The all-new 2018 Kia Stinger is a hot new model for the South Korean automaker and it just picked up a top engine award. Stinger has been named to Wards 10 Best Engines list for 2018. It’s quite accomplishment for Kia as it tops the list overtaking the 3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6 under the hood of the BMW M240i that won last year.

The Kia brand isn’t just about producing small economy cars anymore. The South Korean automaker is moving into new territory with the Stinger GT performance Sports Fastback. It competes with the Audi S5 Sportback, BMW 440i Gran Coupe, and Infiniti Q50.

The Stinger GT launches from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds and has a governed top speed of 167 mph. the new Kia sedan is quicker than the performance-oriented 3.0-liter six-cylinder Porsche Panamera. WardsAuto says, “In the rear-wheel-drive Stinger, the 3.3L V-6 is quiet and smooth at idle but willing to bellow like a big V-8 under hard throttle. Illegal speed arrives quickly,” one WardsAuto judge writes on his scoresheet.”

The Stinger GT’s 3.3L twin turbo V-6 produces 365 hp and “a whiplash-inducing” 376 lb.-ft. (510 Nm) of torque, as early as 1,300 rpm, barely above idle speed. Powertrain engineers at Hyundai Motor, parent company of Kia, designed this engine for both the Stinger and the luxury Genesis G80 Sport, which is quite a bit heavier, while Stinger is a smaller, lighter sports Fastback.

Kia Stinger overtakes BMW 3.0L inline six

WardsAuto says Hyundai engineers like to compare the new 3.3L twin-turbo V-6 to BMW’s excellent B58 3.0L inline 6-cylinder powerplant, “perhaps unfairly because Munich’s mill has less displacement and only one turbo.”

The BMW M240i’s 3.0L Turbocharged DOHC Inline-6 won Wards 10 Best Engines last year and it supplanted by the Stinger’s 3.3L twin turbo V-6 for 2018. WardsAuto says, “But give the Koreans their due: The BMW engine, a winner last year, was eligible in this year’s competition, and yet it’s Kia going home with the hardware.”

This year’s WardsAuto winners

All vehicles named to the list must have a base price under $63,000. The new 2018 Kia Stinger GT equipped with the 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 has a base price of $38,350.

150-kW Electric Propulsion System (Chevrolet Bolt EV)

3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6/PHEV (Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid)

2.7L Twin Turbo DOHC V-6 (Ford F-150)

5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang GT)

130-kW Fuel Cell/Electric Propulsion System (Honda Clarity)

2.0L VTEC Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl. (Honda Civic Type R)

3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Infiniti Q50)

2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl. (Jaguar XF)

3.3L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Kia Stinger)

2.5L Atkinson DOHC 4-Cyl./HEV (Toyota Camry Hybrid)

Photo credit: KIA USA