Peugeot 2008 vs Kia Stonic

What's the difference?

The Peugeot 2008 is a handsome and accomplished little SUV that’s fun to drive and has a cabin that feels a little bit special.

In reality the 2008 is too expensive and isn’t as practical as most of the mainstream compact SUVs.

This is the car you buy with your heart, not with your head.

All in all, the Stonic is a satisfactory daily driver, it’s just nowhere near ideal as a modern urban conveyance.

Sure, it’s reasonably priced in an increasingly expensive market, but it is very sluggish off the mark which is a solid negative against its overall rating. It also feels cheap inside and lacks contemporary driver-assist tech, such as adaptive cruise control.

The Peugeot 2008 is a smooth operator with head-turning French flair, but the devil is in the detail.

It’s not just the 2008’s well proportioned dimensions or the healthy dollop of exterior black highlights that catch your eye, but Peugeot has added a range of design cues to symbolise the Lion on its badge.

The tail-lights have a 3D effect that make them look like cat’s claws and the daytime running lights on the front resemble a scratch mark. These pair perfectly with the lion head crest on the grille.

Look deeper and you notice the attention to detail.

The 2008's redesigned front grille's slates are colour matched to the car's body colour.

Dual exhaust pipes are finished in chrome, giving the impression of performance even if the car doesn’t deliver on it.

The GT variant gets a two-tone paint job with a black roof contrasting with the body's colour.

Inside there are plenty of high quality finishes. The centre console is festooned in gloss black and there is a lovely carbon-effect textured insert on the dash and doors. 

Some hard plastics below eye-level and on touch points such as where your knee might rub are less impressive. The rear seat loses some of the lustre of the front pew with tough plastics covering the back of the front seats and most of the doors.

I spend the lion’s share of my time in large and upper large 4WDs, so spending quality time in something like this little hot hatchbac… er, small SUV, is a revelation and a lot of zippy fun. Like driving a go-kart without the fumes and the prangs.

The 2025 Kia Stonic Sport is 4140mm long (with a 2580mm wheelbase), 1760mm wide and 1520mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1227kg.

This is a slick-looking hatchbac… er, light SUV, and it looks suitably sporty. 

Though ground clearance is unlisted, it stands well clear of the road surface, giving this hatchbac… er, compact SUV, more presence than it otherwise might have.

Step inside and there is no hiding the 2008’s diminutive proportions.

It’s 4300mm long, 1815mm wide and 1550mm high, which puts it closer in size to the mini Mazda CX-3 than the larger CX-30 it is more aligned with price-wise.

This all adds up to a snug fit in whichever row you sit.

There are a couple of cupholders in the centre console - a smaller one for a standard takeaway coffee and a larger one for drink bottles.

Slight storage bins in the door can hold a regular drink bottle but there isn’t much room for much else.

The wireless device charger is hidden away behind a compartment below the central screen that opens with a push and there are two USB-C ports up front and the rear seats score a USB-C and A connection.

Rear seat passengers do without a dedicated aircon vent, unfortunately.

There is an issue with Peugeot’s i-Cockpit steering wheel and digital driver display, too.

If you like to sit low the chances are the steering wheel will cut off your view of the bottom part of the display. If you prefer to have the seat jacked up, you’ll have better vision of the readouts.

There are piano key-like physical controls for simple climate functions such as the de-mister and auto climate settings. More complex functions are done via the 10-inch central multimedia screen.

The boot is a decent size at 434L and can easily handle a weekly grocery shop or a few overnight bags.

There is only a space saver spare wheel, but this car is aimed at city driving where it is easier to source a replacement tyre.

The Stonic Sport’s interior is a practical space but it feels a bit dated and underdone in a car market increasingly packed with well-equipped, cheaper and more contemporary SUVs.

The most obvious factors working against the Sport are its the 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia (too small), the absence of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless phone charging and multiple hard plastic surfaces.

Sure, the touchscreen is easy enough to operate, but it sometimes takes a few finger stabs to hit the sweet spot you’re after, and thankfully there are dials and buttons off-screen as alternatives for air con controls, etc.

There’s a satisfactory number of storage spaces in the front including two cupholders between the seats, a few little receptacles for your everyday carry gear, and bottle holders in each of the front doors.

The back seat is short on cupholders – there are none – but there are bottle holders in the doors, and the passengers back there get a USB-A port, a map pocket (in the back of the front passenger’s seat) and flip-down grab handles. There are no directional air vents.

Back-seat room is satisfactory for an adult without being spacious, but fine for kids. What do you expect in a small SUV?

In terms of packability, the cargo area (with the rear seat up and in use) yields a listed 352 litres of space. The rear seats are in a 60/40 split fold configuration and with them folded down there is a listed 1155 litres of useable room.

The rear cargo area has bag hooks, a storage space in the left-hand inner wall, and tie-down points at each corner of the floor.

A steel space-saver spare wheel is under the cargo area floor.

The Kia Stonic is available in three grades – the S ($25,460), our test vehicle, the mid-spec Sport ($28,590) and the GT-Line ($31,780), all prices excluding on-road costs. All have five seats.

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), satellite navigation, digital radio, two USB charging ports, single-zone climate control, six-way manual driver’s seat adjustment, a premium shift knob, premium steering wheel, and Tricot cloth trim seats.

It also has 17-inch alloy wheels, push-button start and rear privacy glass.

