A LITTLE PANACHE
In the Stinger, Kia has the attentiongrabbing driver’s car it wanted,
HEADS turned, fingers pointed and animated conversations ensued as Drive south put the Kia Stinger through its paces in and around Dunedin last month.
The test car’s distinctive plate, KIA GT, might have been in part responsible for the public response, drawing attention to a car whose eyecatching lines don’t square with what one expects from a Korean carmaker best known for small cars and familyfriendly SUVs.
But the times are achanging as Kia looks to add flair, panache and a touch of grand touring luxury to its practical, fussfree reputation.
European influence is writ large: former Audi designers Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume are responsible for the styling, while Albert Biermann, a relatively recent recruit from BMW’s M performance division, is in charge of the underlying engineering. And 1000km of testing at Korea’s premier race track is dwarfed by the 10,000km covered by prototypes around Germany’s famed Nurburgring.
The Stinger is rearwheel drive, based on a shortened and massively reengineered version of the platform used by Hyundai (Kia’s parent company) for its Genesis saloon.
At first glance, the Stinger looks like a large coupe, but it is actually a fastback fourdoor saloon.
It is available in three models — the $54,990 2.0 EX Turbo and $59,990 2.0 GT Line, both powered by a peppy 193kW/353Nm turbo fourcylinder engine, and the flagship $69,990 3.3 GT Sport, as tested, which packs an even more potent 271kW/510Nm 3.3litre twin turbo V6.
At its best viewed from the front threequarter angles, the Stinger boasts visual purpose in spades. Its styling has little in common with other Kia models beyond its tiger nose grille. Fittingly, the flagship
3.3 GT is the most purposeful looking of the lot, with Brembo brake calipers nestled within its 19inch alloys adding an aggressive touch.
The cabin has a premium feel, especially above the waistline, where there is an abundance of softtouch surfaces and subtle brushedmetal highlighting.
Working from the back, the large poweroperated tailgate gives access to a wide and deep but quite shallow boot, which can carry 410 litres of luggage (1141 litres when the rear seats are down).
Inevitably, given the Stinger’s coupelike roofline, head room in the back seats is a little tight. And there’s not a lot of room for backseat occupants to tuck their feet under the front seats either, unless those seats are raised quite high.
Up front, the seats are supportive, with ample adjustability, and a trio of round air vents on the centre console and a flattopped gear lever echo current MercedesBenz interior styling features.
Like the driver’s seat, the small GTbadged multifunction sports steering wheel is power adjustable. Key controls, ancillary knobs and buttons are all logically placed and fall neatly to hand, and the centre colour touchscreen is intuitive to use.
A slitlike rear window compromises rear visibility, but that’s dealt with by a reversing camera and a rear crosstrafficalert system. Other items on the Stinger’s comprehensive active safety list — even on the entrylevel 2.0 EX — include full radar cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lanekeeping assistance, driver attention warning, and blind spot monitoring systems.
Further features included as standard include LED headlights, keyless entry and pushbutton start, leather trim, dualzone climate control, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone synchronisation, tyre pressure monitoring, and rainsensing wipers. The 2.0 GT Line adds a surround view camera, suede roof trim, autodipping headlights, power seats, a larger seveninch centre display screen and wireless phone charging. Additional creature comfort features on the 3.3 GT Sport include premium nappa leather trim, a 15speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, a power sunroof and head up display.
As with the other models in the range, the flagship Stinger deploys an eightspeed automatic transmission and dynamic torque vectoring system to deliver power to the rear wheels. As part of Kia’s wider Australia and New Zealand programme, cars destined for this part of the world feature suspension settings calibrated for our roads.
Various drive modes are selectable via a small knob adjacent to the gear lever.
Eco or comfort modes minimise steering effort, soften throttle response and calibrate the suspension to deliver a pleasantly comfortable ride for aroundtown or gentle highway cruising.
Sport mode unleashes the more aggressive side of the Stinger, adding heft to the steering, firming the suspension damping, and sharpening throttle and gearshift response. It also allows access to a special launch control system with which the 3.3 GT can sprint from 0100kmh in a fraction under five seconds.
A subfive time for the 0100kmh sprint is quick in any language, and with maximum torque produced from 1300rpm, the engine also rates highly for its gear responsiveness.
Impressive as its straightline performance is, there’s much more to be discovered about the 3.3 GT when it is guided through a few twists and turns.
It’s worth remembering that Kia’s intention, even with the flagship Stinger, wasn’t to build the world’s most accomplished fourdoor sports saloon. Rather, it was to produce a car good enough to bear comparison with the very best and to allow the company to be seen in a new and much more sporting light. On these counts, the 3.3 GT Sport variant is a resounding success.