The Kia Stinger is the first car in a long time that has had people stopping and staring as they go about their daily business. Whether it’s the supermarket car park, driving along the High Street or going to work, the Stinger turns heads wherever you go. That is a very a good thing.
The Stinger exudes presence and power from the long bonnet, aggressive intakes flowing beautifully from the signature tiger grille, gaping air scoops and clever full LED headlights. Combine these with the dark chrome finished outside mirror, dark chrome finished trim & 19” alloy wheels and you’re presented with what Kia call, refined, performance-oriented luxury.
The rear of the car is even more striking with LED combination lamps and quad oval exhaust pipes. 18” disc brakes with Brembo® red brake calipers add even more style and purpose, hinting at the performance on offer and stand out beautifully against the Ceramic Grey of the 2.0 T-GDI GT-Line S on test.
Sitting inside the Kia Stinger 2.0 T-GDI GT-Line S and you’re struck by the quality looks and feel to all that you come into contact with. Leather seats offer up plenty of the adjustability as well as being heated and ventilated for front passengers and heated for the outer rear. There are also exceptional circular vents, metal-ringed gauges and satin chrome trim. Access to essential driving information can be had courtesy of the supervision cluster in the instrument panel or through the unbelievably clear and customisable Head-Up Display. A feature that really comes into its own when concentrating fully on the road ahead as it offers up driver speed, turn-by-turn navigation, smart cruise control settings, Intelligent Speed Limit Warning and Blind Spot Detection information.
Centrally mounted is a 8″ touchscreen system that allows access to the vast majority of the car’s functions including multimedia, Sat Nav, Bluetooth streaming, DAB and so on whilst the high definition 7″ TFT LCD in between the speedometer and rev counter offers up driving essentials such as average fuel economy or turn-by-turn navigation information. A simple to use system that offers benefits above and beyond for the driver.
And have i mentioned the optional 15-speaker harman / kardon® Premium Audio System with Subwoofer, External Amp & Front Centre Speaker yet?
Sport+ selected, first gear engaged using the flappy paddles to move up and down the super smooth 8-speed automatic gearbox and away you go, the 2.0 T-GDI delivering 353Nm torque from 1400-4000rpm and more than enough power for our tight and twisting roads. Spin the turbocharged 4-cylinder towards it’s 6200rpm redline and you’re rewarded with ever increasing waves of power and noise pushing you rapidly towards the horizon at significant speed.
With rear wheel drive on offer for the traditionally sporting driver, you’re in a car that turns beautifully due to the front wheels only have to steer rather than handle the engine’s power as well.
As you toggle through the driver settings, preparing the car for a long motorway slog, shopping trip or just the commute to work you have the knowledge that beneath you and a turn of a dial away, is a true sports saloon.
This is a car that could and really should provide the family man/woman with a way out, an escape from monotony and dreariness, the sounds of freedom barking from the Stinger’s exhaust and scrabbling Traction Control. Have your cake and eat it? For £29,995* with Kia’s current customer saving offer, absolutely.
Where will you go?