Kia Stinger - Revolutionary Gran Turismo
Kia showed the claw for the first time. At first we might have thought they were probably making some sort of hot hatchback. And we would be wrong. The new offering is all-wheel drive, a V6 engine with almost 400 hp. and a coupe-style limousine body. Does this mean that ... Kia has become a dream come true?
Cee'd, Venga, Carens, Picanto... Do these models evoke any emotions? They show the tremendous progress of the Koreans. The cars are good, but for lovers of stronger sensations, there is basically nothing here. Except for the Optima GT model, which reaches 245 hp. and accelerates to 100 km / h in 7,3 seconds. It's a pretty fast sedan, but that's not all.
“It” came later - quite recently - and it is called The sting.
Gran Turismo in Korean
Although cars in style Gran Turismo They are associated primarily with Europe, but such models are created by an increasing number of manufacturers from different parts of the world. Of course, the traditional Gran Turismo is a big two-door car. compartment, but in recent years, the Germans have taken a liking to "four-door coupes" - sedans with more dynamic lines. Kia, apparently, wants to "scare" European manufacturers.
Looks great, although not every stylistic element may please. The strips of the taillights look specific, they are very strongly drawn to the sides of the car. You can guess which part of the car is similar to another model. For example, some people associate the rear with the Maserati Gran Turismo and the front with the BMW 6 Series, but I don't see the point - this is a new car designed by experienced people, Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume. In general, it looks very good and makes the right impression. Despite the fact that this is an "ordinary" limousine, it attracts a lot of attention - especially now that not so much time has passed since its premiere.
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Kii salon standards are familiar to us. Materials are generally good, but not all. While the design could have been successful in a premium car, the build quality, while good, falls short of more expensive competitors. It's not about fighting the premium class, but about the Stinger.
This is a car for long distance travel and after driving several hundred kilometers, we can fully confirm this. The seats are large and comfortable, but still hold the body well enough in corners. The driving position is low, and although the clock is not as high as in Giulia, we have a HUD display at our disposal. Thus, we can fully concentrate on the road. By the way, the clock is very well decorated - nice and legible.
What makes the ride even more enjoyable, though, are heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone air conditioning and a great audio system. The infotainment screen is touchscreen, but it's a big car, so you have to lean out of the seat a bit to use it.
The amount of front space is worthy of a limousine - we can lean back in our chair and drive hundreds of kilometers. The rear is pretty good too, but it's a coupe to remember - headroom is a bit limited. Massive front seats also take up little space. At the back there is a luggage compartment with a capacity of 406 liters. This is not a record holder, but we repeat once again - this is a coupe.
The overall impression is excellent. Judging by the interior, this is a car for the driver. This gives it comfort worthy of a premium, but with lower quality materials. Not low - if European brands use "very good" materials, then Kia's are just "good".
We are launching V6!
We waited for the premiere of "Stinger" with flushed faces, but not because it was supposed to be something that would "wipe" competitors off the face of the earth. Everyone was just curious to see how the Kii car came out, which promised to be very ambitious.
So let's quickly recap - 3,3-liter V6 engine it is supported by two turbochargers. It develops 370 hp. and 510 Nm in the range from 1300 to 4500 rpm. The first "hundred" appears on the counter after 4,7 seconds. Sometimes earlier.
Drive is transmitted through an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
And one more important information - he is responsible for the entire car Albert Biermann. If his name doesn't tell you anything, what his resume will tell you is BMW M's Chief Engineer, who has been designing sports cars for over 30 years. Moving on to Kia, he must have known how valuable his experience in developing the Stinger would be.
Well exactly how? Very, however The sting little to do with rear-wheel drive M-tires, which joyfully "sweep" back. I'm already translating.
Gran Turismo shouldn't be too hard or too aggressive. Instead, it should encourage the driver to engage in driving and make turns with the correct trajectory and proper steering, throttle and brake maneuvering.
It seemed The sting will be aggressive. After all, only at the Nurburgring, he overcame 10 test kilometers. However, it was not designed for 000 minutes in "Green Hell". Many components have been improved there, but not to records.
So we have progressive direct ratio steering. If the road is winding, it works fine, most turns will be passed without taking your hands off the wheel. However, not everyone will like his work while driving straight. In the middle position, the impression of minimal play is created. However, this is only an impression, even the smallest movements of the steering wheel make the Stinger turn.
The suspension is, above all, comfortable, smoothing out bumps perfectly, but at the same time has a sporty flair. The car behaves very neutrally in corners, it can transmit really high speeds through them.
The gearbox shifts gears quickly, although there is minimal lag when using the paddles on the steering wheel. It is best to leave it in automatic mode, or adjust the shift points to suit its nature.
Four-wheel drive works very well on dry pavement - the Stinger is sticky. However, when the road gets wet, the "ambition" of the V6 engine must be taken into account - in tighter corners, hard pressing on the gas leads to severe understeer. However, proper throttle control allows you to play with the rear and skid - after all, most of the moment goes to the rear axle. It's very funny here.
But what about the engine? The V6 sounds very nice to the ear, but the exhaust is…too quiet. Of course, this fits in perfectly with the comfort character of the Stinger, but if we had hoped that the sound of a 370-horsepower V6 would rebound from all townhouses, we might be disappointed. However, we already know that the Polish branch of Kia plans to introduce a special sports variant.
With this performance combustion rather than scary. Kia's Księżkovo should consume 14,2 l/100 km in the city, 8,5 l/100 km outside and 10,6 l/100 km on average. In practice, quiet driving around the city resulted in fuel consumption of 15 l / 100 km.
Dream object?
Until now, we would not like to say that any of the Kii is a dream object. The Stinger, however, has all the qualities that could make it. It looks right, rides great and accelerates amazingly well. However, we will have to take care of the sound of the exhaust system ourselves.
However, the Stinger's biggest problem is his badge. For some, this car is too cheap - the version with a 3,3-liter V6 costs PLN 234 and is almost completely equipped. This does not impress the people who until now have been associated with German premium brands. It's too early to proudly say "I drive a Kia" when everyone around has Audis, BMWs, Mercedes and Lexuses.
However, on the other side of the barricades are those who still look through the prism of the brand and consider the Stinger too expensive. “230k for a Kia?!” - we hear.
So there is a risk that the Stinger GT won't be the hit it should be. It offers so much for relatively little. Maybe the market is not yet mature?
However, this is not his job. This is the car that is about to redefine Kia in the automotive world. The production of such a model may affect the sales of all other models. Even though you drive a Cee'd, it's a brand that makes cars like the Stinger.
And the Korean Gran Turismo does just that - it provokes conversations, reflections on their worldview and the answer to the question: is what I paid so much for really supposed to be so expensive? Of course, it is worth following the development of the Stinger market. Perhaps someday we will actually dream of a Kia?
