WATCH  Detroit Auto Show KIA Stinger 2018
Channel: Auto Today
Date: 19/01/2017

We can’t say that we weren’t forewarned. Kia has been dropping broad hints about its plan to produce a rear-wheel-drive sedan for years. The original GT concept was shown at the Frankfurt auto show as long ago as 2011, with the Stinger GT4 building on it at the 2014 Detroit show. Now the wait is finally over as the company has unveiled the production version of its forthcoming sports sedan, which adopts the Stinger name.

Don’t confuse it with the K900. The Stinger is a much sleeker and sportier proposition than its staid big sister, and it has a low, coupelike roofline. Power will come from two engines, with the range-topping 365-hp turbo 3.3-liter V-6 making that version the most powerful roadgoing Kia yet; a 255-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder will serve as the entry-level engine. The Stinger gets an eight-speed automatic transmission, with buyers able to choose between rear- and all-wheel drive. Kia says it is targeting a 5.1-second zero-to-62-mph time and a 167-mph top speed for the 3.3-liter. There also will be a diesel version for Europe, but there are no plans to bring it to the States.
The design certainly is aggressive; it is the work of Kia’s European design studio in Frankfurt. Up front, there’s the brand’s familiar “tiger nose” grille, but behind that, the low stance and muscular proportions effectively distinguish the Stinger from anything else the company has produced. Buyers will be able to have fun by getting their buddies to guess the brand of their new car when seen in profile. There’s something distinctly Alfa Romeo–ish about the rear end’s small, high-mounted taillights as well as the quad tailpipes on the V-6 GT model. LED lighting is standard front and rear.

Although it’s being pitched as a rival to existing compact sports sedans, the Stinger is bigger than any of the cars Kia cites as competitors. At 190.2 inches in length, it’s 4.1 inches longer than the Audi A4 and 5.7 inches longer than the Mercedes-Benz C-class, while the Stinger’s 114.4-inch wheelbase is also longer than any of its rivals. The Kia’s roofline is lower, however, and its overall height of just 55.1 inches makes it 0.2 inch shorter than a C-class coupe. Kia says that the Stinger is a coupe-sedan (even though it’s actually a hatchback), which ties into design boss Peter Schreyer’s assertion that he sees the conventional two-door coupe as being of such little interest to buyers that the company probably will never build one. Inside, the conservatively styled if smart-looking cabin features an 8.0-inch central touchscreen and a TFT information screen sitting between the instruments. The company also claims class-leading rear legroom thanks to that long wheelbase.

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