Kia Stinger aims to go toe-to-toe with German luxury giants – with a price that won’t kill your budget, and a warranty that’ll knock your socks off.

I’ve been waiting months for this day. Kia’s been waiting 7 years.

Today, I finally got behind the wheel of a 2018 Kia Stinger. A new model for the South Korean automaker, who has taken great care to secure some of the top designers and engineers from the luxury likes of Audi and BMW to create a wholly new driving experience.

Never heard of the Stinger? The all-new Kia Stinger was first introduced back in 2011 at the Frankfurt Auto Show as a GT concept. Since then, Kia’s been tweaking and re-tweaking what’s now being called their first “gotta have it” vehicle.

I’ll be doing my review in two parts. Part One will cover Base and Premium trim, and Part Two will cover the GTs, as I’m fairly certain they will be two completely different driving experiences.

So, onto Part One.

While the Stinger I drove was not a GT with a V6, but a Premium with a 4 cylinder, there was still plenty of power. Plenty of get-up-and-go, and handling to go with it. The RWD eliminated some slip, and the turn radius was incredibly tight, which is always a plus.

The Premium trim gets 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, which is in line with the typical Japanese sport sedan, but with a little extra posh spice.

Because Kia is upping the ante to compete with the German luxuries of the world, you’re gonna get some cool upgrades and amenities that you won’t find with other Japanese or American sports sedans. For example, 15 harman/kardon speakers make for some seriously lush sound.

One thing Kia has heads and shoulders above everyone else is that famous Kia warranty. 10 years/100,000 miles. Most luxury brands offer 4 years/50,000 miles. Japanese automakers come in around 5 years/60,000 miles, so you’re getting twice the warranty as the nearest competitor.

And the price? Base models start at $31,900 and Premium at $37,100. How’s that price for luxury?

Many are holding out for the GT trims, which will get you an extra 90 horses under the hood and over 100 pounds more torque. If you’re not eyeing the Christmas Tree to beat your 60-ft time, however, you may not care about that extra power. You’ll still have the same sleek, sporty style without the jacked-up insurance or pile of speeding tickets.

Win-win, right?

See the 2018 Kia Stinger at Leith Autopark Kia in Wendell.

Written by Staff for LeithCars.com

Tags: Audi, auto, BMW, Concept, Kia, Reviews, Zero to 60

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