an unsupportive driver’s seat, one only USB/12 volt outlet up front and no wireless phone charging.

A spacious, elevated middle row, split 60/40, includes 12-volt and 220-volt outlets (no USB), roof vents and low window sills, so kids will have a good view of the world.

Both sides tumble forward for easy access to two kid-sized individual back seats that fold up against each side of the cargo bay when not in use. Setting up or stowing them is fiddly and strenuous compared with rivals’ back stalls that fold into the floor. It also compromises carrying capacity.

SAFETY

Underdone at the price, Crusade misses out on blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and surround cameras, all standard on Pajero Sport Exceed.

DRIVING

As with Prado and HiLux, Fortuner drives like an old-school 4WD. It feels heavy, ponderous and occasionally nervous in bumpy corners. Over-assisted steering wanders disconcertingly at highway speeds and is prone to mild shake on rough roads. Wooden brakes lack power.

If you’re not going to use Fortuner’s considerable off-road or towing capabilities, you’re making a lot of unnecessary on-road performance, handling, comfort, safety and refinement compromises compared with a seven-seater SUV such as Kia’s Sorento or Hyundai’s Santa Fe.

That said, Fortuner is considerably less barge-like in corners than the Prado, because it’s lighter, lower and has better-controlled suspension. This also translates to a firm and reasonably absorbent, though fussy ride. The 2.8 is a good thing. It’s much smoother here than in the HiLux tested a few months ago, with the extra 50Nm of grunt particularly noticeable where it counts, from idle to 2500rpm. The automatic shifts smoothly and decisively.

Off-road, Fortuner does the business easily, as you would expect. It features proper low range gearing — albeit with a loud whine from the transfer case — 216mm of ground clearance, 700mm wading depth and a locking rear differential. The 2.8’s strong bottom end is amplified in low range, where it will idle up, down or over just about anything, displaying excellent throttle modulation and smooth, timely gear changes.

HEART SAYS

I want a reliable 4WD wagon to go travelling, and Toyota is a safe, dependable choice.

HEAD SAYS

Sure, it’s a poor man’s LandCruiser, but I don’t need a huge wagon and it’s still got pure-bred Toyota 4WD genetics.

ALTERNATIVES

FORD EVEREST TREND FROM $57,090

This is the base 150kW 2.0-litre turbo/10 speed auto Everest 4WD, but it’s comparably equipped to the top-spec Fortuner Crusade. More comfortable and better handling on road.

MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT EXCEED $57,690

Top-spec Pajero Sport 4WD runs a 133kW 2.4litre engine through an eight-speed auto. Stylish, comfortable and reliable, loaded with luxury and best in class driver-assist safety tech.

VERDICT

The base model Fortuner GX is good value for a tough, no frills Toyota 4WD. Crusade, though, is overpriced, underequipped and an ordinary drive compared with rivals.