Kia Stinger

Compared to the dramatic appeal of the exterior appeal of the Stinger, the interior cabin is something which is the other end of the spectrum. The cabin has an air of simplicity and maturity to it, and while it could have been designed in a dramatic manner, it still manages to look elegant.

While the flat-bottom steering wheel is good to hold, the instrument console looks very functional due to very normal looking fonts. The free-standing touch screen infotainment system on the center of the dashboard looks trendy, while the three propellers styled AC vents placed below it goes well the trend. Adding further enrichment to the cabin is a sleek aluminum layer flowing at the bottom of the all-black dashboard, which is a nice contrast to the all black cabin. The wide transmission tunnel between the front seats is huge and houses gear lever and drive mode selector.

The Kia Stinger is packed with some really nice and premium features seen standard in a car of this price range, such as dual-zone climate control, paddle shifters, ventilated front seats with memory function for their adjustability, heads-up display, wireless smartphone charger, smart opening for boot, 15-speaker Harman Kardon music system and sunroof. The Kia Stinger has abundant space at the rear, which is normally a rare thing in a sportscar of this cadre.

As compared to all the other functional looking offerings from Kia, the Stinger has managed to create a separate fan base with its beautiful design which stands out of the crowd.

The Stinger, in a true Kia tradition, comes with a tiger-nose grille, which comes with jewel-like chrome bits within it and an additional chrome garnish around it. The arrow-head shaped full LED headlamps are small, but they look quite cool, the appeal of which doubles up when the daytime running LEDs within them light up. Other elements at the front, like the integrated air curtain and aero fender garnish on the front bumper, do increase the boldness of the Stinger when viewed head-on.

Due to the down roofline at the back, low slung stance and long wheelbase, the Kia Stinger comes with a proper silhouette of a grand tourer, which it actually is. Other design elements which further enhance the sportiness of the Stinger are the door mounted rear view mirrors and frameless doors.

Coming towards the rear end design, the unique chrome garnish on the upper portion of the side doors flows down till the sides of the rear windshield. While the boot of the Stinger opens up in a notchback style, the unison theme for the LED tail lamps and quad exhaust pipes give the Stinger an appeal of a quintessential sports car.

Thanks to its low slung stance, low profile tyres, and stiff suspension setup, the Kia Stinger excels brilliantly when it comes to the balance of ride quality and handling. Despite its heavy weight, the stiffer setup for the suspension allows the Stinger to be sharp in the overall driving dynamics of the Stinger.

The Kia Stinger is offered with a choice of two performance-oriented petrol engines, both of which are coupled to the same 8-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters on offer. The smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine pumps out 255 PS of power and 353 Nm of torque, while the larger 3.3-litre V6 engine belts out 370 PS of power and 530 Nm of torque. 

The Kia Stinger is loaded with all the safety features which are perceived as common fitments in a car of this price, such as front, side, curtain and knee airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, front and rear parking sensors with around view monitor camera, blind spot collision warning, rear cross traffic collision warning, electronic stability control, drive mode selector and electronic parking brake.

The Kia Stinger manages to be your everyday practical sportscar, thanks to a sublime balance of zestful performance, punchy performance, interior cabin space and comfort and sporty looks, which it offers.