Given this diesel Stinger is Kia’s first foray into the usable and efficient, but stylish and sporty, executive niche, it’s a relative success. It rides and handles well, while the powertrain delivers enough performance, even if it trails on the efficiency front. The car is also well equipped, so if you can get your head around a £37,000 diesel Kia you shouldn’t be disappointed – even if it’ll be a hard sell against more premium brands in this market.

While the V6 Stinger might be grabbing the headlines for Kia, it’s this 2.2-litre diesel that’ll take a bigger chunk of sales – accounting for 40 per cent of the 1,800 units Kia hopes to shift each year in the UK.

The diesel comes in two trim levels: GT-Line and GT-Line S, like our test car, with all UK models featuring an eight-speed auto gearbox sending drive to the rear wheels.

With 197bhp and 440Nm of torque, acceleration is smooth and progressive, even if the familiar engine is a little grumbly under load at higher revs. Still, the 0-60mph sprint takes just 7.3 seconds, but it’s the in-gear go that gives this car its flexibility.

Performance is on par with most of its rivals (Kia is targeting the likes of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and the Audi A5 Sportback), while it’s relatively agile, too. It doesn’t feature the clever tech that makes its more potent sibling impressively nimble given the Stinger’s size, but the diesel version still changes direction sweetly.