The Kia Stonic is the underdog in this contest,
up against the top-selling Mazda CX-3, which has been around longer than the weather.
So, should the Kia limp away now, tail between its legs? Let's find out.
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The Mazda CX-3 is an affordable, good-looking city SUV with a perky engine and a decent selection of
mod cons. Priced from just under $23,000, it's the most popular SUV in its class. In fact,
one out of every three compact SUVs sold in Australia is a Mazda CX-3.
Then there's the Kia Stonic, which is even cheaper, with a starting price of just over
$21,000. It comes with a strong equipment list, and although it's slightly shorter in length,
it has a bigger boot. However, before we jump inside and compare interior space and features,
I wanna show you the exterior designs, which are really important in this segment.
The Mazda design is getting old, but it still looks pretty decent with those sleek headlights,
the sporty side profile, stylish brake lights, and those dual exhausts that communicate its punchy
engine. But it has steel wheels with plastic hubcaps, which, I guess, don't look that bad.
The Kia, meanwhile, has a sort of tougher, boxier look, with finer detailing,
especially around the headlights and grill. They both have pumped wheel arches,
but I reckon the Kia wears them better, particularly as it gets 17-inch alloy wheels.
But the Korean SUV's rear is best described as unoriginal, but I guess it still looks stylish.
Power-folding door mirrors are standard on both models, but the Kia also gets heated mirrors too.
In terms of power plants, the Mazda gets a bigger, more powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine,
while the Kia gets a 1.4-litre unit. On paper, the Mazda is faster and more fuel efficient,
but we'll see how the dust settles once we've punted them around.
Okay, let's start with the Mazda, and this smallish 7-inch touch screen
has been updated to work with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Better late than never,
eh? The menu system works well. It's clear and intuitive and fast to respond to input.
However, the touch screen becomes locked when driving, which means you have to use
the rotary dial for Apple CarPlay, and that makes it really frustrating to use.
Mazda has upgraded the manually adjustable seats as well, which are now designed to reduce
fatigue. They look okay, are comfortable, and the cloth material is not bad for this price point.
Amenity and incidental storage is pretty good in the Mazda. It starts with two USB-A ports,
an AUX input, plus a 12-volt socket, and I really like these cup holders. They're spring-loaded,
they're versatile, and you can get a lot of different-sized cups in there,
plus the door pockets are deep as well. I like that, but my favorite thing about the interior
is the instrument panel. It's got these two digital LCD screens either side of a large
analogue dial. And yes, they're monochrome, but it looks really sporty. It kind of engages you.
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All right, the Kia. This feels really modern,
and the larger 8-inch screen has a more premium feel than the Mazda.
It also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the touch screen is always functional,
even when driving. The Kia also gets a small 4-inch digital instrument cluster, and its larger
dials are easy to read. The seats are a little wider, but no more or less comfy than the Mazda.
The cloth upholstery has more visual appeal, and the seats are manually adjustable as well,
although the passenger side misses out on height adjust. Both cars have rake and reach adjustable
steering columns too, which makes finding the perfect driving position a little easier.
Amenity and incidental storage in the Kia is good, but it doesn't quite match the Mazda. Sure,
you get the 12-volt socket, but only one USB port, not two, and there's no AUX input.
Cup holders are kind of basic, although the door pockets are bigger, which is good.
The instrument panel, not so good. It's not as funky as in the Mazda, although you do get
a little digital display in the middle. My favorite feature is undoubtedly this
leather-wrapped steering wheel. It feels great compared to that cheap plastic thing in the Mazda.
Both SUVs have keyless entry and push-button engine start, but miss out on automatic climate
control. I can't believe I have to do this myself. All right, back seat of the Mazda,
and the seats are actually kinda comfy, I feel like I'm sitting in them, but
legroom, a little bit tight, headroom, not too bad. Amenity? Well, you get a seatbelt,
I guess. There's no USB ports. There's no vents. There's no fold-down armrest. It's pretty basic.
Okay, the back seat of the Kia. I've got about the same amount of headroom, but a little bit
more legroom. And the seat comfort, it's probably about the same. It's pretty good. You do have more
amenity back here with this single USB port, yay! And both cars come with twin ISOFIX anchorages.
The Mazda boot has poor amenity, with no shopping bag hooks, but it does have a two-tiered floor
and a space saver spare wheel. While the Kia boot has three shopping bag hooks, a space saver spare,
and is bigger initially, fold down the rear seats and the Mazda offers a bit more space.
Overall, the Kia feels more modern inside, and has better technology to boot. All right,
let's see how they drive. Time to cue the music.
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There's a reason why the Mazda CX-3 is so popular here in Australia. It's easy to drive and it has
loads of energy. The 2.0-litre engine gives it zippy acceleration away from the traffic lights,
and the six-speed auto keeps it on the boil when you're in a hurry.
The steering is light, and the chassis is responsive, and it eats up roundabouts and
corners effortlessly. It's a fun SUV to drive, but rearward vision is compromised
by those busy rear pillars and the narrow side windows don't help either. And look,
while I'm having a whinge, the engine can get a little noisy as the revs rise.
[pause]
First impressions of the Kia? Well, it feels more composed on the road. It
feels more controlled, and it has a slightly better ride and handling balance as well.
It feels more responsive in corners, and that's because, like all Kias, it has a
unique Australian-tuned suspension setup tailored for local conditions. But even with its slightly
sharper dynamics, it feels a little more settled over bumps and lumps than its rival as well.
It's just as easy to drive as the Mazda, thanks to direct steering, and although it doesn't have
the thrust or the throttle response of its Japanese rival, it's not far behind in terms
of urban driving. And it delivers better urban fuel economy, contradicting the official figures.
However, on the freeway, the Kia's lack of grunt becomes a lot more noticeable. Its smaller engine
struggles overtaking other vehicles on the open road, and felt laboured up steep hills.
The six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and well-matched to the 1.4-litre engine, but
there's only so much it can do to mask the engine's lack of power.
Unlike the Mazda, however, the Kia gets automatic headlights that switch themselves on and off
when required. It also has better safety features, including Active Lane Keep Assist.
Both come with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors,
but it misses out on an electric park brake and an auto-hold function, instead using an old-tech hand
brake, which gives the Mazda an edge in stop-start traffic. Despite this, the Kia is a more refined
vehicle to drive overall, and I don't think that smaller engine is gonna be a deal-breaker.
Both offer capped-price servicing, and the Mazda has a strong five-year warranty,
but the Kia wins the after-sales race with an impressive 7-year warranty.
These vehicles offer an impressive combination of style and substance, and they're both great city
runabouts, but the newer, more advanced Kia wins by virtue of its locally-tuned ride and handling,
top-notch tech levels and superior warranty. Thanks so much for watching. We hope you
enjoyed that. You can check out more videos here and here or on the carsales YouTube channel,
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