Standard paint is 'Clear White', but premium options including 'Sparkling Silver', 'Astro Grey', 'Aurora Black Pearl', 'Signal Red', 'Sporty Blue', 'Honeybee' and 'Snow White Pearl' cost $520.

Lurking beneath the bonnet is a little three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 96kW and 230Nm. That’s a decent amount of grunt from the little unit, but again you can get more oomph for less from mainstream rivals.

It is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels.

There is no hybrid help, either.

The 2025 Kia Sonic Sport has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine – producing 74kW at 4500-6000rpm and 172Nm at 1500-4000rpm – and that’s paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

This pairing is a mostly punchy one, although definite lagginess is evident from a standing start often enough that it’s a disconcerting characteristic rather than a mildly annoying one.

This turbocharged engine used to only be offered in the top-spec GT-Line, so it’s a welcome addition to the other grades.

Stiff emissions regulations in Europe mean these little turbocharged petrol engines have a fair bit of self control on the drink.

Peugeot claims the 2008 uses 5.4L/100km on the combined cycle. We used slightly more than this but spent most of the time in the cut and thrust of city traffic where cars use more fuel.

You’ll need to budget for pricier premium unleaded petrol, too.

Kia's official fuel consumption figure for the Stonic Sport is 5.4L/100km, on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle. And on this test I recorded 8.2L/100km.

The Stonic Sport has an 45-litre fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 548km from a full tank. 

Fuel requirement is 91 RON 'standard' unleaded.

On the road the 2008 is a bit temperamental.

Most European cars are fitted with stiffer suspension than the cosseting springs found in Japanese machines.

This means you’ll feel bumps and road imperfections through your seat more than other SUVs. It has particular problems ironing out consistent smaller bumps, which can unsettle it and lead the 2008 to skip across them.

The counterbalance to that is a more dynamic drive experience, with the 2008 exerting excellent body control through the bends as it is held in line by the stiffer set-up.

Pair this with sharp, direct and well-weighted steering and it's a fun little SUV to take on a twisting country back road.

Three cylinders might not sound like a lot, but in the real world this is all the 2008 needs.

Its 96kW and 230Nm won’t set the world on fire but the torque is accessed from just 1750rpm, which endows the 2008 with some punch off the mark and it feels zippy when navigating the daily commute.

Don’t confuse that for outright speed, though, the 2008 completes the benchmark 0-100km/h dash in 9.3 seconds.

The transmission is fine when you are accelerating or cruising at motorway speeds, where it uses its many ratios to keep the engine humming along in its sweet spot. There are paddle shifters if you want more control.

In stop-start traffic it isn’t as an accomplished performer. It can struggle to find the right ratio and this leads to a jerky movement reminiscent of dual-clutch autos.

The cabin is well insulated with the outside world kept mostly at bay, but you’ll hear the three cylinder’s charming little rumble when you put your foot down.

Parking is a cinch thanks to its petite proportions and the 2008 has no issues navigating tight city streets or underground car parks.

The Stonic Sport is a handy urban conveyance, but it is far from perfect.

It’s a small, light vehicle so it’s nimble for navigating through car-packed streets and convenient for tricky parking manoeuvres.

Steering is well weighted and precise.

And the turbocharged petrol engine is a welcome addition to the Stonic package, introducing a handy amount of power and torque which is sensibly harnessed and delivered – most of the time anyway – via the mostly clever transmission.

However, in stop-start, inner-city traffic or even a busy suburban area, the Stonic Sport struggles to get off the mark from a standstill, so much so that this one characteristic threatens to spoil the rest of the driving experience. 

Once the Sport is out on the open road, it’s a pleasant cruiser as this compact SUV simply rolls along.

Ride is firm – 17-inch wheels and low-profile tyres are the culprits here – and handling is impressive.

In terms of refinement the Stonic is mostly, um, fine but there is some tyre noise, especially over rougher roads out of the city, but it’s not terrible.

Every Stonic has three drive modes – 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Eco' – each of which tweaks throttle response, engine output and transmission settings to best suit the driver and conditions. 

The Stonic is generally a reasonable daily driver, but the absence of adaptive cruise control is a let-down when it comes to highway running.

Not that you’ll be buying a Stonic with the aim of skull-dragging a 3500kg caravan along the highway, but it’s handy to know this Kia SUV’s towing capacities are 450kg (unbraked trailer) and 900kg (braked).

The Kia Stonic has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating as a result of testing in 2017, but that rating is set to expire in 2025.

Standard safety features include six airbags (dual front, front side and full-length curtain), as well as a suite of driver-assist tech, including AEB (with forward collision warning, car, pedestrian and cyclist detection), lane-keep assist, front and rear parking sensors and blind-spot collision avoidance. But it doesn’t have adaptive cruise control which is disappointing in this day and age.

Peugeot covers the 2008 with a five year/unlimited km warranty, which is the standard coverage today.

The French brand offers a range of prepaid servicing packs that’ll save you a handy amount compared to pay-as-you-go maintenance.

A five-year plan is the best value, costing $1700 for five scheduled visits every 12 months or 15,000km. That’s $638 cheaper than the pay-as-you-go servicing.

Kia’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty applies to the Stonic and you have access to roadside assistance for up to eight years as long as you always get it serviced at an authorised Kia garage.

Servicing intervals are set at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes soonest.

Service costs start at $290 (12 months/10,000km), peak at $727 (48 months/40,000km) and finish at $578 (84 months/70,000km) and the total over seven years is $3367; an average of $481 per workshop visit (correct at time of writing). That’s rather pricey for something in the small SUV market.