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http://www.topspeed.com/cars/kia/2020-kia-stinger-coupe-ar175703.html
Kia shocked a lot of people when it pulled the sheet off the Kia Stinger earlier this year, and things only got better once folks got a chance to sit down in the most comfortable vehicle Kia has ever built. Offered here in the U.S. with a 255-horsepower four-cylinder or a 365-horsepower V-6, the newest four-door on the block is set to compete against models like the BMW 4 Series, the Audi A5 Sportback, and even models like the Lexus GS or Infiniti Q50. But, what if Kia didn?t stop there? What if it wanted to take on the two-door segment too? Well, there?s no reason at all that it shouldn?t, and we decided to give Kia a head start by designing our own take on what a Kia Stinger Coupe would look like.
When the Stinger we all know and lust for (that?s weird to say about anything with a Kia badge, right?) has four doors, our coupe has an extended front door and a large chunk of rear quarter glass that hints toward the best passenger room of any two-door currently on the market. Plus, it retains that rear hatch and sharp roofline that makes the four-door model so attractive. With that said, let?s take a closer look at this rendering and discuss some of the finer details before Kia decides to steal our idea and run with it.
Our vision of a Stinger Coupe refrains from changing too much about the vehicle overall, so the idea is that Kia will keep the same front end and same rear fascia. The latest version of the Tigernose grille will still reside up front as will the wide-mouth air dam and dark corner vents. We did make the headlights completely clear, however, so the coupe will have amber bulbs for the side markers as opposed to an amber reflector and clear light in the outer corners. The A-pillars and fenders carry over, however, we?ve added sexy chrome strip to the upper edge of the side glass that runs all the way back to the lower corner for the hatch glass - just like on the red four-door that debuted in Detroit earlier this year.
For the side profile, the biggest change here is that the front doors have been lengthened by about four inches to help make entry to the rear passenger area a bit easier while maintaining a proportionate look overall. The shape of the rear quarter glass is roughly the same shape as the rear door glass on the four-door, however, it?s a bit shorter and more rounded in the rear, giving the coupe a sportier look. The other big thing to note is that the slant of the roof is a little more aggressive on the coupe, as we?ve lowered the rear quarters a bit behind the rear quarter glass - it gives the coupe a more aggressive look without sacrificing headroom in the rear. All told, it?s an attractive design, and it could easily compete with the BMW 4 Series Coupe, Jaguar F-Type, and even the Audi S5 Coupe, among others.
On the inside, there wouldn?t be much change to speak of, but as a coupe, Kia may want to throw in a few extras that the sedan doesn?t have. Remember that flat-bottom wheel in the Kia GT Concept? Well, I?d expect to see something like that show up in the coupe. Plus, Kia might go with an all-digital instrument cluster as well. The same dash design will carry over, along with the circular vents in the center. The center console will still sit high above the front seats as they do in the sedan, and since the seats sit so low, to provide a much lower hop point than anything the Germans or Japanese offer at this time.
This leads to a snugger and sportier fit, while the side support of the seats will make the coupe feel like a real driver?s car. By the time the coupe becomes a reality, Kia will have already updated that very German-looking infotainment system with new software, and despite it being a world hellbent on taking humans out of the whole driving equation, this coupe will be all about performance and function. So, while some autonomous features would likely be available, Kia wouldn?t dare risk defiling itself by forcing too much self-driving tech on a coupe of this caliber.
One particular change here, however, will be the front seats. If you noticed how they are positioned in the sedan, the rear mounting point is right in line with the B-pillars. As such, the front seats in the coupe will actually be moved back a few inches. And, considering the extra slant to that roof, the rear seats may be repositioned an inch or two back as well. This would allow the rear seat to be extremely spacious, just like in the sedan, but probably the most spacious available in a coupe of this size.
When we rendered our interpretation of a high-performance model, dubbed the Stinger GT Plus, we touched base on the fact that Kia still has some room to play with that 3.3-liter V-6. Plus, Kia?s overseas marketing boss, Spencer Cho, has said that the model would eventually see electrification as well. We know the chassis can handle significantly more power than the best offering at this time, so if Kia did decide to birth a coupe model, it could use it as a basis for its future electrification strategy. At the very least, a higher output version might happen, ultimately making it a performance machine that does a real number on the German competitors.
So, let?s look at some of the possibilities.
