Test drive Kia Stinger GT 3.3 and Audi S5 Sportback: Price question?

How the promising Kia Stinger GT will fight a car from the German elite

From 370 hp The Kia Stinger GT 3.3 T-GDI AWD is pleasantly surprised not only by the price of the test car of 57 euros. Audi is up against the S480 Sportback and a dizzying € 5. Who will win in the end?

They regularly come and pile up in our readers' inboxes - which is why we don't test affordable sports cars. The answer is very simple: offers at the Dacia price level are practically absent in the sports segment. Recently, prices not only for supercars make the average consumer sweat. For anyone who knows that feeling, Kia offers a mid-range sporty model at a very reasonable price. That's reason enough to compare the Kia Stinger GT 3.3 T-GDI AWD with the successful competitor from Ingolstadt.

Not only is the base price of the South Korean car (€55) more like a typo. As a rule, the list of accessories in this automotive segment is as extensive and expensive as the list of wines in a Michelin-starred restaurant. The test Kia boasts just two extras (glazed roof for 900 euros, metallic paint in High Chroma Red for 690 euros). Thus, the price of the test car is slightly higher than the base price, which is extremely rare in the sports car test program.

S5: Tight pricing for extras

However, that doesn't mean the Kia is ill-furnished like a prison cell. On the contrary: a power trunk lid, 19-inch alloy wheels, nappa leather upholstery, adaptive suspension, Harman-Kardon sound system, head-up display and more – the Kia Stinger GT 3.3 T-GDI AWD is included in the Battle, offering no only a dual transmission, but also an extensive equipment package. With other manufacturers, to pay for sinfully expensive add-ons, you almost have to encroach on your household savings or life insurance.

So we quickly get into the Audi S5 Sportback. Audi people are the luminaries of the surcharge policy. Here, as we know, you can be almost happy that you don't have to pay extra for a reflective triangle. The list of optional equipment in our S5 includes 23 items, which raises the price of the test car from 63 euros to an almost incredible 600 euros.

Of course, the difference in price between Upper Bavaria and North Korea is not only about prestige and image. This leads to two main questions: How are today's test participants prepared and what can they do on the road? True, in sports tests we give points for dynamics, not workmanship, but what good is even the greatest driving talent if the car is so poorly made that the smell of glue in the cabin acts as a pain reliever?

True, the Audi S5 is insanely expensive, but for the price you get fantastic quality. The workmanship of the S5's interior is so high that it looks more like the upper than the middle class. The optional S sport seats impress with good lateral support without sacrificing comfort on long journeys.

What does the build quality look like in the Kia Stinger? Although the South Korean manufacturer falls short of Audi's elite level of quality in touch and material handling, there are no unpleasant surprises here. On the contrary, the workmanship is surprisingly good. Kia doesn't resort to cheap leather, trim plastics, or similar low-budget mood-spoiling stimuli.

While the S5's high-tech dashboard with MMI Navigation plus, “touchscreen handwriting touchpad” and digital combo controls will appeal mainly to smartphone enthusiasts, the layout of Kia's devices looks almost historic.

By no means do we mean bad or negative – because we love the Stinger GT's analog combo. My opinion is that the analog needles on the speedometer and tachometer are still more emotional and pretty than their digital counterparts. Sports drivers immediately find their bearings in Kia. Oil temperature, torque and turbocharger pressure are displayed midway between the speedometer and tachometer. The S5 probably doesn't offer much more information to its driver, but Audi's complex menu structure takes a little longer to get used to.

Like the Audi S5, the Kia offers five drive modes, selectable using the drive mode rotary switch on the center console. We start immediately in the most sporty mode (Sport +) and with ESP disabled.

In Sport +, Kia's adaptive chassis boosts shock absorbers as well as steering torque, which provides surprisingly good feedback around its center position. If you are not a fan of specially tuned steering systems, the responses of Audi's direct steering system in dynamic mode are likely to be too harsh.

But let's continue with Kia. Its 3,3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine produces 370 hp. It feels very good already from 1500 rpm and pulls vigorously, without noticeable drops in torque throughout the entire speed range. Acoustically speaking, at full throttle, Kia's four oval mufflers emit a furious sound that's never annoying but more immersive than the Audi S6 Sportback's 5 hp synthetic mono-turbo V354 voice.

GT: cheap but fast?

However, with the exception of the acoustics, Audi's six-cylinder engine performs better despite its slightly less power. It follows the commands with the accelerator pedal more vigorously and, in addition, seeks maximum speed even more vigorously. But the real reason the Kia Stinger GT fails to win in longitudinal dynamics tests is its eight-speed automatic, which, despite the Launch Control feature, shifts more smoothly and comfortably even in Sport+ mode.

When sprinting at 100 and 200 km / h, the S5 has a slight advantage. But while the S5 is electronically limited to 250 km / h, the Stinger can reach 270 km / h, making it the fastest production model in Kia's history.

The 5-speed Tiptronic with faster shifting not only helps the S138 achieve slightly better dynamic performance than the Kia. In addition, the Stinger has a noticeable weight of 1750 kilograms compared to a very difficult Audi with 5 kg. It is more of a limousine for long, leisurely journeys, and the behavior of the Audi SXNUMX Sportback is perceived almost as sporty.

Finally, at Hockenheim, the S5 won a victory that his opponent could not challenge for a second. The combination of the robust Dynamic Sport S suspension, the variable dual drivetrain complete with a sport differential and wheel-specific torque distribution, and the better grip of Hankook tires give the S5 a dynamic and largely neutral feel. track.

In direct comparison, the Kia Stinger impresses with its low traction and well-defined body movements. While the Audi S5 with its heavy-duty chassis dynamically stays upright even at the traction limit, the Stinger's road stability with its flexible adaptive chassis even in Sport + mode resembles a sailboat in 12 winds.

While Kia's people often pushed it around the bends of the Nürburgring north when developing the Stinger, no one would buy this sporty fastback to seriously drive it. But even if the S5 Sportback won the test, the overall Kia package was particularly appealing to us. The editors unanimously believed that the Stinger GT should be ordered for a marathon test. No sooner said than done; actually hardly

Conclusion

With the exception of the super-high price of the test car and the policy of surcharges, Audi employees do not give reasons for criticism. The S5 Sportback does its job very well. Firstly, the dynamics of the road are pleasantly surprising. On the race track, thanks to the dynamic chassis setup and the dual transmission system, the car feels much lighter and more agile than it actually is with its 1750 kg. The Kia Stinger GT is a real bargain in the mid-range sporty five-seater segment. Its design, V6 engine and long-distance comfort are sympathetic. In terms of road dynamics, the Korean shows good talents, but in the end it doesn’t even come close to the S5 Sportback.

Text: Christian Gebhart

Photo: Ahim Hartmann