Kia Stonic

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At a glance

Who is this car for?

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

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

On the road from Tivat Airport

Behind the wheel

The Stonic is the Tivat Airport entry point to crossover ride height without the footprint or fuel bill of a proper SUV. The 1.0 T-GDi 100 hp three-cylinder is the common engine: lively on part throttle, a touch thrummy above 4,000 rpm, surprisingly willing for a 1,200 kg car. The 48V mild-hybrid assist on later examples smooths 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 the rank. Inside it is plainer than the European rivals but honest: hard plastics, supportive seats, a driving position usefully higher than a Rio. After a long flight, sitting above traffic helps.

On Tivat Airport routes

The raised ride height is the whole argument and the routes out of Tivat Airport make it pay. The unsealed final kilometre to the upper Solila salt-pan parking, one kilometre from TIV, is no obstacle. The pot-holed Lustica back lanes toward Žanjice and Mirište beaches, eight kilometres south of the airport, are dispatched without sump scrapes. The Vrmac tunnel hairpins toward Kotor are handled in second and third with the body leaning honestly but never untidily. The Sozina motorway leg to Podgorica is less flattering; the taller body generates more wind noise at 120 km/h than a Rio would.

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 at the kerbside handover; a pair of mountain bikes with front wheels off slot in with the bench folded. Hiking kit for two heading to Lovćen, poles, boots, 50-litre packs, shell jackets, travels without a roof box. Camping gear for a Biogradska Gora weekend for two, tent, mats, stove, cool-box, fits with one seat folded. The square load opening and low lip matter more than the raw number; awkward items go in better than the 308's.

Best journeys from TIV

The Stonic suits TIV travellers whose week genuinely crosses surface types. The family on a coastal base with two day-trips to Durmitor over 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 Boka 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 the narrow Perast lane. It is not the car for a pure motorway brief, a Megane diesel covers ground faster, and it is more car than needed for a seven-day Kotor stay.

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 of range. At 4,140 mm the car parks straightforwardly: TIV short-stay in front of the terminal, Tabačina bays in Kotor, Budva pedestrian-zone perimeter all accommodate it, and the raised hip height makes loading beach chairs at Plavi Horizonti easier than from a hatch boot. Front-wheel drive on all-season tyres handles bay winters cleanly; chains are legally required for Žabljak between November and March. AC copes with a full car on the climb to Njeguši in August heat.

The verdict

Pick the Stonic from the Tivat rank when gravel peninsula approaches, shoulder-season national-park access, and the reassurance of higher seating matter to the week. A coastal base in Tivat town or Porto Montenegro paired with two day-trips north over the Tara bridge to Durmitor, the Lustica beach lanes south of TIV, the unsealed Solila salt-pan roads one kilometre from the airport, all of it is more comfortable in a Stonic than in any hatch on the rank. Skip it for pure Sozina motorway distance where a Megane diesel covers ground faster, or for a brief that never leaves sealed coastal road through the bay.

Inside the car

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