First off, Kia will want to stick with more affordable options to keep the car feasible for those below aggressively medium income levels. So, the coupe will likely be offered with the turbocharged 2.0-liter and the 3.3-liter V-6. They will maintain the same power output of 255 horsepower and 260 pound-feet or 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet, respectively. But, since the coupe will be inherently lighter thanks to the lack of a second door, the coupe will be just a hair faster to 60 mph, in the quarter mile, and will gain an extra mph or two in top speed. But, the coupe would also give Kia a chance to do something more with that 3.3-liter too. With larger turbos, increased boost pressure, and some proper tuning, that 3.3-liter could probably pump out a good 420 horsepower or so - assuming it would maintain its reliability, of course.
But, let?s not pass on the fact that electrification is most likely in the Stingers future. Kia could take that 2.0-liter engine in a rear-wheel-drive configuration and add in a pair of electric motors to power the front wheels. It would take some doing given how cramped the engine bay is, but isn?t necessarily out of the equation. This would allow up to 450 horsepower between the gasoline-drinking four-banger and the electric drivetrain. This would provide a pretty decent increase in performance for four-cylinder models, but there would be extra weight as a battery pack would be needed. In this type of setup, cargo storage or rear passenger room would be affected due to the placement of the battery. If Kia was smart, it would move the front seats forward a bit and position the battery vertically between the rear seats and the rear cargo area.
But, what about that 3.3-liter? It?s naturally all-wheel drive, so electrifying this beast is a completely different ballgame. The same battery positioning would work quite well if Kia packaged it right. The thing is, however, is that the electric motor would have to be built into the transmission to supply additional power to the driveline before power is split between the front and rear wheels. However, if you add in a 200-horsepower electric motor to the mix, paired with the 3.3-liter?s standard 365 ponies and this baby would be approaching the 600-horsepower mark with Torque increasing significantly as well.
It might all sound like pipe dreams, but the coupe would serve as a good basis for testing a hybridized drivetrain and is more likely to be picked up by performance enthusiasts thanks to the overall design style. On top of that, we know the chassis can handle more power, and the sedan was designed with electrification in mind, so it?s not entirely out of the question. Of course, we have to convince Kia to build the coupe first before we really worry about that, right?
The coupe would be more of a specialty model in comparison to the sedan, and if it does lean a little toward increased performance, then it will likely be more expensive as well. Last we heard, Kia execs had no idea of how it?s going to price the sedan. And, on top of that, there?s a lot of mixed opinions on where it will be priced as well. Competing against the 4 Series and Audi A5 would put the sedan starting out around $42,000 or so, but some are suggesting that it will command closer to the $60,000 mark. If the base sedan starts out around $42,000, then the entry-level coupe would likely pull somewhere around $44,000. With higher performance comes a higher price, so a more powerful coupe would likely command closer to $70,000 in range-topping form.
Assuming that the Coupe would carry over with the same exact power options and $40,000 price point, it would compete directly with the BMW 4 Series Coupe. The coupe is offered with two different engines. One, found in the 430i, is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It?s enough to push the coupe to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds with an eight-speed automatic or 5.6 seconds with the six-speed manual. Your other option is the 440i and its 3.0-liter inline-six. It delivers 320 ponies and 330 pound-feet and can travel to 60 mph from naught in just 4.8 seconds with the eight-speed automatic.
Going with the six-speed manual will get you there in 4.9 seconds. If the Stinger coupe turned out to offer even more performance than it will at launch, you would have to step up to the M4 to keep up. The M4 will get you the same inline-six but tuned to deliver 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet which is right where a higher-performance Stinger Coupe would sit as far as power output goes. With a dual-clutch seven-speed, you can get to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds while the six-speed manual will get you there in 4.1 seconds. All models top out at 155 mph. The 430i starts out at $42,150, the 440i at $48,500, and the M4 at $66,200.
With the Stinger sedan competing against the Audi A5 and S5 Sedans, the Stinger Coupe will compete against the A5 and S5 Coupes. The A5 and S5 Coupes are fairly sporty in their own regard and both features Audio?s latest design language. The A5, which would compete against the entry-level Stinger Coupe comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque on tap. That?s enough to get the A5 up to 50 mph in 5.7 seconds while gunning toward its top speed of 130 mph.
All three trim levels - Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige - are equipped with all-wheel drive as standard equipment. The more powerful Stinger Coupe would compete against the S5 and it?s 3.0-liter with 354 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. This engine gets the S5 up to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Pricing for the A5 starts out at $42,800 and climbs to as much as $50,400 for the range-topping A5 Prestige. The S5 will set you back either $54,600 for the Premium Plus trim or $59,000 in range-topping Prestige trim.
