The Kia Stinger doesn’t draw headlines like perhaps it as soon as did, however it’s nonetheless ticking alongside.
Gross sales of the massive, highly effective liftback have remained sturdy in Australia, because the Stinger fills the void left by the Holden Commodore SS and Ford Falcon XR8 for each personal consumers and police forces.
It’s been up to date as soon as with a recent look and extra know-how, however it’s basically the identical automotive revealed in 2017. That’s factor.
Highly effective, snug, rear-wheel drive giant vehicles are laborious to return by in 2022, however the Stinger remains to be going sturdy.
How a lot does the Kia Stinger GT value?
Even the range-topping Stinger is sharply priced, with a sticker simply shy of $65,000 earlier than on-road prices.
You pay handsomely for the leap from the most cost effective V6, the 330S, to the GT nevertheless.
Pure rivals are few and much between. With Holden Commodore SS and Ford Focus XR8 gone, together with the Chrysler 300, the Stinger competes with the all-wheel drive Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI R-Line ($71,240) and entry-level variations of the BMW 3 Collection ($73,500) and Audi A4 ($63,900).
Not one of the Stinger’s rivals can match its outputs, nor its old school rear-wheel drive dynamics.
2022 Kia Stinger pricing:
Kia Stinger 200S: $51,250Kia Stinger 330S: $55,030Kia Stinger GT-Line: $58,930 Kia Stinger GT: $64,960
All costs exclude on-road prices.
What’s the Kia Stinger GT like on the within?
By now, Kia has ironed out a lot of the bugs with Stinger behind the wheel.
At launch, the automotive had a chunky gloss black bezel round its central display. Now, it’s a flush-fitting unit operating the identical infotainment system you get within the Hyundai Group’s top-end merchandise. The display between the dials now has the Blind Spot View Monitor system supplied elsewhere within the vary, too.
The leather-trimmed seats on this GT are completed with a daring stitching sample that’s half six-pack, half throne, and the ambient lighting has been freshened up.
One factor that has all the time been proper with the Stinger are the basics. The driving place is among the finest within the enterprise, with seats that drop low and are perfect for long-haul driving, because of a well-judged mixture of padding and bolstering. The electrically-adjusted steering wheel telescopes proper out to fulfill taller drivers, and feels nice in your arms.
Every little thing you’ll want to poke or prod falls inside simple attain, and the silver row of switches beneath the show look high-end. Additionally they make it simpler to leap between capabilities on the touchscreen, which is a little bit of a attain away should you’re sitting a great distance again.
Touches just like the rocker switches (which really is a two-way rocker) for the heated and cooled seats really feel a bit extra particular than an everyday button, and present Kia has put actual thought into the little touches.
The brand new 10.25-inch infotainment system is pure Kia and Hyundai, for higher and for worse. It’s fast to reply and straightforward to navigate… however it’s a little bit of a stretch to succeed in, and the actual fact the first perform is on the left aspect of the show when it’s operating in cut up display suggests the system was developed for left-hand drive.
The 7.0-inch journey pc show between the clear, easy analogue dials is evident and straightforward to make use of on the transfer, and the blind-spot cameras are a useful addition given the liftback form does influence over-the-shoulder imaginative and prescient.
Cupboard space is sweet, with a wi-fi telephone charging pad below the dashboard, cupholders on the transmission tunnel, a shallow storage bin below the central armrest, and spacious door pockets.
All of it feels effectively put collectively. Even after hopping out of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a steeper price ticket, the Stinger felt solidly screwed along with buttons that clicked and clacked as you’d count on.
Rear seat house isn’t nice, regardless of the automotive’s outsized exterior. The sloping roofline eats into headroom for taller passengers, and the chunky transmission tunnel means the center seat isn’t notably accomodating.
You’re finest to fold down the central armrest and simply use the rear as a two-seat bench.
Legroom is suitable although, and the presence of air vents and a USB charger will preserve youngsters and their gadgets completely satisfied again there.
Boot house below that large, powered liftback is 406L with the rear seats in place, and 1114L with them folded.
Though neither quantity is ground-breaking on paper the load bay is broad and flat, and the liftback form is way extra sensible than a traditional sedan should you’re carrying bikes or different cumbersome objects.
What’s below the bonnet?
Energy within the Kia Stinger GT comes from a twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 with 274kW and 510Nm.
That grunt is distributed to the rear wheels by way of an eight-speed torque converter automated.
The 100km/h dash takes a claimed 4.9 seconds, and claimed gas financial system is 10.2 litres per 100km on the mixed cycle.
Curiously, the Stinger can run on 91 RON common unleaded, and has a 60L gas tank.
How does the Kia Stinger GT drive?
The dual-turbocharged V6 within the Stinger is a robust beast, and it makes the automotive really feel effortlessly fast in day-to-day driving.
There’s only a breath of lag whenever you lean on the accelerator, however when the turbochargers spool up at round 2000rpm the Stinger squeezes you again in your seat and reels within the horizon sooner than something different giant automotive on the similar value now the Commodore SS and Falcon XR8 are useless.
