Kia Stinger: the 365 hp Korean sports saloon

Kia has unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show the most powerful sports saloon in its history. The Kia Stinger seats 5 and is based on the GT concept prototype.

Kia has always been a car company known for producing high-volume vehicles, but now it surprises us with a production car with the highest performance in its history. The Kia Stinger was presented today at the Detroit Motor Show, but was first designed in Frankfurt and developed at the Nürburgring.

“From its origins as the GT concept prototype to the years of tuning and adjustment on the legendary Nürburgring circuit, no detail has been too small to receive the utmost attention; the result is simply impressive.” said the Vice President of Product Planning at Kia Motors America.

The Kia Stinger has a rear design quite similar to that of the Alfa Romeo Giulia and rear-wheel-drive vehicle proportions. It has a long bonnet with a short front overhang, a generous wheelbase that gives the cabin spaciousness, and a long rear overhang with strong shoulders.

The chassis of this sports saloon stands out for its long wheelbase, 2,906 mm, which exceeds that of an Audi A4, an Infiniti Q50, an Lexus IS, a BMW 4 Gran Coupe and even that of the Lexus GS and the Mercedes CLS. It is also longer (4,830 mm) and wider (1,870 mm) than its rivals, allowing the seats to offer great space.

The Stinger introduces an electronically controlled suspension called Dynamic Stability Damping Control. This system features up to five driving modes: Personal, Eco, Sport, Comfort and Smart.

Kia is developing two turbocharged engines for its sports saloon. The first of these units has a 2.0 l displacement and an estimated output of 255 hp. Performance is even greater with the 3.3 l twin-turbo V6, which is expected to deliver 365 hp and a maximum torque of 510 Nm. The 0-100 km/h acceleration of the twin-turbo V6 could be 5.1 seconds, with a top speed of 269 km/h.

The Stinger is the first Kia saloon available with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive version features a new Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control. The rear-wheel-drive versions, for their part, have a mechanical limited-slip differential that helps distribute power more effectively between the wheels.

Regarding the Stinger’s connectivity, Kia introduces the Head-Up Display (HUD), which projects key driving information onto the windscreen, including speed, navigation directions, audio settings, cruise control and blind-spot detection information.

Among the optional extras, the premium Harman/Kardon system stands out, raising output to 720 W via an external amplifier.