A real name, not some incomprehensible alphanumeric designation.
Classic sport sedan styling, paired with a useful liftback. A twin-turbocharged engine, and all-wheel drive to harness the power.
When it comes to checking the boxes for sporting luxury, the Stinger has everything the Canadian market is looking for. And then it goes ahead and ticks a box you weren’t expecting: it’s a Kia.
That Kia, perhaps best regarded as Hyundai’s younger sibling, now builds such a car is only really surprising to those who haven’t been paying attention. I mean, they build a little crossover called the Soul, for crying out loud.
The Soul is great, available in everything from a convincing EV for urban types, to economical mainline trims, to a sporty Turbo variant. All of them are good fun to drive in their way, and sharp-looking to boot.
But the Soul isn’t the key to Kia’s soul, it’s the Stinger that’s evidence of some proper soul ... wait, that’s a horribly confusing sentence: I’ll have another go at it.
Simply put, the Stinger is here to show that Kia can do more than build zippy econo-boxes. But a convincing element has to do more than just check boxes, it has to be more than the sum of its parts.
Design
For some time now, Kia’s best designs may charitably be referred to as being inspired by Audi, and uncharitably described as running Ingolstadt’s best through a photocopier. The Stinger is no exception, and looks very close to a Kia-badged Audi A7.
On the other hand this is a little bit like being told you look like George Clooney or Charlize Theron or similar. It’s not an insult, it’s a compliment. With the Stinger starting at $44,195, and a very basic A7 at $76,650, having some European design flavour is no bad thing.
Further, the Stinger manages to carve out its own presence. Standard 19-inch alloys fill out the wheel wells, the hood fairly ripples with power, the low-mounted fender vents aren’t overwrought, and all the chrome has a darkened appearance. The only odd detail is the lengthy red stripe extending forward from the taillights, like overdone eyeliner.
Taken as a whole, however, this is a really well-executed car. I needed to valet park it at the hoity-toity Fairmont Pacific Rim for an unrelated event during my week, and even the valet was impressed.
“Wow,” he said. “Nice ... Kia?”
Environment
The Stinger isn’t quite going to beat Audi in the interior department, but then again even BMW is having trouble doing so these days. Having said that, Kia’s interior work impresses right off the bat, with a clean, conventional layout.
Think of it as Audi, mit buttons. The infotainment touchscreen is clear and easy to use, but it’s also backed up by a row of redundant buttons and a volume and tuning knob. Ergonomically, it’s brilliant.
Add in seats with a surprising level of adjustability and comfort, and this big Kia is more about floating like a butterfly than stinging like a bee. Rear seat-room is also excellent, and the doors are fairly large for those who have to wrestle small kids in and out.
The liftback is a nice feature as well. Slightly more practical than a sedan, without losing a svelte profile, the Stinger has a useful 660 litres worth of room for all your luggage. This is handy, because it’s the kind of car you’ll want to take long distance.
Performance
Much like most of the big sedans from the upscale Genesis brand (now officially split from Hyundai), the Stinger’s engine is a twin-turbo V-6. It displaces 3.3 litres, and produces 365 horsepower at 6,000 r.p.m. and 376 foot-pounds of torque from just 1,300 r.p.m.
That’s more power than our theoretical A7 yardstick, and considerably quicker in a sprint to 100 kilometres per hour. The Stinger’s only transmission is an eight-speed automatic, and while it can be a little slow to kick down a gear sometimes, it’s very smooth overall.
On the curviest of backroads, the Stinger isn’t quite as sharp as you’d expect. Feedback from the wheel isn’t quite sport sedan territory, and there’s just that little bit more body roll and sense of weight than you’d get from a BMW product.
However, on a wintry run up the Sea to Sky Highway on the way to Whistler, the Stinger was pretty much ideal. It handles sweeping curves with ease, has more than enough power to whisk past spray-throwing trucks, and the all-wheel drive inspires confidence (with proper winter tires installed, naturally).
No, it’s not quite a BMW 3 Series, but it is a worthy rival to some of the softer German marques, and has more than enough poise and competence for 90 per cent of street driving demands. Add in a heads-up display, heated and cooled seats, and a heated steering wheel, and you’ve got all the winter performance you could want.
Aside from so-so rear visibility, the Stinger driving experience is more than just a list of features and a price tag that shows off good value. It genuinely drives well, and if it’s tuned a bit more for comfort than outright speed, then so much the better for grand touring.
Features
Value is a Kia hallmark, and the basic Stinger comes well-equipped. The heated steering wheel is standard, as is a nine-speaker audio system and Android Auto/Apple Car Play. Step up to the Limited version for a heads-up display, wireless phone charging, and dynamic headlights.
Official economy figures are reasonable at 12.7 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 9.6 on the highway. City mileage is a little more realistic over the winter months, especially as the Stinger is a fairly heavy car and turbocharged.
Green light
Great design; plenty of power; fun to drive.
Stop sign
Not fully sharpened; potential depreciation; Limited model is pricey.
The checkered flag
Drives like the European luxury marques without stinging your wallet as painfully.
Competition
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 ($52,695): If you’re looking for an all-wheel-drive sport sedan that’s outside the usual European choices, take a walk over to Infiniti, where they’ve been fighting BMW and Mercedes for ages. The result of lessons learned? The no-holds-barred Red Sport 400.
With – you guessed it – 400 h.p. from its twin-turbo V-6, the Q50 Red Sport is a straight-line monster. However, it’s also composed in the corners without being harsh. The Stinger seemed to come out of nowhere, and may get even better as the years go by, while Infiniti’s effort benefits from having gone up against their rivals for years.
