When people say the word ‘Kia’, what is the first thing that comes to mind? I don’t know about you, but ‘sporty GT car’ is probably the last word to describe a Kia.
But wait until you see the 2019 Kia Stinger. It’s unmistakably a Kia, but it’s a Kia with muscles. And it also happens to pose a serious threat to the BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo, Infiniti Q50, Audi A5, and even the Jaguar XF.
Here are the top reasons why you should consider a Kia for a sporty, roomy, and fun-to-drive GT sedan.
The 2019 Kia Stinger is not a bad looking car
You have to admit the Kia Stinger has a charm all its own. It’s definitely sporty with a fastback roof design, elongated wheelbase, and shorter front and rear overhangs. The sculpted surfaces are designed to slice the wind while the driver-oriented interior speaks highly to the capabilities of the car.
The exterior design of the Kia Stinger is lifted directly from the GT Concept car, which was unveiled at the 2014 North American International Auto Show. It’s unlike any Kia you’ve seen before. According to chief designer for Kia Motors Europe Gregory Guillaume, the Kia Stinger’s design idiom is based on a – believe it or not – a Coca-Cola bottle. The subtle curves in the rear haunches of the Stinger are oozing with sex appeal.
The Kia Stinger is a fast car even in base trim
The Kia Stinger with the smaller four-pot turbocharged motor rushes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6-seconds. It achieves the quarter mile in 15-seconds. However, the BMW 330i is 1.1 seconds faster than the Kia Stinger. But the very fact the Stinger is mentioned in the same breath as European heavyweights is a worthy achievement in my book.
But if speed is what you want in a somewhat practical and luxurious family car, you’ll be pleased the Stinger GT with the turbocharged V6 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4-seconds and a top speed of 167 mph. This means a Kia Stinger could potentially outrun an Audi S5 on the open highway.
The Stinger comes loaded with standard luxury features
The base Kia Stinger is comprehensively well-equipped including automatic headlights, LED running lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated and power-folding mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, full leather upholstery, power and heated front seats, a 7-inch touchscreen, and Apple CarPlay & Android Auto.
Choosing the Stinger Premium gets you LED headlights, a power sunroof, a power-adjustable tiller, memory functions for the driver’s seat, and a 15-speaker Harman-Kardon audio system.
But you don’t need to pay a luxury price tag
Remember the amount of kit you get in the base Kia Stinger? You get all those and more starting at only $31,900. The Premium trim starts at below $38,000. The GT trim starts at only $43,250 with the V6 motor. All told, the top-tier Stinger GT2 starts at $50,200 and includes genuine Nappa leather seats and wireless charging among others.
The 2019 Kia Stinger is the budget grand tourer of the year. But not until you consider the Genesis G70, which is essentially the same car like the Kia Stinger. However, the Genesis starts at $35,000 with basically the same amount of kit as the Stinger.