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Kia Stonic vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

VS
Kia Stonic
Kia Stonic

$16,888 - $29,999

2021 price

Nissan Qashqai
Nissan Qashqai

$34,390 - $52,590

2024 price

Summary

2021 Kia Stonic
2024 Nissan Qashqai
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 3, 1.0L

Turbo 3, 1.5L
Fuel Type
-

Electric/Pulp
Fuel Efficiency
5.4L/100km (combined)

5.2L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Front seats uncomfortable on long trips
  • Hesitant transmission
  • Grim rear seat accommodation - no armrest

  • e-Power limited to costly Ti grade only
  • Requires 95 RON premium unleaded
  • No spare wheel – boo!
2021 Kia Stonic Summary

As surely as night follows day, when there's a new Kia in a new segment, we're told we probably won't be getting it. Those lucky Europeans and then some months (this time years, as it turns out) later, we find out that actually we are getting it.

Not because Kia's Australian arm doesn't want the peculiarly named Stonic - we're still waiting for the reportedly excellent e-Niro. But when that new car is an SUV, even a tiny one, Kia can't make them fast enough. 

However, as m'colleague Tom White reported in December,  COVID stepped in. We're now in the strange position where due to a global pandemic and resulting economic calamity, a car Kia Australia thought it had to forego in return for the excellent Seltos, has in fact arrived to complete the range.

Fresh from the factory, my family scored a top-of-the-range GT-Line for a week to see what it's like in the urban rumble.

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2024 Nissan Qashqai Summary

Everybody loves an underdog story and Nissan’s one is a beauty.

For decades, the model we knew as the Pulsar struggled to crack the European small car market against the likes of the Ford Focus and the company was in serious strife. Worthy but derivative, it struggled to stand out.

So, for its 2007 replacement, some bright sparks convinced Nissan to reimagine the hatch by butching it up, raising the ride height and changing the name to something exotically daft. And, voila, the original Qashqai was born.

Initially sold in Australia as the Dualis, it quickly became a global smash hit, finally catapulting the brand from follower to leader, creating the small SUV segment as we know it today.

If you love your Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Toyota C-HR or VW T-Roc you have Nissan’s ingenuity to thank.

Now it’s at it again with the Qashqai e-Power – an EV-first hybrid using a petrol engine to only charge its battery so an electric motor can drive the front wheels. More than a Prius, less than a Tesla, then.

The next big thing or a dead end? Let’s find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Kia Stonic 2024 Nissan Qashqai

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