Kia Stinger sports sedan revealed

The Kia Stinger, a star of this week's Detroit motor show, aims to help the carmaker become a maker of credible performance cars. The model is a rear-wheel-drive sports saloon powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 engine that can outpunch the Audi S4.

The Stinger has been honed at the Nürburgring under the watch of Albert Biermann, who Kia poached from BMW’s M division in late 2014. In fact, the BMW 440i has been used as a benchmark. It is closely related to the GT concept of 2011, a car which Kia says it never lost sight of in the intervening years and always intended to use as inspiration for a production car.
The twin-turbo V6, which produces 365hp and 510Nm, powers a range-topping GT version of the Stinger. The Stinger GT is aimed squarely at the more potent versions of the Audi A4, BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class, although it sits below the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63.

In standard guise, the drive goes to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox, but all-wheel drive is optional. A 0-100kph time of 5.1sec is the target for the car, along with a top speed of 269kph. As a demonstration of the Stinger GT’s potency, its V6’s output eclipse the 354hp and 500Nm of the new Audi S4’s 3.0-litre turbo V6.

Kia will also offer four-cylinder engine options in the Stinger in an effort to bring the car’s likely handling prowess and premium cabin to a wider audience and steal sales from cars such as the 3-series lower down the range. Additionally, the car will also be later offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol model with an output of 255hp and 353Nm, along with a four-cylinder diesel variant.

At 4,831mm in length, the Stinger is almost 200mm longer than a 3-series and actually closer to the new BMW 5-series (4,935mm) in length. It is 1,869mm wide and 1,400mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,906mm. This makes it 58mm wider than a 3-series and 41mm lower, with a wheelbase that’s 96mm longer.

Underpinning the Stinger is a modified Genesis chassis, 55 percent of which is made from lightweight high-strength steel, which Kia claims is a rigid chassis with reduced levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in the ‘quiet cabin’. The suspension features MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link system at the rear. The suspension is adjustable with adaptive damping, a Kia first, through a system called Dynamic Stability Damping Control. Kia has tuned the system to offer agility around the corners as well as high-speed stability.

For the first time, Kia will offer switchable driving modes with five settings on offer. These modes adjust not only the firmness of the suspension but also the responses of the variable-ratio electric steering, which has the motor mounted directly on the steering rack for, what Kia claims are, improved responses and feedback and reduced vibrations.

The four-cylinder Stinger has 18-inch alloy wheels and 225/45 R18 ‘performance’ tyres, with 19-inch alloys and 225/40 R19 ‘ultra-high-performance’ rubber for the GT model. Brembo brakes, with four-piston calipers at the front and two-piston calipers at the rear, provide the stopping power for the GT model. The model was designed at Kia’s European design studio where it was overseen by its top designer, Gregory Guillaume.