Just after a week following the reveal of Kia’s quick four-door coupe, the Stinger, at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show, Kia has confirmed some specification details for the version they will be selling in Europe.
We won’t have to wait that long for the Kia Stinger to be popping up in showrooms, the Korean automaker intends to begin production in the latter half of the year before being expected for Australian landfall in September.
According to Kia, they Euro-spec Stinger will kick off with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder CRDi turbodiesel engine that outputs 147kW and 440Nm of torque, evidently mirroring the output of the mid-range Sorento.
That’s a hefty amount of torque, though, and Kia says that it’ll be able to launch the Stinger to 100km/h in 8.5-seconds and on to a top speed of over 250km/h.
A step up from the turbodiesel is the entry-level petrol motor - a four-cylinder turbocharged motor displacing 2.0-litres and producing 188kW and 353Nm. It’ll likely be lighter than the diesel, just based on the engine, but Kia has curiously refrained from releasing any acceleration/speed figures to accompany it, though.
We can’t see the base petrol car being significantly quicker than the diesel, however, and that’s perhaps why Kia chose to not mention it.
Finally, we have the Stinger GT that tops the range with its 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine. This is the version that Kia touts to be the quickest car they’ve ever made, able to sprint to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds.
The Stinger is expected to spar with the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 for customers, and this largely boils down to how Kia ups the ante in terms of interior fit and finish as it does with exterior styling and performance. In terms of dimensions, however, the Stinger is considerably larger than the garden variety compact executive saloon. Instead, its bulk has more in common with the 5 Series or A6.
The GT, with 276kW and 510Nm, should be able to trade blows with the more potent versions of those rivals such as the BMW 340i and Audi S4 - both use turbocharged six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines like the top-spec Kia contender. They’re aiming for a 270km/h top speed too.
Ostensibly, the Stinger will be available with either rear- or all-wheel drive, with the AWD GT being the one to bag if the headlining acceleration time catches your fancy. However, the car doesn’t look like it will be offered with a manual transmission, with such duties falling to the standard 8-speed automatic instead.
Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
For more on Kia vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
