Kia Stonic

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At a glance

Who is the Kia Stonic for?

Travellers landing at TIV who plan to push past the sealed coast — the Luštica back roads, the Vrmac forestry tracks, or a Durmitor day-trip — without paying for a full SUV.

• Luštica explorers
• Gravel-road hoppers
• First-time Montenegro drivers

The Kia Stonic out of Tivat Airport

Behind the wheel

The Stonic is the TIV entry point to proper crossover height without the footprint or fuel bill. The 1.0 T-GDi 100 hp three-cylinder is the common engine — lively on part-throttle, a little thrummy above 4,000 rpm, and surprisingly willing for a 1,200 kg car. Mild-hybrid 48V assist on later examples smooths the stop-start and adds a whisker of low-end shove. The six-speed manual is precise; the seven-speed DCT auto is the better match if you draw one from fleet. Inside it is plainer than the European rivals but honest — hard plastics on the doors, supportive seats, a driving position usefully higher than the Rio hatch it shares a platform with. From the TIV handover you sit above traffic, which matters in bay summers.

On Tivat Airport routes

The raised ride height is the whole argument, and the routes out of Tivat Airport make it pay. The gravel final kilometre up to the upper Ostrog car park in shoulder season, the unsealed shortcuts on the Luštica peninsula toward Žanjice and Mirište beaches, the pot-holed back road from Virpazar around Skadar Lake — the Stonic handles all of these without its nose scraping or its sump taking hits. The Vrmac tunnel hairpins toward Kotor are dispatched in second and third with the body leaning honestly but never untidily. The long coastal expressway to Ulcinj is less special; the taller body generates more wind noise than a Rio would at 120 km/h.

Space and load

The 352-litre boot — 1,155 litres seats down — is the sweet spot for casual-adventure TIV loads. Two full-size cases and two cabin bags fit seats-up; a pair of mountain bikes with front wheels off slot in with the rear bench folded. Hiking kit for two to Durmitor — poles, boots, 50-litre packs, shell jackets — travels without a roof box. Camping gear for a Biogradska Gora weekend for two with tent, mats, stove and a cool-box goes in with one seat folded. The square load opening and low lip matter more than the raw number; the shape is better than the 308's for awkward items.

Best journeys from TIV

The Stonic suits TIV travellers whose week actually crosses surface types. The family doing a coastal base in Tivat with two day-trips to Durmitor via the Tara bridge, the shoulder-season couple heading to Kapetanovo Lake and the high pastures above Plužine, the photographer splitting time between the Bay of Kotor and the interior national parks. It also works as a first-rental-abroad pick for arrivals who prefer the reassurance of higher seating and better forward vision on narrow Perast lanes. It is not the car for pure motorway distance — a Megane diesel eats ground faster — and it is more car than needed for a seven-day stay inside Kotor.

Practical notes

Petrol consumption sits around 5.5 L/100 km in mixed driving, 6.5 on sustained mountain climbs with a full car, and the 45-litre tank gives an honest 800 km range. Parking is straightforward at 4,140 mm — Tivat Airport short-stay, Kotor bastion-gate bays and Budva perimeter all accommodate it, and the raised hip height makes loading beach chairs at Plavi Horizonti easier than in a hatch. Front-wheel drive on all-season tyres handles bay-road winter cleanly; chains are legally required for Žabljak and Kolašin November–March and genuinely useful in January. Summer AC copes with a full car on the climb to Njeguši in August heat.

The verdict

Pick the Stonic at TIV when gravel peninsula approaches and national-park parking lots matter to your week. Skip it for pure expressway distance or for days that never leave sealed coastal road.

Inside the car

• Raised Ride Height
• Apple CarPlay
• Reversing Camera
• Lane Keep Assist