Truth be told. Only the most skeptical can be surprised by the presentation of a model of this nature by Kia: a sporty, powerful GT with “premium” finishes.
The Korean brand has long revealed its intentions, and the Stinger is proof that Kia wasn't kidding. A model that will be released later this year and that aims to rival the BMW 4 Series Gran coupé and the Audi A5 Sportback, the sharks of the segment. And we went to Milan to meet it, just days after it was first revealed at the Detroit Salon.
At this event we had the opportunity to appreciate the exterior design and also to prove all the solutions adopted inside the Stinger. A trip that wouldn't be complete without talking to some of the main responsible for the Korean brand. We've done all of that and more.
Is Kia setting the bar too high?
It is not easy to go «playing» with premium brands. It is even risky, some will say – so far we are all in agreement. But the truth is that Kia in recent years, both in terms of quality and in terms of reliability, has shown that it doesn't take lessons from anyone. Proof of this is the presence of the Korean brand in the main indices of reliability and customer satisfaction, whether in the European or American market.
We confronted David Labrosse, responsible for product planning at Kia, with the highlighted question and the answer was made recalling the brand's trajectory in recent years.
“The Kia Stinger is born from the brand's strong desire to do something truly passionate. Many didn't believe we would be able to do something like this, but we were! It's been a long, hard work that didn't start now, it started with the release of the first generation of Ceed in 2006. Stinger is the culmination of a very important work.”
Since then, Kia is the only brand in Europe that has grown for 8 consecutive years – in Portugal alone, last year Kia grew by 37.3%, reaching for the first time more than 2% of the market share. “We believe that we can be on the same level as premium brands, offering products that are not only worth their competitive price but also for their design, technology and safety”, told us our host, Pedro Gonçalves, sales and marketing director at Kia Portugal, revealing yet another ambition: to place Kia in the top 10 of the best-selling brands in our country.
First impressions of the Kia Stinger «live»
We've been asked on Instagram if the Stinger looks better live than in the screenshots, and we can definitely say it's nicer live. In the images, no matter how good they are, it is not possible to perceive the actual proportions of the car. Live is always different.
And speaking of perceptions, the general opinion of those present is that the design of the Kia Stinger was very well achieved. To achieve this result, Kia relied on the services of designer Peter Schreyer, among other models, father of the Audi TT (first generation), and which since 2006 has joined the ranks of the Korean brand. If the new Kia are aesthetically appealing, thank this gentleman.
Peter Schreyer has managed in an exemplary way to give dynamism and tension in the lines to a body of more than 4.8 meters in length. A task that is not always simple, but in our opinion (debatable, of course) it was carried out with distinction. Whatever the perspective, the Stinger always has tense, sporty and consistent lines.
Talking about Kia and talking about Peter Schreyer is also talking about the famous “tiger nose” grill, an element that cuts across all the brand's models, created by this designer in 2006 to give Kia a family feel – a kind of “double kidney' of the BMW Korean version. And perhaps it is in the Stinger that this grill finds its maximum expression, naturally supported by well-designed optics.
Scoop hundreds of journalists into Stinger
Among televisions, websites and car magazines from all over Europe was us, Reason Automobile. Doing the math, there were more than a hundred journalists for just one Stinger – that's right, one! Kia could have brought another Stinger from Detroit…
That said, as you might guess, getting into the Kia Stinger wasn't easy. It took a few glances and a few less friendly words (after they'd passed us too many times) to get us behind the wheel.
If in exterior design there is no doubt that Kia has defined its DNA very well, in interior design it is not so. In this regard, the Korean brand continues to look for its identity. The perception that we were left with is that the Kia Stinger was inspired by Stuttgart, namely Mercedes-Benz – often, an opinion shared by the Portuguese journalists in the specialty who were also present at the event.
