At the Detriot Motor Show, the dramatic new high-performance fastback sport saloon the 2018 Kia Stinger was unveiled. This 5-seater gran turismo will take on a segment dominated by mostly German and Japanese products.
The Kia Stinger was designed by Peter Schreyer, Chief Design Officer and his design team in Frankfurt. While Albert Biermann, Head of Kia’s Vehicle Test and High Performance Development and his engineers team in Korea, took care of the Ride and handling development, that included track days at the Nurburgring.
The Kia Stinger has definitive road presence, with a frontal view dominated by a long bonnet and Kia’s signature ‘tiger-nose’ grille – with its floating points design – placed between complex LED headlamps and a bumper that features air curtains. While the recessed contours along the doors and wheel arch gills add to the visual athleticism. The rear gets a lamp design that is reminiscent of that on a Maserati or a Fisker Karma. It also gets an valance with an integrated rear diffuser and four oval exhaust pipes.
The low-slung cabin with its steeply raked windshield and rear window creates a sporty fastback silhouette. On the inside seats are upholstered in soft Nappa leather and the driver’s seat has available air-cell bladders in the seatback and bolsters to tuck you in place.
The dashboard is highlighted by a horizontal chrome strip, aeronautics-inspired spoked circular vents and a tablet-style infotainment screen that sits atop. Ahead of the driver is a conventionally-styled leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel and an instrument binnacle that combines analogue gauges and a colour TFT screen that relays performance numbers like G-forces, lap times and engine-oil temperature, along with ancillary information such as the trip computer, driver settings etc.
At 2906 mm (114.4 inches), the Stinger’s wheelbase is longer than the Audi A4, Infiniti Q50, Lexus IS, BMW 4 Gran Coupe and even mid-size vehicles like the Lexus GS and Mercedes CLS. This allows for generous front and rear leg room and the low seating position provides ample head room front and back. Also, at 4,830 mm (190.2 inches) length and 1,870 mm (73.6 inches) width it is longer and wider than the others in the segment. The Stinger’s boot area is also larger than many in its class, although capacity hasn’t been announced yet. We expect a near-500L figure!
The chassis comprised of 55 per cent advanced high-strength steel which is said to improve rigidity and reduce NVH. It is also equipped with MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension. Ride-damping and vehicle handling traits may be modified by the driver through an electronically adjustable suspension known as Dynamic Stability Damping Control – a first for Kia. The system is accessed through five drive modes: Personal, Eco, Sport, Comfort and Smart. These drive modes also affect throttle mapping and power steering.
As standard comes variable ratio Rack-mounted Motor Driven Power Steering (R-MDPS) claimed to offer sharp feedback through direct mounting of the electric motor on the steering rack, enhancing steering response and reducing unwanted vibration.
Under the bonnet will be a choice of two longitudinal turbocharged engines, both of which are still under final development. The standard 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder Theta II engine produces an estimated 255 horsepower at approximately 6,200 rpm. Max torque of 350 Nm (260 lb.-ft.) is available from 1,400 – 4,000 rpm. Alternatively one can have the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 Lambda II engine, which is claimed to produce 365 horsepower at an estimated 6,000 rpm and offer max torque of 510 Nm (376 lb.-ft. from 1,300 – 4,500 rpm). The V6 is expected to eclipse the 100 km/h mark in 5.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 269 km/h (167 mph).
The Kia Stinger features a second-generation 8-speed rear-drive automatic transmission – first seen in the K900 luxury sedan. The transmission features Kia’s first use of a Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber (CPA) torque converter to help reduce torsional vibrations through the drivetrain, typically seen on aviation- and racing-engine applications. Drivers can manage shifts via paddle shifters too.
The Kia Stinger is their first saloon, available with rear- or all-wheel drive – depending on market. Rear-wheel biased AWD system features a new Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control system for improved agility. While, rear-drive variants will benefit from a mechanical limited slip differential.
The 2.0L models ride on 225/45R-18 performance tyres while the V6 is gets high performance rubber; 225/40R-19 in front and 255/35R-19 at the rear; and standard vented Brembo® disc brakes of with 4-piston calipers clamping on 350 mm dia rotors and 2-piston rear calipers clamping on 340 mm dia. rotors.
A Kia first is the new Driver Attention Alert (DAA) system to help combat distracted or drowsy driving. Other safety features include, Forward Collision Assistance (FCA)3 with integrated Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, Advanced Smart Cruise Control (ASCC), Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).
The height-adjustable colour Head-Up Display (HUD) projects speed, turn-by-turn navigation, audio and cruise control settings and Blind Spot Detection information. Resting within the centre console is a wireless Smartphone charging pad and Bluetooth hands-free operation is standard.
On the entertainment front, the 2.0-litre turbo features a 6-speaker audio system and a 7-inch haptic touchscreen with the latest version of UVO, Kia’s award-winning telematics systems. The V6 will get 9-speakers with an external amplifier. Also available is the premium 15-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system pumps out 720 Watts and Kia’s first under-seat mounted subwoofers. The system also features Clari-Fi, a patented music restoration technology that rebuilds audio signals that are lost in the digital compression process. The system also comes equipped with next-generation QuantumLogic Surround Sound technology, which extracts signals from the original recording and redistributes them for a multidimensional soundstage for playback.
Kia Stinger will arrive in markets around the world later this year. Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s launch date.
