2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD V6

The 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD V6 sport sedan is an impressive looker and performer.

Price: $51,400

The Kia Stinger GT2 AWD twin turbo V-6 provides nearly everything a rival Audi, BMW or Mercedes offers for less money
 and looks racier to boot. The rub for status seekers is that it has the Kia nameplate.

But a smart sport sedan buyer will say “so what?’ After all, the newly arrived Stinger has a startling show car design from a top former Audi guy and a chassis from an outstanding former BMW engineer. Even the four (count them) beautifully integrated exhaust outlets look sexy.

But this is no track-oriented auto show car. Rather, it’s a practical mid-size four-door hatchback with a 114.4-inch wheelbase. It’s long at 190.2 inches and 73.6 inches wide.

There’s decent room for four tall adults, although a tall driver who shoves his seat back will made a 6-footer with long legs wish for a little more foot room.
The front doors have large, easily gripped handles, but swing open wide, calling for a long reach to close them.  And a wide sill and low seats call for occupants to sort of plop into the car instead of easily sliding into it. A low, long  sloping front end that contributes to the Stinger’s sensational looks makes it hard to place the car. And a high belt line can make shorter rear occupants feel somewhat buried.

Once inside the quiet, upscale interior, gauges can be quickly read even in bright sunlight and controls can be quickly reached and are clearly marked. However, the easily worked touchscreen calls for a long reach for a driver with shorter arms. The dashboard layout, with such things as its HIV vents, reminded me of a Mercedes dash.

The loaded intelligently designed interior has Nappa leather trim, dual zone automatic climate control, power front seats, power tilt/telescopic wheel, Harman Kardon premium audio, a navigation system, an 8-inch touchscreen and a power sunroof.

For safety’s sakes, there’s a head-up display, rear camera, forward collision avoidance and warning system, smart cruise control with stop and go, lane keep and departure warning system, driver attention warning, blind spot collision warning and rear cross-traffic collision warning. Large twin outside power mirrors with turn signals fold against the side glass when the car is shut off avoid parking lot damage.

The cargo area is large at 23.3 cubic feet of cargo space and is easily reached by a large power hatch with a low, wide opening. Rear seatbacks flip forward for more cargo room.  

The Stinger comes in ten different price levels that range from $31,900 to $51,400 (plus a $900 freight charge). They start with a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder  255-horsepower rear-drive 3,611-pound model that does 0-60 m.p.h. in 5.9 seconds and ends with a 4,023-pound $51,400 GT2 AWD twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 model with 365 horsepower. It hits 60 in 4.7 seconds and works with a smooth, responsive 8-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles for snappy manual shifts. A rear-drive twin-turbo V6 Stinger starts at $38,350.

I tested the $51,400 AWD model, and it looked and drove like Kia could get away with charging another $10,000 or so for it without complaints if it had a more prestigious nameplate.

Fuel economy of the 255-horsepower engine is an estimated 22 m.p.g. city and 29 highways (21 and 29 with AWD). The twin-turbo V-6 provides 19 and 25. The fuel tank holds 15.9 gallons, and premium fuel is required for all engines.

I felt that my test car’s 376 foot/pounds of torque easily matched a potent V-8. Passing on highways and merging into fast traffic seemed effortless, and the acceleration never seemed to want to stop. Kia says the Stinger can hit 167 m.ph., and it drives like it can. (The speedometer reads to 180 m.p.h.) The exhaust roar when accelerating hard should satisfy car buffs.

Do we have overkill here? For example, are drive modes Eo, Smart, Comfort, Sport and Custom really necessary? I found Comfort to be the best for everyday driving, but Sport would be the most useful on a track, although this is no track car. Not that it would do all that badly on one, but this is a very fast road  car. Keeping it safe at high speeds are an electronically controlled suspension, Brembo performance brakes and Kia’s dynamic torque vectoring all-wheel drive system.

The steering is quick but on the firm side, and the brake pedal has a rather long, soft progressive throw. The ride is on the firm side, but not uncomfortable, although some may feel it’s too stiff. Even turning a console dial to get Sport mode doesn’t make the ride uncomfortable, although that mode tightens things up a bit.

The hood glides opens on twin struts, as does the rear hatch, revealing that the engine is set back for nearly 50/50 weight distribution to enhance handling. However, a cover on the underside of the hood reveals that the two slinky looking hood scoops are fakes. But the engine compartment has extra braces to keep the structure of the twin-turbo Kia very stiff.

The Kia Stinger will likely lose out to many who are buying the Audi, BMW or Mercedes nameplate, but who are those German car buyers trying to impress?