The Sonet has proven to be a big hit for Kia Philippines. It’s affordable, stylish, and packed with tech. It’s even got a decent turbocharged engine under the hood. While that’s all well and good, some of us still miss the Stonic.
It was the subcompact crossover that paved the way for Sonet. It wasn’t as loaded with features, but it had a sleeker, more hatchback-like physique that appealed more to people like us who like five-door cars. Now, the Stonic just got a makeover, and it makes us miss this Kia even more.
The Stonic aged quite quickly after its arrival in 2021 thanks to Kia’s new design language that eventually made its way to other models in our market. The new Stonic now follows that same philosophy of ‘Opposites United’ and has a more aggressive-looking exterior than ever.
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The front end is adorned by headlights that look the part of a modern Kia. While it doesn’t have a huge grille up front, it has Sorento-like headlamps flanking the nose. The silver trim on the lip also makes the front fascia look pretty beefy.
The new Stonic retains some of its ruggedness courtesy of the roof rails up top and the plastic claddings below. The rear also gets a major makeover, as it sports new taillights to match the headlights up front.
The interior has also been given an overhaul. The old one was plasticky and felt like an econo car, whereas this looks slightly more premium with the new steering wheel and more contrast around the interior.
There are new screens in the cabin as well. In true modern Kia fashion, two 12.3-inch displays are mounted on the dash.
A number of powertrain configurations are available. As standard, the Stonic comes powered by a 1.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that’s available as a pure petrol powertrain and as with a mild-hybrid setup. Both can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The non-hybrid puts out 98hp and 172Nm of torque, while the mild-hybrid with the DCT churns out 113hp and 200Nm.
The Stonic now also comes available with Kia Connect and a suite of advanced driver-assist systems. The latter includes blind-spot collision avoidance with safe-exit warning, forward-collision avoidance assist, and adaptive cruise control with lane-following assist.
This is one heck of an update for the Stonic. Should it make a Philippine comeback, or are you guys happy with the Sonet? Tell us in the comments.
More photos of the Kia Stonic 2026:
