Car review: Kia Stinger GT S

This is a very well equipped and properly fast GT which will give many people reason to reassess Kia as a brand, says Mike Stone
Mike Stone6 February 2018

And now for something completely different. Or at least different for Kia.

The Korean car giant’s latest offering is not its usual family fare. It’s a 3.3-litre twin turbo V6, 365bhp GT, with a beautiful, swooping body and a kick like a mule.

The GT S is the first Stinger in a range which will include a less powerful two-litre petrol and a diesel version.

It is aimed squarely at the likes of the BMW 440i Coupe, which at £45,490 is £5,000 more, and the Jaguar XE S, which is £7,500 more. Only the Ford Mustang at £36,645 beats it on price, although the full-fat 5-litre version can cost £44,895.

So what is a £40,495 Kia like? The styling is bang on, with aggressive-looking air intakes below the headlamps, muscular flanks, a swooping roofline and double twin tailpipes. Dummy air intakes on the bonnet serve no practical purpose but look the part.

Flooring the throttle too quickly will break the rear tyres’ grip, but the Stinger impresses with the way it delivers its 365hp through its eight-speed auto gearbox. It’s progressive, not neck-snapping, and all the better for it. It definitely feels like a mile-munching GT rather than a sports car, and you could cover huge distances with ease.

The engine note is fed into the cabin via the car’s audio system, while outside it is remarkable quiet. I’m no fan of these systems but some people like them.

The cabin appears well finished, with an aluminium-look centre console and a wing-shaped dashboard with Mercedes-style air vents. The dash may be leather-covered but somehow it doesn’t look real and is the only area which does not match the opposition.

This is a very well equipped and properly fast GT which will give many people reason to reassess Kia as a brand. And not only does it undercut most of the opposition on price, but its predicted residual values beat them too. Well done, Kia.

Kia Stinger GT S

0-60mph: 4.7 secs

Combined mpg: 28.5

Emissions: 225 g/km

Top speed: 168mph

Price: £40,445

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