Sure, at this point, a Stinger coupe seems a little farfetched considering the sedan isn?t even in showrooms yet, but we love to dream and there?s no reason it can?t happen in the future. The Stinger sedan has the credentials to carve out a significant piece of the market currently held by brands like Audi and BMW, and if it wants to go all in, it will need a performance coupe as well. Sure, it might not see all of the extra power as I?ve described above, but it?s not entirely out of the question either. It won?t happen right away, but it could happen in time. What do you think about our rendering? Let me know in the comments section below.
When the Stinger we all know and lust for (that?s weird to say about anything with a Kia badge, right?) has four doors, our coupe has an extended front door and a large chunk of rear quarter glass that hints toward the best passenger room of any two-door currently on the market. Plus, it retains that rear hatch and sharp roofline that makes the four-door model so attractive. With that said, let?s take a closer look at this rendering and discuss some of the finer details before Kia decides to steal our idea and run with it.
Our vision of a Stinger Coupe refrains from changing too much about the vehicle overall, so the idea is that Kia will keep the same front end and same rear fascia. The latest version of the Tigernose grille will still reside up front as will the wide-mouth air dam and dark corner vents. We did make the headlights completely clear, however, so the coupe will have amber bulbs for the side markers as opposed to an amber reflector and clear light in the outer corners. The A-pillars and fenders carry over, however, we?ve added sexy chrome strip to the upper edge of the side glass that runs all the way back to the lower corner for the hatch glass - just like on the red four-door that debuted in Detroit earlier this year.
For the side profile, the biggest change here is that the front doors have been lengthened by about four inches to help make entry to the rear passenger area a bit easier while maintaining a proportionate look overall. The shape of the rear quarter glass is roughly the same shape as the rear door glass on the four-door, however, it?s a bit shorter and more rounded in the rear, giving the coupe a sportier look. The other big thing to note is that the slant of the roof is a little more aggressive on the coupe, as we?ve lowered the rear quarters a bit behind the rear quarter glass - it gives the coupe a more aggressive look without sacrificing headroom in the rear. All told, it?s an attractive design, and it could easily compete with the BMW 4 Series Coupe, Jaguar F-Type, and even the Audi S5 Coupe, among others.
On the inside, there wouldn?t be much change to speak of, but as a coupe, Kia may want to throw in a few extras that the sedan doesn?t have. Remember that flat-bottom wheel in the Kia GT Concept? Well, I?d expect to see something like that show up in the coupe. Plus, Kia might go with an all-digital instrument cluster as well. The same dash design will carry over, along with the circular vents in the center. The center console will still sit high above the front seats as they do in the sedan, and since the seats sit so low, to provide a much lower hop point than anything the Germans or Japanese offer at this time.
This leads to a snugger and sportier fit, while the side support of the seats will make the coupe feel like a real driver?s car. By the time the coupe becomes a reality, Kia will have already updated that very German-looking infotainment system with new software, and despite it being a world hellbent on taking humans out of the whole driving equation, this coupe will be all about performance and function. So, while some autonomous features would likely be available, Kia wouldn?t dare risk defiling itself by forcing too much self-driving tech on a coupe of this caliber.
One particular change here, however, will be the front seats. If you noticed how they are positioned in the sedan, the rear mounting point is right in line with the B-pillars. As such, the front seats in the coupe will actually be moved back a few inches. And, considering the extra slant to that roof, the rear seats may be repositioned an inch or two back as well. This would allow the rear seat to be extremely spacious, just like in the sedan, but probably the most spacious available in a coupe of this size.
When we rendered our interpretation of a high-performance model, dubbed the Stinger GT Plus, we touched base on the fact that Kia still has some room to play with that 3.3-liter V-6. Plus, Kia?s overseas marketing boss, Spencer Cho, has said that the model would eventually see electrification as well. We know the chassis can handle significantly more power than the best offering at this time, so if Kia did decide to birth a coupe model, it could use it as a basis for its future electrification strategy. At the very least, a higher output version might happen, ultimately making it a performance machine that does a real number on the German competitors.
So, let?s look at some of the possibilities.
First off, Kia will want to stick with more affordable options to keep the car feasible for those below aggressively medium income levels. So, the coupe will likely be offered with the turbocharged 2.0-liter and the 3.3-liter V-6. They will maintain the same power output of 255 horsepower and 260 pound-feet or 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet, respectively. But, since the coupe will be inherently lighter thanks to the lack of a second door, the coupe will be just a hair faster to 60 mph, in the quarter mile, and will gain an extra mph or two in top speed. But, the coupe would also give Kia a chance to do something more with that 3.3-liter too. With larger turbos, increased boost pressure, and some proper tuning, that 3.3-liter could probably pump out a good 420 horsepower or so - assuming it would maintain its reliability, of course.
