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We get behind wheel of a pre-production version of Kia's new luxury Stinger saloon
"The Stinger needs to surprise people," says Kia's head of vehicle test and high-performance development, Albert Biermann. The Korean firm poached him from BMW's M Division, so it's fair to say this German engineer knows a thing or two about developing fast saloons.
Chatting to the affable but focused Biermann, it's clear he means this in a positive way because the Stinger needs to change people's perceptions of the brand.
Ahead of the Stinger going on sale this year, we teamed up with Kia and Biermann to get early access to a pre-production model in the UK to see how Kia's rival to the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is developing.
The Korean brand has already proved it can shift a ?40,000-plus SUV with its top-spec Sorento, but now it wants a piece of the sports saloon market, too, and the Stinger is the car to do it. We've driven the car in prototype form already and liked what we experienced. This first taste on UK roads gives a better idea of what the Stinger is like in real-world diesel and range-topping turbocharged V6 petrol guises.
The answer is promising. The 2.2-litre turbodiesel is well isolated, with a smooth, torque-rich power delivery. It only becomes intrusive when revved really hard. Adaptive dampers won't be available on the diesel version, but the passive suspension set-up coped with some badly torn and rippled UK roads.
Biermann highlights there's some refining of the ride to be done, as well as some re-calibration of the steering, because it's noticeably heavier than in the high-performance GT. But the set-up is supple and both variants are "heading in pretty much the right direction," says the boss.
The GT, meanwhile, feels genuinely fun and playful to drive, but that's not really a surprise given that there's a 365bhp 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 under the elegantly sculpted bonnet. The 510Nm of torque means it doesn't need to be revved hard either; there isn't much turbo lag, because the engine pulls strongly from low down. The target time for the 0-62mph dash is 5.1 seconds, and it feels good for it.
A mechanical limited-slip diff means it's adjustable on the throttle, too, indulging in - up to now - that most un-Kia-like behaviour of slides on the power. However, there's more to the car than that. The relatively long wheelbase and compliant, supple suspension set-up in Comfort give the Stinger GT a relaxed, lolloping quality on the road and plenty of stability. Ramp things up to Sport or Sport+, and the continuously variable dampers tighten up to enhance body control.
It's at this point that Biermann steps in. "We're pleased with the direction in which the project is heading, but for this sportier setting we could maybe ramp it up even further still," he says.
The light but nicely geared steering gives the GT a keen sense of agility, because even though it weighs "around 1,800kg", Biermann and his team say they "didn't want the car to feel heavy, so agility and steering precision were big engineering focuses".
The signs are promising. With the diesel at ?35,000 and GT set to cost around ?41,000, the performance-per-pound equation looks pretty good for Kia.
- Model: Kia Stinger 2.2 diesel
- Price: Up to ?35,000 (est)
- Engine: 2.2-litre 4cyl turbodiesel
- Power/torque: 197bhp/440Nm
- Transmission: Eight-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 8.5 seconds
- Top speed: 140mph
- Economy/CO2: 42.0mpg (est)/N/A
- On sale: Late 2017
Text Source: Auto Express
