Kia Stonic puts SPORT in small SUV shock!

But three terrific little newcomers from last year are vying for a spot on the keen driver’s podium.

Mahindra’s plucky XUV 3XO is a steal at $24,000, drive-away. There’s the spirited Renault Captur-cloned Mitsubishi ASX from (gulp!) $40K, drive-away. And this - the facelifted Kia Stonic. Sitting pretty in-between from $30K, drive-away, is this the Goldilocks zone of sporty small SUVs?

Calling the MY26 Stonic ‘new’ is a stretch, given it’s based on the 2017 German-designed, Rio supermini-based original, with a fresh nose, tail-light and bumper treatments.

While that Rio connection is central to the littlest Kia SUV’s urban appeal, the upright proportions and 165mm ground clearance promote easy access to the cabin.

The Stonic’s revamped interior certainly drags it up to date, with a classy dashboard redesign that adopts the modish rectangular electronic screen look, housing a pair of varying displays for instrumentation and multimedia, according to how much you’re prepared to pay.

The mid-spec Sport, from $34,490, drive-away (or $32,290 before on-road costs), seems to be the sweet spot of the Stonic ensemble.

Building on the base S’s keyless entry/start, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, power folding/heated mirrors, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, roof rails and 16-inch alloy wheels, the Sport adds an inch-larger wheels, climate control, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control as part of a wider list of advanced driver-assist safety (ADAS) tech, extra USB-C ports, privacy glass and a larger (from 8.0-inch to 12.3-inch) multimedia screen. A worthwhile upgrade.

The Sport also scores inbuilt sat-nav, but at the cost of requiring wired CarPlay, the result of a silly feud with Apple, allegedly. Still, the dash’s look and layout are as modern and slick as any rival from China.

Actually, better than most, since the Stonic maintains its clear and easy-to-navigate screen presentation, but adds quality, tactile buttons, knobs and controls that are designed to not distract the driver.

Other plus points include ample cabin space up front, an excellent driving position, supportive front seats, good all-around vision, lots of storage, effective climate control and decent noise-suppression abilities, endearing us to the South Korean crossover.

The Stonic’s back seat is tight for larger folk, and a bit basic overall. While the boot area is decently shaped, there’s only 352 litres of cargo capacity, extending to 1155L with the 60/40 split-fold backrests dropped. Below the class average, this betrays the Rio connection.

And while we’re whining, where is the spare wheel? A tyre-repair kit is inadequate for Australia. Perhaps the optimistic ‘mild-hybrid’ specification gave Kia license to lose the fifth wheel?

Under the bonnet is an 88kW/172Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) only.

But for one important way, this is a very modern European powertrain in the Volkswagen, Renault, Ford tradition. Petite, peaky and parsimonious.

A muted thrum gives the Stonic a pleasing rasp as those sweet little revs rise. Acceleration feels adequate and nothing more in 'Eco' mode, but the engine and DCT software in 'Normal' and 'Sport' seem to extend each ratio’s lung capacity, for noticeably punchier performance and more-eager throttle response. A 10.8-second 0-100km/h claim feels conservative.

But here’s where the Stonic really earns its sporty small SUV stripes, because the chassis set-up (complete with an Australian-road tuning) is slightly biased towards firmness, but not to the detriment of ride comfort.

Combined with a light yet alert steering set-up, handling is precise, planted and in control, encouraging a keener driver to go faster and give it more if the conditions align. Quality Continental rubber helps here, too.

It’s such a shame Kia ignores the six-speed manual version, for an even higher degree of driver interaction.

Back in the urban jungle, the Stonic does a fine job traversing bumps big and small, and while there is some suppleness to the suspension (struts up front, a torsion beam out back), sometimes a bit more damper travel would be nice.

Fitted with stop-start and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that feeds regenerative brake energy back into the electrical system to help save fuel, the Kia returns an impressive 5.0 litres per 100km (combined cycle, AS 81/02) for a corresponding carbon dioxide emissions rating of just 116 grams/km. That’s about 900km between refills.

All familiar European fare. Where the Stonic diverges is its tolerance for regular 91 RON petrol and E10, which is a bonus.

No ANCAP rating exists, though the 2017 original scored a maximum five stars, but that would be unlikely despite autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist and blind-spot monitoring, since rear-cross traffic alert and reverse automatic braking are absent. The Sport and GT-Line have collision-mitigation tech when turning at an intersection.

Finally, Kia’s seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty applies. Better than average, not the best.

The Stonic Sport is an unexpected charmer, with a lively powertrain and rewarding chassis for driving enthusiasts. That it’s also so easy to live with puts another feather in its cap, justifying the somewhat premium pricing. Just remember to haggle at least $600 off for an aftermarket space-saver spare wheel and jack kit.