Damn fog. The day finally arrived when I was going to get my hands on the brand new Kia Stinger and it just missed happening. And all because of a stubborn fog blanket that prevented us from flying between Lisbon and Porto, where the new machine was waiting for us. We would take off just five long hours later, putting enormous pressure on the entire Stinger show schedule.
The presentation would take place not far from Peso da Régua, on the banks of the Douro, which, in addition to offering a divine landscape, has roads clearly indicated for a more committed type of driving. But perhaps better suited to a small and light sports car than a saloon weighing over 1700 kg, 4.8 meters long and almost 1.9 meters wide. Fortunately I was wrong.
The Stinger is the first rear-wheel drive Kia in Europe and brings with it lofty ambitions. Just look at the rivals mentioned, which include the Audi A5 Sportback, the Volkswagen Arteon and, above all, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé, which served as the main reference for its development.
A Kia rival to Audi and BMW?
It is, from our point of view, too ambitious a step. Despite having many arguments in favor, in this space more is needed. We know this and Kia knows it too. But for a first assault on established German competition, the Kia Stinger doesn't disappoint at all. But the Germans have been doing this for far too long and it has been noticed – either by the materials chosen or even by the infotainment system.
Where there's nothing to fear is design. Stinger belongs to that category of saloons that want to be coupés and despite some more debatable details, in general Schreyer and his team, led in Europe by Gregory Guillaume are to be congratulated.
With large dimensions, the Kia Stinger is equipped with excellent proportions, pose and the initial visual impact is impressive. Inspired by the GT coupé of the 70s, the Stinger features a “fastback” profile with proportions typical of a rear-wheel drive with a longitudinal front engine – long bonnet, forward-positioned front axle and a generous rear span.
Seeing it moving on the road makes it clear that there are no dubious angles – the Stinger has a design that expresses strength, performance and confidence. No wonder it serves as an inspiration for future Kia – just look at the Proceed presented in Frankfurt, anticipating the successor to the cee’d.
Interior convinces, but…
But if the exterior design convinces, the interior doesn't do it so easily. Some of the solutions found for its design are already known from other models of another brand – the three central ventilation outlets -, and even the integration of these in a voluminous “block” leaves something to be desired, lacking some elegance.
Despite that, the space is pleasant and robust – it must be the best-built Kia ever. And its dimensions, especially the 2.9 m wheelbase, guarantee it more than enough space both at the front and at the rear, but the luggage compartment is small.
It's just over 400 litres, which is little for a car so big and smaller than its rivals – the similarly sized Arteon has 563 liters and the 4 Series Gran Coupé, despite being smaller, has 480.
On the other hand, a clearly non-premium feature is the equipment offering. Unlike some of its rivals, the Kia Stinger comes heavily loaded – the options are limited to a panoramic roof and the choice of metallic color.
What makes the price of the Stinger - apparently high -, is actually quite competitive. Add all the equipment that the Stinger brings to any of its rivals and it will easily surpass it in price by a large margin.
A Kia for drivers… committed
If the Stinger manages to convince and surprise at one point, it's its dynamics. How did Kia manage to “draw” something so fundamentally correct in its first attempt at a rear-wheel-drive model and with rivals as established as the Germans? Albert Biermann is the answer – a name increasingly common on the pages of Ledger Automobile. The former BMW M division engineer is working miracles at Hyundai and Kia.For such a vast car – bigger than the aforementioned competitors – the Kia Stinger seems smaller and lighter when faced with the winding roads along the banks of the Douro. Everything about driving is right here – responsiveness and tact of the controls, chassis efficiency and even the driving experience that turned out to be captivating. It's as if the Korean brand has been making this type of machine for decades.
The results are in sight, or rather, in touch. We can easily find a good driving position, the steering wheel has a good grip and all the controls respond with the correct weight and precision. The suspension is firm in setting, but effective in absorbing irregularities, precise in maintaining trajectories and far from making the car uncomfortable.
The eight-speed automatic transmission – standard on all Stingers – seems (almost) always to know which gear it should be in, it's quick to respond (in Sport and Sport + mode). It efficiently fulfills its role, but what was required was a real manual mode that did not change to automatic when we reached a certain level of rotations and larger paddles, which would not turn with the steering wheel.
It allows surprisingly brisk walking on winding roads, even with an A-pillar that is sometimes too obstructive. The car has high levels of grip, but it also denotes innate agility. It's a model that is a pleasure to explore and we hope for a longer contact soon to confirm all the good initial impressions.
For fans of the “autobahn”, or highway, it's also like fish in water. Excellent levels of stability, even at high speeds, inspire enormous confidence. Kia Stinger seems to have the right answers for every scenario.
three engines
The unit we tested was the 2.2 CRDi – the one that will sell the most – and although I'm of the opinion that it's not the ideal choice for this car, don't compromise. The 200 hp and 440 Nm allow good performances – 7.6 seconds from 0 to 100 and 230 km/h of top speed -, and is characterized by a prompt response, with medium regimes being the ones where you feel most comfortable . The sound produced by this block is hardly convincing – it is at these times that technologies such as artificial sound could make sense.
The Kia Stinger will be available with two more gasoline engines. The first, available to order, is an in-line four cylinder, 2.0 liters, turbo and 255 hp. The second, the most interesting, is a turbo V6 with 3.3 liters, capable of delivering 370 hp and 510 Nm, making the Stinger in the Kia fastest ever, capable of 4.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and 270 km/h h of maximum speed.
In Portugal
The official start of marketing of the Kia Stinger in our country starts on October 21st, but it doesn't matter. The expectation generated by the model is so high that five units have already been sold, even though its customers have only seen them through images. When was the last time a Kia generated these kinds of expectations to the point where it was bought for its looks alone? Precisely.
Kia Stinger is one of the nominees for the 2018 World Car Awards
The Stinger hits the national market with a launch campaign that saves around €5500 on the price of 2.2 CRDI and 2.0 T-GDI. On the 3.3 T-GDI AWD this value rises to €8000. The prices will be as follows (already including documentation and transport costs):
- Kia Stinger 2.2 CRDI – €57,650.40
- Kia Stinger 2.0 T-GDI – 55 650.40 €
- Kia Stinger 3.3 T-GDI AWD – 80 €150.40
Like the other Kia, the Stinger has a seven-year warranty and, in an unprecedented way in the market, a maintenance plan that also extends for seven years or 105 thousand km.