Kia says it’s a 5.0-second automotive to 100km/h however in the actual world, within the meat of the torque band, it feels faster than that.
It simply must be a bit louder. The very fact it’s so quiet makes it an ideal freeway cruiser (we’ll get to that), however even the dual-mode exhaust Kia added as a part of a mid-life refresh hasn’t turned the mumbly V6 into an opera singer. It solely ever delivers an anodyne V6 blare, and it’s by no means actually loud sufficient to make you’re feeling a lot pleasure.
The Stinger may be highly effective, however it’s not a correct sports activities automotive. It’s a really succesful grand tourer that eats freeway miles for breakfast, with the brilliantly-judged trip in Consolation permitting the Stinger to absorb Australia’s common nation highways with out breaking a sweat.
The place the trip can really feel a bit busy on pimply metropolis streets, it has a long-legged really feel on the open street. There’s near no wind or street noise, and the sound system packs sufficient of a punch to drown out the world round you.
Overtaking is a breeze with the twin-turbo V6 within the meat of its torque band and, whereas it’s by no means parsimonious, the automotive is comparatively environment friendly when it’s chugging alongside in eighth gear.
Proven a set of corners, the automotive’s rear-wheel drive stability is straight away clear. Traction from rear tyres is sweet within the dry, however a heavy proper foot and a can-do angle deliver the rear into play. The traction management is quick-acting in regular mode, and means you possibly can dip deep into the throttle’s journey with out concern.
Whereas we’re speaking digital assists, the lane-keep help on the Stinger is sort of hands-on, and the lane-centring system (which goals to maintain the automotive in the midst of its lane, somewhat than merely steering you again to the center whenever you stray) is way too grabby. Fortunately, the latter might be completely turned off.
Flicking into Sport tightens up the trip, makes the seat bolsters grip you a bit of tighter, and provides some weight to the steering, however it doesn’t ever make the Stinger lighter.
With that stated, the steering is fast and the entrance finish is loyal, which implies you possibly can flick the Stinger into corners with extra intent than perhaps you’d count on.
What do you get?
Stinger 200S highlights:
10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment systemWired Apple CarPlay and Android AutoSatellite navigationDAB digital radioLED headlightsReversing digital camera Rear parking sensorsAutomatic high-beamAutomatic headlightsKeyless entry and startRemote begin“Sports activities Premium” seat trimEight-way energy driver’s seatRain-sensing wipersPaddle shiftersElectronic parking brakeTilt and telescoping steering column18-inch alloy wheelsSix-speaker sound systemDual-zone local weather management
Stinger 330S provides:
Twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6Brembo brakesMechanical limited-slip differentialBi-modal exhaust
Stinger GT-Line provides over 200S:
Entrance parking sensorsSurround-view camerasBlind-spot assistRear cross-traffic assistSafe exit warningAutomatic high-beamActive cornering lightsLeather trimHeated and ventilated entrance seatsEight-way energy passenger’s seatSunroofFlat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel with heating7.0-inch instrument cluster displayAlloy pedalsHead-up displaySuede inside trim for roof, pillars and visorsWireless telephone charging15-speaker Harman/Kardon sound systemColour-adjustable ambient lighting19-inch alloy wheels
Stinger GT provides:
Twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 engineBrembo brakesAdaptive dampersNappa leather-based trimElectronically-adjustable tilt and telescoping steering wheel
Is the Kia Stinger GT secure?
When the Kia Stinger was examined by ANCAP in 2017, it acquired a ranking of 5 stars.
That ranking was primarily based on an grownup occupant safety rating of 91 per cent, youngster occupant safety of 81 per cent, pedestrian safety of 78 per cent and security help of 70 per cent.
Customary security tools consists of:
Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)Pedestrian and Bike owner detectionJunction assistForward collision warning,Lane-keep assistLane-following assistFront, front-side, aspect curtain airbags with driver’s knee bagReversing digital camera Rear parking sensorsRear occupant alertDriver consideration alertLeading car departure alertAdaptive cruise management
Stinger GT-Line and GT add:
Secure exit warningBlind-spot help Blind Spot View MonitorRear cross-traffic assistFront parking sensorsSurround-view cameras
How a lot does the Kia Stinger GT value to run?
Kia gives seven years of capped-price servicing along with its seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
All Stinger fashions require servicing each 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.
Seven years of servicing will value $4243 utilizing Kia’s capped-price program.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia Stinger GT
The enchantment of the Stinger hasn’t diminished since its headline-grabbing launch a couple of years in the past.
It’s nonetheless a quick, succesful liftback with eye-catching seems to be and an expensive inside. It’s no shock the vast majority of Stinger gross sales are the GT V6; it’s undoubtedly the decide of the vary, and the purest expression of what Kia was making an attempt to do with its flagship petrol automotive.
There are few nicer methods to cowl lengthy distances for the value – or for a good chunk greater than the value, for that matter.
Experiences of the Stinger’s demise appear to be always swirling, however it’s laborious to know why Kia would axe it but. Not solely is it a fairly sturdy vendor in Australia, it’s nonetheless a automotive that makes folks ask “actually, is {that a} Kia?”.
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