Stinger: ‘True gran turismo’

NAZA Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd on Tuesday launched the Kia Stinger, marking Kia’s foray into the sport saloon segment in Malaysia. Derived from the world-renowned GT concept, Kia’s fastest car yet is “designed to be a true gran turismo, earning it global recognition for its blend of high-performance and supreme comfort”. There are two variants – 3.3-litre V6 GT and 2.0-litre GT-Line.

The Stinger’s aggressive stance (pix and more in the next page) is amplified with Kia’s signature “tiger-nose” grille, sitting proudly at the front between complex full-LED headlamps and accentuated with honeycomb-shaped, dark-chromed, hot-stamped patterns added onto a black base to ensure a premium exterior.

Inside, its sleek and sophisticated cabin space evokes a minimally luxurious feel with aircraft-style design and high-quality finishes in modern key colours. Ultra-soft Nappa leather envelops the deeply-contoured seats for the 3.3L V6 GT and natural leather is available for the 2.0L GT-Line. Both variants offer eight-way power driver seat and fourway mechanical lumbar support.

The 2.0- l i tre GT- Line’s twin- scroll turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 251 horsepower at 6,200 rpm with 353Nm of maximum torque available from 1,400rpm to 4,000rpm, propelling the Stinger from zero to 100km/h in just 6.0 seconds. The 3.3-litre V6 GT has twin-turbocharging which makes possible a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds via its 365 horses (at 6,000rpm) and 510Nm of torque from 1,300rpm to 4,500rpm.

The Stinger’s in-house designed secondgeneration eight-speed rear-wheel drive automatic transmission features Kia’s first use of a Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber (CPA) torque converter on the 2.0L GT-Line. Such a feature helps reduce torsional vibrations through the drivetrain, and is a technology