Kia Stonic practicality and boot space

Because the boot isn’t as large as some rivals, the Stonic actually fares well when it comes to interior space. There’s ample room for four adults to travel in comfort (though the ride quality may suffer somewhat), while a 7.0-litre glovebox joins a 3.3-litre cubby hidden under the sliding armrest between the front seats.

The door pockets accommodate bottles of 1.5 litres in the front and 0.5 in the rear, while there’s a dedicated smartphone tray at the base of the centre console

Despite its bulging appearance, the Stonic is far smaller than the Sportage and as such should prove easy to park. We found the higher driving position helped to place the corners of the car, which helps a lot, but there aren’t any rear-view cameras, acoustic sensors or automatic parking systems on offer here. Rear parking sensors are standard though.

The Stonic’s boot isn’t the biggest in the class in outright capacity by quite some margin, but it’s still bigger than a Ford Focus’s. According to Kia it also boasts a class-leading opening width of 1,022mm, which helps when loading larger items.

A false floor adds functionality too, allowing for a flat boot from the loading lip with the rear seats up, or a flat surface from the higher lip step all the way to the back of the front seats when the seats are folded down.

Standard safety kit

There’s a barely acceptable amount of safety kit on the Kia Stonic, with more on offer as you move up the specification ladder. Stonics fitted with the additional safety kit scored five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test programme, but those without only scored three when tested at the end of 2017.

All Stonics get traction- and electronic stability-control systems and hill-descent control along with six airbags.

First Edition models get autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning (both options on 2 cars), driver fatigue detection, high-beam assist, blindspot detection and rear cross traffic alert.