From the December 2017 issue

That the Kia Stinger looks as outrageously low and mean as it does is perhaps our highest praise for the new four-door sport hatch. Few and far between are cars that survive the bureaucracy-filled odyssey from show stand to showroom without suffering character-killing dilution. Yet the production Stinger’s shape matches nearly line for line that of the Kia GT Concept, which made its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. Production realities excised the concept’s rear-hinged rear doors, added B-pillars, and transformed its wing cameras into conventional door-mounted side mirrors. Otherwise, the similarities are as plain as day. The GT’s grille-flanking intake scoops remain on the production car, as do the wraparound taillamps, which terminate in reflectors on the rear quarter-panels. The rear side windows, too, share their distinctive quarter-round shape with the GT Concept’s. Even the Stinger’s name, which shrouds the car in the same majesty as greats such as the Plymouth Fury and the Hillman Imp, hints that something is different about this Kia. Part of that something—a big part of it, actually—is shocking straight-line performance.

Our test car, a preproduction rear-wheel-drive GT fitted with the brand’s 365-hp twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6, treated us to a 12.9-second quarter-mile at 111 mph. And it did so without any fanfare. Just wood the throttle and the car’s 255/35ZR-19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rear rubber finds the purchase necessary to produce such numbers. The homegrown eight-speed automatic is at its best when left to shift itself, so that’s what we did. Its gearchanges, like those of Porsche’s PDK-equipped cars, are rapid enough to be invisible on the speed trace plotted by our VBOX test gear, which is to say they’re pretty damned fast. The near-optimal grip/power balance yields a 4.4-second zero-to-60 time, which is as quick as or quicker than pretty much everything in the Stinger’s wide purview. And though launch control wasn’t functional on our early tester, it’s unlikely to help a car that takes off like the Stinger does. Perhaps the most striking facet of the engine’s power delivery is evident in the Stinger’s 5.0-second 5-to-60-mph time—quicker than every machine in our last comparison test of mid-size premium sports sedans. Acceleration is strong with this one.

View Photos MARC URBANO

Braking, too, is better here than in those sedans from Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Mercedes, requiring only 156 feet from 70 mph. Four-piston front and two-piston rear Brembo calipers are standard on the GT. Pedal response is predictable, but it’s spread over more travel than we’d prefer. The short stopping distance is no doubt aided by a 4004-pound as-tested weight, which is about as light as the cars in this class come.

Kia, of course, has a broader plan for this hatchback, which includes more than just impressive acceleration and braking. It wants to match up to the established German mid-sizers. The base-trim Stinger (without the GT moniker) comes standard with a 255-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder coupled to an eight-speed auto, a popular modern powertrain configuration. Both engines are available with rear- or all-wheel drive. And the Stinger is competitively scaled. Its 114.4-inch wheelbase is only a few tenths of an inch shorter than the Audi A6 and S6’s, and its overall length, at 190.2 inches, is about four inches shorter than the A6 and the BMW 5-series sedans’. But both its wheelbase and overall length are greater than those of the BMW 3-series, Cadillac ATS, and Mercedes C-class sedans. Indeed, its interior volume is competitive with that of most mid-size premium players—a fact that was plainly obvious when our largest staffer took the Pepsi Challenge with the Stinger and Audi A5 Sportback rear seats. He actually fit in the Kia.

But it’s the handling latitude and capability of cars such as the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe—a car that Kia carefully benchmarked in its development—that the Stinger targets with the GT’s five drive modes (Smart, Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Custom). Shared with the upcoming Genesis G70, the Stinger’s platform uses struts up front and a multilink rear suspension. A clutch-type limited-slip differential is standard in top-trim GTs, and the car’s dampers continuously adjust within two distinct calibrations that are tied to the drive modes. Custom mode allows drivers to tweak engine and transmission responses, steering effort, damping rates, and engine-sound enhancement, which is accomplished through the Stinger’s audio-system speakers.