But, let?s not pass on the fact that electrification is most likely in the Stingers future. Kia could take that 2.0-liter engine in a rear-wheel-drive configuration and add in a pair of electric motors to power the front wheels. It would take some doing given how cramped the engine bay is, but isn?t necessarily out of the equation. This would allow up to 450 horsepower between the gasoline-drinking four-banger and the electric drivetrain. This would provide a pretty decent increase in performance for four-cylinder models, but there would be extra weight as a battery pack would be needed. In this type of setup, cargo storage or rear passenger room would be affected due to the placement of the battery. If Kia was smart, it would move the front seats forward a bit and position the battery vertically between the rear seats and the rear cargo area.
But, what about that 3.3-liter? It?s naturally all-wheel drive, so electrifying this beast is a completely different ballgame. The same battery positioning would work quite well if Kia packaged it right. The thing is, however, is that the electric motor would have to be built into the transmission to supply additional power to the driveline before power is split between the front and rear wheels. However, if you add in a 200-horsepower electric motor to the mix, paired with the 3.3-liter?s standard 365 ponies and this baby would be approaching the 600-horsepower mark with Torque increasing significantly as well.
It might all sound like pipe dreams, but the coupe would serve as a good basis for testing a hybridized drivetrain and is more likely to be picked up by performance enthusiasts thanks to the overall design style. On top of that, we know the chassis can handle more power, and the sedan was designed with electrification in mind, so it?s not entirely out of the question. Of course, we have to convince Kia to build the coupe first before we really worry about that, right?
The coupe would be more of a specialty model in comparison to the sedan, and if it does lean a little toward increased performance, then it will likely be more expensive as well. Last we heard, Kia execs had no idea of how it?s going to price the sedan. And, on top of that, there?s a lot of mixed opinions on where it will be priced as well. Competing against the 4 Series and Audi A5 would put the sedan starting out around $42,000 or so, but some are suggesting that it will command closer to the $60,000 mark. If the base sedan starts out around $42,000, then the entry-level coupe would likely pull somewhere around $44,000. With higher performance comes a higher price, so a more powerful coupe would likely command closer to $70,000 in range-topping form.
Assuming that the Coupe would carry over with the same exact power options and $40,000 price point, it would compete directly with the BMW 4 Series Coupe. The coupe is offered with two different engines. One, found in the 430i, is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It?s enough to push the coupe to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds with an eight-speed automatic or 5.6 seconds with the six-speed manual. Your other option is the 440i and its 3.0-liter inline-six. It delivers 320 ponies and 330 pound-feet and can travel to 60 mph from naught in just 4.8 seconds with the eight-speed automatic.
Going with the six-speed manual will get you there in 4.9 seconds. If the Stinger coupe turned out to offer even more performance than it will at launch, you would have to step up to the M4 to keep up. The M4 will get you the same inline-six but tuned to deliver 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet which is right where a higher-performance Stinger Coupe would sit as far as power output goes. With a dual-clutch seven-speed, you can get to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds while the six-speed manual will get you there in 4.1 seconds. All models top out at 155 mph. The 430i starts out at $42,150, the 440i at $48,500, and the M4 at $66,200.
With the Stinger sedan competing against the Audi A5 and S5 Sedans, the Stinger Coupe will compete against the A5 and S5 Coupes. The A5 and S5 Coupes are fairly sporty in their own regard and both features Audio?s latest design language. The A5, which would compete against the entry-level Stinger Coupe comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque on tap. That?s enough to get the A5 up to 50 mph in 5.7 seconds while gunning toward its top speed of 130 mph.
All three trim levels - Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige - are equipped with all-wheel drive as standard equipment. The more powerful Stinger Coupe would compete against the S5 and it?s 3.0-liter with 354 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. This engine gets the S5 up to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Pricing for the A5 starts out at $42,800 and climbs to as much as $50,400 for the range-topping A5 Prestige. The S5 will set you back either $54,600 for the Premium Plus trim or $59,000 in range-topping Prestige trim.
Sure, at this point, a Stinger coupe seems a little farfetched considering the sedan isn?t even in showrooms yet, but we love to dream and there?s no reason it can?t happen in the future. The Stinger sedan has the credentials to carve out a significant piece of the market currently held by brands like Audi and BMW, and if it wants to go all in, it will need a performance coupe as well. Sure, it might not see all of the extra power as I?ve described above, but it?s not entirely out of the question either. It won?t happen right away, but it could happen in time. What do you think about our rendering? Let me know in the comments section below.
![[twothumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_twothumbs.gif "Two Thumbs [twothumb]"){kind=icon}