This is bad? It's neither good nor bad – but it would be better if the brand had its own way here too. As someone once said “copying is the sincerest form of praise”. These similarities can be seen in the air vents of the center console and in the junctions between the doors and the front panel. There is no doubt that Mercedes-Benz interiors filled Kia's imagination during the development of the Stinger. As for the quality of materials, nothing to point out.
The Stinger's infotainment system was still to be tried out – unfortunately it was turned off, eventually because the brand is finalizing the software that brings the screen to life on top of the center console.
Still missing the "proof of nine"
Inside and out, the Kia Stinger passed our first review with flying colors. However, one very important point is missing: driving dynamics. As it was impossible for us to conduct it, we had to ask whoever had this privilege how the Stinger behaves.
Once again, it was David Labrosse who answered us. "Superb! Simply superb. I drove it around the Nurburgring and was impressed by every aspect of the car.” Without wanting with this to doubt the honesty of the words of this responsible, the truth is that he also didn't expect another answer… it would be bad.
There is, however, good reason to believe that in dynamic terms the Stinger will give the competition a shot. As in the design, also in the dynamic chapter, Kia was «stealing» from the competition one of the best frames in the automotive industry. We are talking about Albert Biermann, former head of the M Performance department at BMW.
It has been under this engineer's baton that the Kia Stinger has covered thousands of kilometers on the Nurburgring (and also the Arctic Circle) to find the best balance between comfort and dynamics. Well-dimensioned brakes, worked suspensions, rigid chassis, progressive steering with adaptive electric assistance, powerful engines, rear-wheel drive and a low center of gravity. Given these assumptions, it would be a surprise if the Stinger were not dynamically competent. Mr Albert Biermann, all eyes are on you!
What a future for Stinger
At the request of one of our readers (a hug to Gil Gonçalves), we asked Veronique Cabral, Stinger's product manager, if Kia was not considering other bodywork derivations for this model, namely a shooting brake. This responsible person's answer was no – sorry Gil, we tried!
Not satisfied, we put the same question to David Labrosse and the answer became “neem”. Once again, the words of this responsible were quite honest:
“A shooting brake bodywork? It's not planned, but it's a possibility. Above all, it depends on the market's response to the Stinger. It depends on how journalists will react, and above all, how customers will react to the arrival of such a model from Kia. After that, if justified, we will decide on it.”
A few minutes after this conversation, Pedro Gonçalves' cell phone rang, on the other end of the line, in Portugal, a commercial for the brand informed that a customer had just ordered the Stinger. “But there are still no prices for Portugal”, replied Pedro Gonçalves. "I know not" said the commercial, "but the customer liked the car so much that he already ordered one (laughs)." It could be that if this demand continues, the Stinger Shooting Brake will still see the light of day.
As for the engines there is no doubt. In Portugal, the dominant proposal will be the version equipped with the 202 hp 2.2 Diesel engine that we already know from the Sorento. In our country, sales of the Kia Stinger with the 250 hp 2.0 liter “Theta II” petrol engine will be residual, and sales of the 3.3 liter “Lambda II” version with 370 hp will be counted on the fingers of one hand (at best). All these engines will be associated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Image. The first step on a long road
Kia knows they have a good product, they have good prices, and that customers are sensitive to arguments like the seven-year warranty. You know all this and also know that the image of a brand takes many years to be built, and that for now, the image of your brand vis-à-vis the brands it proposes to compete with is still a disadvantage.
“A few years ago, we knew that customers who chose Kia did so for reasons of rationality, quality and price. We want them to continue to choose us for these reasons, but we also want customers to choose us because of the emotion our products convey. That emotion is now a reality”, confessed David Labrosse to us.
“This new Kia Stinger is another step in that direction. In the sense of building a brand with an image of value. In 2020 we will have a new product cycle, and we will certainly reap good results at that time from the work that is now being done”, he finished.
If I went to European brands, closely watched what Kia is doing. Clearly there is a well-defined strategy and direction. This year alone, Kia will launch eight new models on the market, one of which is the Stinger. We will soon know if the strategy will continue to bear fruit. We are convinced that yes.