KIA Stonic Turbo vs Suzuki Fronx: Which Rs 6M Crossover to Buy

ArefOctober 26, 20269 min read

Two of the new cars that have been trying to make a name for themselves in Pakistan’s auto sector are the new Kia Stonic Turbo and the relatively new Suzuki Fronx. Both are small-ish crossover utility vehicles and target similar buyers. So let’s get started and see what both of these cars have to offer.

Variants and Prices

Before anything, here are all the variants and respective prices of both vehicles:

Kia Stonic Turbo comes in following two variants:

Kia Stonic Turbo X	PKR 5,499,000 (Rs 55.0 Lacs)
Kia Stonic Turbo S	PKR 5,899,000 (Rs 59.0 Lacs)

Unlike the frugal Kia, Fronx comes in 6 variants:

GL 5MT	PKR 5,999,999/- (Rs 60.0 Lacs)
GL 4AT	PKR 6,099,999/- (Rs 61.0 Lacs)
GLX 6AT (Mono-Tone)	PKR 6,399,999/- (Rs 64.0 Lacs)
GLX 6AT (Two-Tone)	PKR 6,474,999/- (Rs 64.75 Lacs)
GLX 6AT HYBRID (ADAS) (Mono Tone)	PKR 6,799,999/- (Rs 68.0 Lacs)
GLX 6AT HYBRID (ADAS) (Two Tone)	PKR 6,874,999/- (Rs 68.75 Lacs

So now the numbers are out of the way, let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Engine and Gearbox

Kia has made a jump to a turbo motor with the new Stonic. The new Stonic comes with a 998 cc 3-cylinder direct injection turbo engine that makes almost 100bhp and 172 Nm of torque. Previous Stonic had a 1.4L naturally aspirated engine. The engine is mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Stonic comes with a front-wheel drive configuration only.

On the other hand, Fronx comes with a bunch of engine and gearbox options. There are 2 engine options; K15B and K15C.

K15B is a simple 4-cylinder engine whereas the K15C is a (mild) hybrid engine. The K15B makes around 103 bhp whereas the K15C makes 99 bhp. Both engines offer Suzuki’s DualJet technology. The former makes 138 Nm of torque whereas the later makes 135 Nm of torque.

And when it comes to transmission, the Suzuki offers more options than the Kia Stonic. There is a five-speed manual transmission, 4-speed automatic and a 6-speed automatic which comes in the top of the line GLX and GLX+ models.

The both higher models of Fronx offer mild hybrid options where the starter motor of the vehicle is swapped with a bigger motor that acts also as the electric motor in assisting the vehicle during its drive. You get a 10 ampere Li-Ion battery to crank the 12V-ISG.

It is pretty evident from the specs that both vehicles, as far as the horsepower is concerned, make approximately similar horsepower; around 100 BHP. But the Kia Stonic being a turbo car makes more torque than the Suzuki.

Both vehicles are two-wheel drive.

Fuel consumption

As far as the fuel average of both cars is concerned, Suzuki claims their vehicle does 16 to 22 kilometers per litre depending upon the transmission and the engine variant. But in real life scenarios, these figures are not even close. I have personally seen Fronx doing only around 10 to 12 km per litre in the city driving. On a long route, it is possible that these cars can offer better fuel average than what they do in the city.

On the other hand, the Kia Stonic Turbo does not make any bold claims of excellent fuel average and only states around 13 to 15 km per litre which is quite reasonable for a turbo car even though it’s a small car with a small engine.

The Stonic Turbo comes with a 45 liter petrol tank and the Fronx comes with a 37 liter tank.

Body dimensions

When it comes to dimensions, here are all the numbers that you need.

	Kia Stonic Turbo	Suzuki Fronx	Which is bigger?
Overall Length	4165mm	3995mm	Kia Stonic (+170 mm)
Overall Width	1760mm	1765mm	Suzuki Fronx (+5 mm)
Overall Height	1520mm	1550mm	Suzuki Fronx (+30 mm)
Wheelbase	2580mm	2520mm	Kia Stonic (+60 mm)
Ground Clearance	183mm (S Model)	170mm	Kia Stonic (+13 mm)
Boot Space	352liters	304liters	Kia Stonic (+48 Liters)

Here is the breakdown of the overall basic dimensions of both vehicles. As you can see in some aspects, Kia Stonic takes the lead whereas in some aspects like the overall width and height of the vehicle, Fronx takes the lead. But overall it feels like the Kia sonic offers bigger and better dimensions than the Stonic.

Considering the fact that the Kia Stonic Turbo has a significantly longer wheelbase, it means that it has more cabin space than the Suzuki Fronx. And by better space I mean both for the passengers in the front as well as for the passenger in the backseat. This also translates into Kia having almost 50 l more boot space than the Suzuki Fronx.

