MODELTESTED: Kia Stinger 2.0 T-GDI Gt-line S 4L4L 4L4L 4L4L 4L4L 4L4L

PRICE: £35,525 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 244bhp

KIA’S Stinger has impressed in potent V6 petrol form in a previous test (Issue 1,504), but here we’ll find out if this 244bhp 2.0-litre version has what it takes to beat two strong rivals. We’re testing the Gt-line S model, which costs £35,525.

Design & engineering

THE Stinger is an all-new car for Kia in Europe, but is based on a heavily adapted Us-market platform. It’s been designed to deliver strong performance and handling with a frontengined, rear-wheel-drive layout to match its rivals.

Macpherson struts feature at the front with a double-wishbone set-up at the rear, but there are no adaptive dampers available on the options list. All models do get a limited-slip differential as standard, though, which boosts traction out of corners.

The Kia’s 2.0-litre petrol engine produces 244bhp and 353Nm of torque, which makes it the most powerful car here. However, the Stinger’s relatively high 1,717kg kerbweight means it’s also the heaviest of the three models. Its power is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox, which is the same as both the Jaguar and the Alfa.

There are virtually no options on this top-spec Gt-line S car, which is very well equipped as standard. You get LED headlights, heated and ventilated leather seats, climate control and a power tailgate. Also included are a Harman Kardon stereo, DAB radio, sat-nav, Bluetooth, smartphone connectivity, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

There are a few areas around the cabin where the material quality could be better, but for the most part the Kia has a premium feel and is easily a match for its rivals. It seems more solidly built, too, and the design is neat and simple. Given the quality compared with the Jag and Alfa, plus the solid ergonomics and strong level of kit offered, it’s a pleasant environment.

Driving

ALTHOUGH the Kia is the heaviest car of the three, its power advantage meant it put in a strong performance in our tests. It sprinted from 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, which placed it ahead of the XE, but not the Giulia. In less-than-perfect conditions the Jag took 8.2 seconds, with the Alfa clocking 6.7 seconds.

The Stinger has the most power and the most torque as well, so combined with its eightspeed gearbox there’s decent in-gear flexibility. It took 11.0 seconds to go from 50-70mph in top (eighth), which was 2.4 seconds faster than the XE and 1.3 seconds up on the Giulia.

However, the transmission could be better. It’s not as quick to shift as the Alfa’s box and in the lower gears you’ll notice that each ratio thumps into place. As a result, it’s lacking a bit when you up the pace and loses some driver appeal.

Still, the gearbox is smooth under normal use, while the Kia is blessed with a sweet chassis that will please keen drivers. In fact, it’s at the core of this car’s appeal. The Stinger has a good balance of comfort and fun, riding smoothly for the most part, but without sacrificing body control and agility.

There’s a little roll as you turn in, but it’s well controlled and doesn’t detract too much from the driving experience. The steering is well weighted, but the rack isn’t as quick as either rival’s (especially the ultra-fast Alfa’s), so it isn’t quite as alert on turn-in.

The lower kerbweight of its rivals means that the Kia can’t match either for ultimate driver appeal, but on a long motorway run the Stinger’s smooth ride is welcome. It’s also refined if you’re not pushing the engine too hard. Move on to some country roads and there’s some fun to be had in the newcomer, but we’d rather be in the Jaguar or Alfa Romeo there.

Practicality

THERE’S plenty of legroom in the back of the Stinger, although headroom is limited for taller passengers due to that sloping roofline. It also means there’s not that much light in the rear, so while it looks great, the hatchback feels a little more claustrophobic than the saloons on test here.

The standard front and rear parking sensors and 360-degree camera are welcome additions in the Stinger, because its rearward visibility is poor. However, if you need to move out into the road after stopping, the cameras aren’t much help to spot oncoming traffic further down the road.

There is 406 litres of boot space, which trails the 455 litres available in the Jaguar and the 480 litres in the Alfa. Still, there’s enough room for a few suitcases, and it has a power tailgate as standard, while the hatch means it’s easier to load big items.

Ownership

KIA took eighth position in the makers’ chart of our Driver Power 2018 satisfaction survey, a little ahead of 10th-placed Jaguar, but behind Alfa Romeo in second. The Stinger also gets a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.

Our Gt-line S car has autonomous braking, lane keep assist, auto high beam, blind spot detection with cross traffic alert and seven airbags as standard. That haul of safety kit helped the Korean hatch to secure a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating recently.

Running costs

THE Kia emits the most CO2 of these three models, so it’s the priciest car here to run for business users.

It falls into the 37 per cent Benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bracket, while the Jaguar sits in the 34 per cent bracket (167g/km) and the lighter Alfa is in the 28 per cent bracket (138g/km).

Higher-rate earners will pay £5,127 per year to run the Stinger, compared with £4,623 for the XE and a significantly lower £3,508 for the Giulia.