View Photos Say what you will about the Stinger's styling, seats, and handling, but there's no denying the twin-turbo V-6's muscle. It propels two tons to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. MARC URBANO

At 0.93 g, the Stinger’s skidpad grip is on par with middleweight sports sedans. But lean aggressively on it through a meandering back road, and the edges of the Hyundai Kia chassis-tuning strategy begin to fray. Communication through the electrically assisted steering wheel lacks the granular precision of most any Audi sedan. Press the Stinger on a demanding road, and its acumen diminishes as the limits approach. Midcorner heaves and crests reveal a front/rear damping imbalance that’s unnervingly exposed near the ragged edge. Even in their stiffest setting, the rear dampers fail to adequately control the Stinger’s rear-end movement, affording its driver the opportunity to experience the suspension’s full range of geometry changes during cornering and acceleration. Perceptibly awkward pitch and dive motions accompany acceleration and braking when pushing the car hard.

Then there’s the transmission. Wheel-mounted shift paddles deliver rev-matched downshifts, provided the requests aren’t overly aggressive. Response to upshift inputs isn’t instant, even if the shifts themselves are. And the Stinger, regardless of its drive mode, forcefully resists holding gears at redline unless its stability control is disabled. These are all calibration choices that could change before production. They’re also potent details that speak to the Stinger’s merely modest commitment to the craft of driving like an insane person.

Kia, for its part, admits that the Stinger’s ride prioritizes comfort over ultimate performance, and that’s not a bad thing for a self-proclaimed GT car. Avoid the edge of its limits and it will serve you well, doling out a touring-level ride appropriate for its cruise-missile status on the open road. It is indeed comfortable, but it’s not the suspended-by-clouds feeling you’ll find in its upmarket competition. The GT’s seats are soft and wide and covered in nappa leather, but they don’t offer striking material quality, supportive bolstering, or stunning beauty. It’s a theme that carries throughout the Stinger’s interior, which is unobjectionable but a level below the premium sedans whose numbers the Stinger matches in performance testing.

View Photos MARC URBANO

As with most Hyundai and Kia products, the Stinger’s infotainment and HVAC layout is an elegantly useful balance of dedicated buttons and screen functionality. And in case you’re a carmaker wondering how to best integrate controls, let the Koreans give you a lesson in center-stack harmony—knobs on the audio system control volume and tuning, and two dials on the ventilation system manage cabin temperature. Another knob near the shifter adjusts drive modes. Curiously, there’s no primary knob for the infotainment system, but Kia makes it all work with dedicated buttons.

The Stinger further closes the gap to high-end machinery with a strong showing of standard features. GT trims include LED headlamps, heated front seats, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, to name a few. If there’s one piece of tech that most clearly demonstrates Kia’s seriousness about chasing upmarket carmakers, it’s safety. The Stinger’s advanced safety features work seamlessly and intuitively. Lane-keeping assist, when coupled with adaptive cruise control, verges on hands-off-the-wheel automation even if that’s not its intent. Lane centering is superb, and we found the system capable of managing lane shifts and high-speed sweepers with little to no driver oversight—not that we encourage it. The Stinger is not, however, as quiet as those compact premium sedans offering similar interior space. At 70 mph, our GT produced a 71-decibel din, louder than an Audi S5 Sportback, BMW 340i, and Jaguar XE.

In our testing, which included repeated lapping of our 10Best loop, we saw only 17 mpg from the Stinger, 2 mpg less than we measured in the 325-hp Ford Fusion Sport. EPA fuel-economy data wasn’t available as of this writing, but we estimate the GT will hit 21 mpg combined.

Rear-drive GT trims start at $39,250, with all-wheel drive adding $2200. Our fully loaded rear-drive Stinger with advanced safety features is a $50,100 proposition. That’s a lot of money for a Kia. Which leaves us asking: Is this hidden-hatch Kia worth $50,000?

Despite being quick at both going and stopping, the Stinger lacks the feel, finish, and immersive experience of the premium mid-size players. But it’s without question a better car inside than, say, a Dodge Charger Daytona, which starts at a nearly identical price yet lacks the Stinger’s performance. It comes down to what buyers want. If the exquisite experience of a true luxury sports sedan is a no-compromise zone, they’ll have no choice but to shell out another 20 grand for a premium mid-sizer. But if a step down in finish and aura is acceptable, and if muscle is important, then the Stinger delivers speed in a package that looks as if it drove off an auto-show turntable.





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MARC URBANO

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