As you can see from the overall height figures of the both vehicles, Suzuki Fronx has a 30 mm advantage over the Kia. That means Fronx has more headroom than the Stonic Turbo. The Suzuki almost feels like a small crossover SUV, whereas the Kia appears to be a sleeker hatchback.

Stonic Turbo even has a bigger fuel tank than the Fronx as mentioned above (45 vs 37 liters).

So overall I feel it is safe to say the Kia Stonic Turbo is a bigger vehicle than the Fronx.

Features

This is where the whole game is. Features of the vehicle is where they can take the lead over their competitor. Features is the whole area where the Chinese have been beating the Japanese and the Korean automakers especially in a market like Pakistan where people are more into the gimmicks than the practicality. So let’s dive deeper into what both vehicles have to offer when it comes to features and technology. And let’s also dissect what are actual features and what are just gimmicks to attract potential customers.

The top of the line Suzuki Fronx GLX Plus comes with ADAD which stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. These active safety features include things like:

AEB (Autonomous Emergency Brake)
LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System)
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)
RCTA (Rear Cross-Traffic Alert)

It has a 360° camera system, 9-in HD screen plus the heads-up display when it comes to infotainment and cockpit as well as auto AC with dedicated rear vents.

It also has, as mentioned above, smart hybrid or mild hybrid system

On the other hand Kia Stonic Turbo S which is the higher version than the Turbo X variant doesn’t come with any kind of ADAS or active safety features. It only has a standard camera system which is the rear view camera. The AC is auto like in almost every other modern car. But there are no rare vents for the passenger in the back. As mentioned above, the Fronx comes with the mild hybrid whereas sonic only has a simple 1.0 liter turbo engine. You can say it is a personal preference for consumers what they are after between the efficiency of a mild hybrid economy of Fronx versus the peppy-ness of a turbo engine available in the new Kia Stonic.

The active safety features available in Fronx are autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, 360 around view monitor to name a few. These are all crucial safety systems expected to be available in a modern car which is high on safety of not only its occupants but also the pedestrians as well.

Other than that, it also comes with the heads-up display. One can argue there is no real life value to this feature but at least it looks cool and it is not available in the Kia Stonic. Then there is vehicle swing or stagger warning which is kind of a lane departure warning which is available in many new cars but unfortunately is not available in the new Stonic Turbo.

And when it comes to gimmicky features both vehicles come with things like the dynamic welcome light or the follow me home lights headlights. The lights stay on for a short period when the vehicle is turned off. It is a gimmick but then again it looks cool and adds to the whole package of the vehicle.

Verdict

I think it is pretty safe to say that when it comes to safety features, the top of the line Suzuki Fronx GLS+ takes the lead and is the winner. But keep in mind you are going to pay almost a million for all the fancy features. As mentioned above, the top of the line Stonic Turbo is for 59 lacs whereas the top of the line Fronx is for almost 69 lacs.

But if you decide to keep the budget to 6 million, then the tables turn completely. Comparing the features of the 5-speed manual Fronx with the Stonic Turbo, you will realise the Stonic is a better option.

The Stonic Turbo comes with the 7-speed dual flush transmission which is the added performance upgrade that is not available in the Suzuki. Both make the similar 100 horsepower which is a tie. But on the other hand, the Kia Stonic Turbo has more torque than the Suzuki Fronx. The Kia also has disc brakes in the rear but Suzuki comes with the drum brakes. Suzuki Fronx MT has a 7-in touch screen display but the Stonic Turbo has an 8-in touch screen display. The Kia also has a 4.2 inch supervision TFT screen display when it comes to the instrument cluster but the one available in Suzuki 5MT is a regular normal digital display. The Kia comes with six speakers, whereas the baseline Suzuki Fronx only has 4 speakers.

You also get a leather, albeit artificial leather, steering wheel in the Kia Stonic Turbo but only a polyurethane steering in the Fronx MT which feels cheap and tacky and plasticy. Talking about the steering, you get tilt and telescopic adjustment in the Kia but only tilt adjustment in Suzuki.

For the headlights you get LED projection in Turbo S and halogen projection in Turbo X but only multi-reflector headlights in basemodel Fronx.

Safety wise, Kia comes with six airbags (front, side and curtains) but the base model Suzuki Fronx only comes with two airbags (driver and passenger). You get cruise control and drive mode selection options in the 6 million budget Kia Stonic but no cruise control or any kind of drive modes in the same budget Suzuki. And as mentioned before the Kia comes with the bigger boot capacity as well. So then again you get a better bang for your buck if you are staying at the 6 million budget with the Kia Stonic Turbo

Both vehicles have their pros and cons, if budget is not an issue and you want all the modern safety features then Suzuki Fronx top of the line is your answer. On the other hand, if you are looking for a vehicle which is under 6 million, and a little bit simpler and less complicated but is also fun to drive then the Kia Stonic Turbo is the one to go for.