In case you missed it, there’s a new crossover in town: the Kia Stonic. With its stylish design, tech-loaded cabin, and affordable price tag, it certainly looks like an interesting proposition in our market, especially for first-time car buyers.
And as always with these new vehicles, we pulled out the spec sheets straight away to see how it stacks up on paper against its competitors. For the Stonic’s first bout, we decided to spice things up a bit with a three-way comparo, and we picked none other than the Hyundai Kona and the recently-updated Chevrolet Trax Premier to go against the newcomer.
For the purposes of this comparo, the variants we selected are the Kia Stonic 1.4 EX AT, the Chevrolet Trax Premier LS AT, and the Hyundai Kona 2.0 GLS. Let’s get to it.
Starting with what’s underneath, you won’t see a lot of differences between these three vehicles. All of them get disc brakes all around, 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels, and independent MacPherson struts up front with torsion or twist beams out back.
In terms of engine performance, though, you’ll see a significant gap. There’s only one turbocharged engine here, and that’s the Trax. The Chevy packs a 1.4-liter turbopetrol that generates 140hp and 200Nm of torque. It trumps the Stonic’s 99hp, 132Nm 1.4-liter nat-asp four-banger as well as the Kona’s 179Nm 2.0-liter in-line-four mill. The Kona gets the slight edge in horsepower, though, with 147hp on tap.
Now, moving on to extra features, things get pretty interesting, because it’s almost as if each vehicle has something going for it that its competitors don’t. For example: Only the Stonic gets an up-to-date eight-inch infotainment system with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Trax, meanwhile, is the only vehicle that boasts a cabin air purification system and a built-in dashcam. As for the Kona, it’s the only one that’s been fitted with cruise control and hill-descent control as added driver-assist features—the other two only get hill-start assist and no cruise control.
Price-wise the Kia takes the cake, and by a big margin. The top-spec Stonic is priced at P925,000, the base model Trax Premier at P1,185,888, and the lone variant of the Kona at P1,188,000.
But of course, pricing isn’t all there is to it. There are other factors to consider before you can say which of these three is the real winner here. On that note, we leave it to you to check out the full specs of each vehicle below. Take your pick, then tell us your answer afterwards.
2021 Kia Stonic 1.4 EX AT |
2021 Chevrolet Trax Premier LS AT |
2021 Hyundai Kona 2.0 GLS |
|
| Price (Philippine Peso) | 925,000 | 1,185,888 | 1,188,000 |
| Drive | FWD | FWD | FWD |
| Seating capacity | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Engine setup | 1.4-liter in-line-four gasoline | 1.4-liter in-line-four turbocharged gasoline | 2.0-liter in-line-four gasoline |
| Power (hp) | 99 | 140 | 147 |
| Torque (Nm) | 132 | 200 | 179 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic | 6-speed automatic | 6-speed-automatic |
| Fuel tank capacity (L) | 43 | 53 | 50 |
| Brakes (front/rear) | Disc/disc | Disc/disc | Ventilated disc/disc |
| Wheels | 16-inch alloy | 16-inch alloy | 17-inch alloy |
| Tires | 195/60 R16 | 205/70 R16 | 215/55 R17 |
| Front suspension | Independent MacPherson strut | Independent MacPherson strut | Independent MacPherson strut |
| Rear suspension | Torsion beam | Twist beam | Torsion beam |
| Seat material | Fabric | Fabric | Fabric |
| Infotainment system | 8-inch touchschreen with 6 speakers | 7-inch Android touchscreen | AM/FM stereo with USB, AUX, Bluetooth |
| Apple CarPlay/Android Auto | Yes/Yes | No/No | No/No |
| Smart keyless entry | Yes | No | Yes |
| Push-start ignition | Yes | No | Yes |
| Automatic climate control | Yes | Yes | No |
| Auto-folding side mirrors | No | No | No |
| Automatic headlamps | No | Yes | No |
| Cabin air purification system | No | Yes | No |
| Tire pressure monitoring system | No | Yes | No |
| Built-in dashcam | No | Yes | No |
| ABS w/ electronic brakeforce distribution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | No | Yes | No |
| Electronic Stability Control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hill-start assist | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hill-descent control | No | Yes | No |
| Cruise control | No | No | Yes |
| Blind Spot Monitor | No | No | Yes |
| Parking assist | Reversing camera with rear parking sensors | Rear parking sensors | No |
| Seatbelt reminder | -- | Front and rear seats | -- |
| Airbags | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 4,100 x 1,735 x 1,533 | 4,248 x 2,035 x 1,674 | 4,165 x 1,800 x 1,550 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,570 | -- | 2,600 |
| Ground Clearance (mm) | 185 | -- | 170 |
