The Kia Stinger redefines price-to-performance, packing a hefty sting for a small price, starting from $166,999 with COE

Singapore

The Kia Stinger took its Singaporean bow today at an evening launch event held at the Esplanade Annexe Studio.

Introduced to more than 300 guests, including Kia owners and prospective buyers, the Stinger has two petrol engine variants. The more affordable option is the 2.0-litre GT Line, with 247hp, 353Nm, and a 0-100km/h time of just 6.0 seconds.

3.3-litre V6 has extra goodes like a real LSD and Brembo performance brakes

At $166,999 with COE, it’s an incredible value proposition, especially given its performance. For reference, the gold standard in hot hatches, the VW Golf GTI, has 230hp, and goes for $174,800 with COE, while a BMW 420i Gran Coupe (with 184hp) costs $214,888 with COE.

We were so excited though, we couldn’t wait to give it a try; read what we think of it here or watch our video review of the 2.0 GT line model here.

The really exciting one though, which set the internet (as well as CB’s head headcase Ju-Len) abuzz, is the 3.3-litre GT. This one packs a twin-turbo V6 with 370hp, 510Nm will sprint to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, and was developed extensively at the Nurburgring. $206,999 may sound like a lot to pay for a Kia, but it ndercuts and the similarly fast Audi S4 and Mercedes-AMG C43 by a whopping 100 grand.

Small wonder that few cars from mainstream brands have generated as much hype as the Kia Stinger has. Small wonder, as its stunning looks, stout performance and agile handling mean this Kia is like no other Korean car ever.

The Kia Stinger is a five-door gran turismo – which means it’s in competition against cars ranging from the Audi A5 Sportback, to the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and even the recently launched VW Arteon.

Yes, you read that right. Kia’s gunning for the German bigwigs here, and given the Stinger’s development background, price-to-performance ratio, and its performance, this just might be the Korean car that helps blitz the popular idea that Kia can only do mainstream and affordable.

“I am confident that this Kia flagship will be able to raise perceptions for the brand and change the mindset that Kia is just a mass market car manufacturer,” said Mr Eric Chan, managing director for official Kia distributor Cycle & Carriage.  

Don’t think that to mean that authorised dealer Cycle & Carriage cut out the features to keep the price down either. Even the 2.0-litre packs some seriously premium features like a heads-up display, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto connectivity, a sunroof, automatic tailgate, wireless phone charging, heated and ventilated seats and seven airbags.

To that the 3.3-litre adds – among other things – a performance Brembo brake kit (with 19-inch rims), 15-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, adaptive suspension, mechanical limited slip differential, Nappa leather, blind spot indicators, and rear cross-traffic alert.