Prices have been revealed for the Kia Stinger, the brand’s first GT, its first rear-wheel-drive car to be sold in the UK and set to become a flagship model.
Order books are now open for the Stinger and when it goes on sale in January 2018, the car will cost from £31,995 to £40,495.
Evolved from a concept first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011, the Stinger is regarded as a game-changing model for the brand; “(It is) a car to convince people, if anyone still needs convincing, that the company has put the days when it was a value-driven brand mainly concerned with durability and practicality behind it,” Kia states, adding that the car emphasises that Kias can now be desirable in their own right.
Five models, three engines
Five versions of the Stinger will be available, based on three trim grades (GT-Line, GT-Line S and GT-S) and three turbocharged engines. Both the GT-Line and GT-Line S will be offered with either a 247hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or a 200hp 2.2-litre turbodiesel.
Range-topper will be the £40,495 GT-S, powered by a twin-turbo 370hp 3.3-litre V6 engine capable of taking the car to a 4.7-second 0-62mph time and on to a top speed of 168mph.
All versions will use an eight-speed automatic gearbox with five different shift and throttle programmes and the option of full manual control using the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Kia describes a GT as a high-performance luxury car rather than a sports car and adds that the Stinger’s specifications reflect this. All versions include an 8-inch touchscreen navigation system with European mapping and a Traffic Messaging Channel. This is linked to Kia Connected Services with TomTom, offering information from traffic, weather and local searches to speed camera locations.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is included, as is Bluetooth with voice recognition and music streaming. A reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and a seven-inch digital instrument cluster feature too, along with a head-up display displaying speed and navigation instructions and a first for Kia in the UK.
Keyword: £32K buys Kia Stinger flagship GT