It’s here: Kia Stinger launched!

By ahmadzulizwan, 10 July 2018
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You’ve read our test drive report of it, you first saw it previewed by Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. late last year, and now the fully imported Kia Stinger is finally in our market as the company’s first, proper rear-wheel drive sports saloon.

Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group CEO, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd, said, “The Kia Stinger is the culmination of years of passion and commitment fuelled by the brand’s bold and adventurous spirit to amalgamate nimble performance and unyielding style.”

Naza Kia offers two variants: the 3.3-litre V6 GT and the 2.0-litre GT-Line, both turbocharged. The former is a T-GDi V6 Lambda engine with twin-turbo that makes 365hp at 6,000rpm and 510Nm of torque from 1,300-4,500rpm. 0-100kph is clocked at a claimed 4.9 seconds. Proper.

Kia Stinger launch

The 2.0-litre Theta II T-DGi engine’s turbo is a twin-scroll generating 251hp and 353Nm between 1,400 to 4,000rpm to help push the Stinger from standstill to 100kph in 6.0 seconds. Both variants come with a Kia-designed 8-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.0-litre GT-Line’s boast a slight difference though in the form of a torque converter that features Kia’s first use of Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber (CPA). No, it doesn’t mean there’s an accountant inside the transmission, instead this reduces torsional vibrations through the drivetrain. According to Kia, similar innovation is usually applied in aviation- and racing engines.

The Stinger’s sports credentials was honed at the Nurburgring circuit, with its power and chassis refined with assist from systems that include Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Electronically-Controlled Suspension (ECS), and Rack-mounted Motor-Driven Power Steering (R-MDPS). The 2.0-litre Stinger rolls on 18-inch all-season tyres, while the 3.3L V6 has staggered-sized 19-inch high performance Continental ContiSportContact 5 tyres.

As for safety, the Kia Stinger comes with Hill-Start Assist Control, traction control, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and seven airbags. Euro NCAP rated the vehicle with a full 5-star score. Stopping power comes from Brembo brakes with quad-piston calipers at the front and dual-piston at the rear.

The Stinger’s grand touring quality is immediately underlined with its size. The 2,905mm wheelbase is even longer than the Optima’s (2,805mm), in addition to its 4,830mm overall length and 1,870mm width (Optima’s are 4,855mm and 1,860mm respectively). The result is a cabin with generous legroom for front and rear passengers, plus a large 406 litre boot space.

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The 2.0L’s seats are wrapped in leather, as opposed to the 3.3L V6’s Nappa leather. The driver gets a colour HUD (Heads-Up Display), and 8-inch navigation touchscreen integrated with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto controls. Other amenities include a 15-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system, Dynamic Bending Lights, Around View with Driving Rear-View Monitors, wireless smartphone charger, and electrochromic side mirrors.

The 3.3-litre V6 GT variant goes for RM309,888 on-the-road without insurance while the 2.0-litre GT-Line variant is priced at RM239,888 on-the-road without insurance.

There are four exterior colours to choose from: HiChroma Red, Deep Chroma Blue, Panthera Metal and Aurora Black.

Kia Stinger launch