The Koreans are Koming:


Kia Stonic 1.0T-GDi First Edition,Model on test: £19,695 TEST DRIVE BY TOBY AIKEN


When you hear Korea,motoring manufacturer isn’t the first thing that springs tomind.Or at least itwasn’t a decade ago. But now,with the likes ofHyundai


and Kia rising in prominence, it’s not surprising that they are coming out with newmodels that don’t just match themore establishedWestern Europemodels in looks and styling but are in some cases better looking. I’d been interested in the Kia Stonic


since I sawits launch images andwas keen to find out justwhat itwould deliver; partly out of genuine interest,


and partly becausemy car lease is up in a fewmonths, and this could potentially be a contender for a replacement! When I found out thatmy review


modelwould be a top-spec ‘First Edition’, Iwas hopeful for a fewtoys - maybe sat nav and reversing sensors - sowas very impressedwhen I found out it also had keyless entry and go, heated seats and steeringwheel, a full colour rear viewcamera and driving aids such as lane departure warning.Make nomistake, Kia has not scrimped on the spec.


But the engine… have they saved a


little toomuch here?Aone litre, three cylinder engine for amid-sized family hatchback / small SUV… surely that’s not enough, evenwith the turbo? Actually, they’ve done an okay job


here too. It certainly sounds like a three-pot engine, and you have to use themanual gear box (6 speed as standard) to get up to speed, but it’s no slouch and once you’re up to speed, it’smore than capable of holding its own.We took it on a long weekend to the South coast to see


44 JUNE 2018 THECHELTONIAN


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