2018 Kia Stinger
The Kia Stinger is the South Korean’s halo car that promised to break new ground for a brand which has so far made its name producing safe and reliable family cars. However, the Stinger is different and a game changer according to Kia. Is there any truth in this statement? Well, in this article we aim to find out.
Let’s first start off by talking about the engine line-up. There’s an option for a 2.0 litre petrol or a 2.2 litre diesel which is lifted from the Kia Sorento SUV. The top spec GT-S model is powered exclusively by a 3.0 litre, twin turbo charged V6 which produces 370 break horse power (bhp). In case you didn’t read that right, what we said was that you can now get 370 bhp from a Kia! What this all means is that this car is good for 0-62 miles per hour (mph) in just 4.9 seconds and can go on to a top speed of 168 mph. To put this into perspective this car is faster than a BMW 440i Gran Coupe and the Audi S5 Sportback. However, if the Stinger wants to go head-to-head with its German rivals then it will certainly need to drive as well as it goes - the good news is that it does. The ride comfort is very good and although the gearbox is ok the steering is nicely weighted. Overall the handling is really where this cars is at its best. You need to think of this car as something between the BMW 440i Gran Coupe and the Audi S5 Sportback.
As ever, Kia has thrown the kitchen sink at the Stinger’s kit list. So, expect to get things like satellite navigation, heated and cooled leather seats, adaptive cruise control and a head-up display as standard on all GT-S versions. Unfortunately, even with all this kit it just doesn’t feel all that high quality when you sit in the cabin. Ok, there are some nice highlights but on the whole it’s just not up there with the BMWs and Audis of this class. This is fine when you’re paying the price for a Kia Sportage but when you’re close to paying double that figure for this car then you might be a little disappointed.
Around at the back you’ll find that practicality is a little bit of a mixed bag. Yes, there’s plenty of leg room but an average sized adult might find the head room a little bit tight. Also, the middle seat is only really useable for young children. Speaking of young children, unfortunately they’re not going to be able to see much out of the side windows as they are quite high up.
Kia has certainly been ambitious with the Stinger but thankfully they haven’t bitten off more than they can chew. It’s certainly not quite the complete package as some of the interior practicality aspects aren’t quite up there with its rivals and the cabin could be a little more premium. However, when you get a car that looks this good and drives as well as it looks, in GT-S guise at least, then it does make an intriguing, if slightly unorthodox, proposition. If you’re in the market for a new or used Kia Stinger cars for sale then feel free to search for what’s on offer on DesperateSeller.co.uk website today.
