2018 Kia Stinger Review

Overview:

The passionate cars are all recognized for their performance, style and comfort. The performance should be mind-blowing. Style should not be less than anything well cultured. And the comfort level should be utmost enough to meet the best concept of relaxation. With all these aspects, a car definitely becomes passionate.

Well, here we have the Kia Stinger that was introduced just a short while back. The design is extracted through various concepts that were displayed mainly for fun and imagination. But the structure articulates a sense of discovery rather than innovation.

That was 2011 when Kia introduced the GT Concept during the Frankfurt Auto Show. It had the similar power rating like the production level Stinger. Later the GT4 Stinger concept was unveiled during the North American International Auto Show in 2014. The present-day design is certainly much like the GT4 concept. These concepts lead to the creation of the Stinger in Kia’s Europe plant. The BMW’s ex-Vice President of Engineering took care of the mechanism. While Kia’s renowned designers crafted the design.

Ultimately by 2017 the Kia Stinger was prepared and displayed during the North American International Auto Show. This car was appreciated a lot and it brought promotions to the Stinger development team. The ones being a manager at that time were later promoted to be the senior managers. While it was pretty strange to know that Coca-Cola’s bottle was the actual inspiration in the design of this car.

Though it is first of its class in Kia’s fleet. But it is relevant to numerous Genesis and Hyundai cars. Further, the available models include the standard, Premium, GT, GT1, and GT2. And the starting price for this car is $31,900.

Specifications:

Engine	Transmission	HP	Torque
2.0 – 3.3 L	8 – speed automatic	197 – 365 hp	229 – 376 lb – ft
0 – 62 MPH	Top Speed	Body Style	MPG
4.4s	167 mph	Sedan	18 city/ 27 highway

Performance:

Thanks to the GDI tech for blessing this car with some acknowledgeable power level. The base version is offered with the 2.0 L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. This is what you will get if you plan to go for the starting trim level. Well, the power rating is pretty fine. It has 255 horses making 260 lb-ft of torque. Well, this powertrain is capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph within 5.7 seconds. That is pretty fine for a four-cylinder turbocharged car.

In addition to that, there is V6 engine available as well. That is particularly designed for performance. Here the Stinger gets a 3.3 L twin-turbo V6 engine with all-wheel-drive configuration. And this is that model which Kia advertises to narrate that the Stinger is faster than its competitors. Well, this option gets 365 tamed horses making 376 lb-ft of torque. This is certainly a fine performance that you can expect from a tamed city V6 engine.

These drivetrains are mainly available globally. While if you are planning to get something in diesel, you might have to consult the European Kia center. There you would find the 2.2 L 4-cylinder diesel engine. This configuration offers 197 horses at 229 lb-ft of torque rated at 4,500 rpm. Well, this setup mainly suits the drive plans filled up with lower fuel expense and a decent CO₂ emission.

Anything that would pinch you is the 8-speed automatic transmission. That is common among all the Kia Stingers. Whether it is the 4-cylinder or the V6 they all have the same.

Besides the performance, the Stinger has even got decent handling skills. The steering ability is quite admirable and even the braking is quite strong. The Stinger stops from 70-0 mph within 156 feet. That is incredible!

Exterior:

The Kia Stinger is designed as a fastback sedan. It carries the same Kia’s signature tiger nose. Along with that, it incorporates a decent amount of aerodynamics. Well, that is even a plus point in the performance of this car. In a way, the Kia Stinger wears a sexy robe. That is good enough to make it look like a Bella.

Well, the cosmetics include the 17, 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels, projector lamps, LED light and a rear spoiler. Further, the V6 model gets the fender vents, hood vents and the sporty suspension. Nevertheless, she is the performance edition of the Kia Stinger.

Interior:

Along with the performance and exterior designing, the interior appointment is even pretty nice in this car. It comes with the leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knobs and gloss black accent trim. The upper trim level gets quilted Nappa leather seats and the aluminum accent.

Further, the heated and ventilated seats along with the heated steering wheel are standard for this car. While the standard features even include the floor mats. Ahead of that, the spacing is pretty decent. Your passengers would not complain about hitting their head on the roof or knocking the front row seats. Even the cargo spacing is good enough to carry around 23.3 cubic feet of goods.

Features:

There are plenty of handy features included in this car. The base models come with the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with multimedia options. While the upper trim models get the 8-inch touchscreen with multimedia and navigation features. Further, the Android Auto and the Apple CarPlay are included for every model.

The entertainment section includes 6-speakers for the base trim levels. While the upper trim models get the 9-speaker. The supreme editions get the 15-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system to make your journey pleasant.

Other features include Bluetooth, sports gauge for the GT models and the Heads-up display for the GT2 version. Ahead of that, the Stinger includes a 3.5-inch TFT driver’s cluster display with configurable options.

Safety:

The basic passive safety features are standard in every model of the Stinger. Ahead of that, it includes various driving dynamic controls and active safety features. Like it has the adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking and the lane keeping assist. Further, it gets the option for the parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic monitoring and forward collision warning.

Competitors:

It is not that hard to find a competition for a car like this. There are plenty of competitors available in the market for the Kia Stinger. But the next in rank is the Mercedes Benz C-Class. Well, the Mercedes could hardly find a chance to match the performing skills of this car. But its interior setup really surpasses the Kia Stinger.

Well, anyways, the Kia Stinger is a nice option because it has everything you need at an unmatched price. Indeed, Stinger is one of the fine cars of today.