We’ll tell you how brave KIa’s being when we’ve fully assessed the model, but early taste tests suggest there’s serious credibility to back up this newcomer’s sensational stance. Distil the driving notes and the message is that the Stinger delivers more than enough feedback and engagement than might be expected from a long-legged GT. Kia poached BMW M Division’s Albert Biermann to nurse this project and such accolades as four out of five from Evo suggest he won’t be talking to HR soon.
Not that this is going to be a big sell: the Korean brand is posting only 1,800 examples to the UK for the first year and if you want a 4WD and not the straight RWD choice, you’ll need to emigrate. Adaptive dampers, which can be stiffened in Sport and Sport+ mode, helping iron out body roll, are available on the S spec, where there is also a Comfort setting and a Smart mode that reacts to your driving style (or lack of it), altering the damping accordingly. All options get eight-speed paddle-change automatic gearing.
And if a Brembo braking gets you salivating, you’ve another reason to go for the V6. It uses larger discs (350mm at the front and 340mm at the rear) and four-pot calipers to beef up stopping power and boost pedal feel.
