2018 Kia Stinger Test & Development – Video

Likely to sell for $33,000 to $48,000, the Stinger takes Kia into new realms dominated by serious players such as the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series.

For starters, the Stinger’s 114.4-inch wheelbase being almost four inches longer than that of a 3-series and just 1.7 inches shorter than a Porsche Panamera’s. The back seat has cross-your-legs room, but the factory-stated curb weights come in a little high, ranging from about 3650 pounds for a base 2.0-liter to 3900 for the loaded all-wheel-drive version.

Kia was so hot to show off the fruits of its European HR initiatives that it invited journalists to the ’Ring to sample the sportiest Stinger, the twin-turbocharged GT, on the same 12.9-mile Nordschleife where engineers did some of the development work.

 

 

What we can say is that the Stinger GT, which trades the base 255-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four for a twin-turbo 3.3-liter V-6 making 365 horsepower, feels like a car built by people who like cars, and it is not a complete mess when confronted with a track.