Kia Stinger withdrawn from sale
Lovable old bruiser out; 585hp EV6 GT in as the Kia flagship
It wasn’t hard to like the Kia Stinger a great deal. It looked (still does look) fantastic, it drove with real panache (and a sense of humour), it was fast, well equipped and, given the levels of kit, decent value as well. But it was just as easy to present a very rational case against buying one, unfortunately. The twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 was neither the most emotional nor the most efficient, making it a tough sell for both private and business customers. A list price in excess of £40k made it especially tricky for the latter from a company car tax perspective. Once upon a time there was a diesel Stinger, and a 2.0-litre turbo version, but neither appealed anywhere near as much as the V6. Perhaps the biggest thing holding back the big Kia’s success, however, was the UK car buyer’s fondness for a ‘premium’ badge. The price of a Stinger GTS wouldn’t buy you much 4 Series Gran Coupe or A5 Sportback but they’ve proved much more popular because, well, they’re the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and Audi A5 Sportback.
Bring all that together with various environmental pressures and it should be no surprise to learn that the Kia Stinger has been taken off sale in the UK today. Boo. Kia’s kinda sad about the demise, too: ‘The high-performance, rear-wheel drive sports saloon served as a bold statement of intent for the brand, capable of covering great distances in comfort and style. Kia's 'grand tourer' also introduced the brand to a different type of buyer, playing an important role in transforming perceptions of Kia in recent years’. Amen to that. Five years is a long time in the fast car world, and prior to the Stinger the most interesting Kia out there was probably the 200hp Cee’d GT. We’d forgotten about it as well.
Now, just half a decade later, we live in a world where the Stinger can be replaced by a 585hp EV as Kia’s flagship GT. That certainly feels like progress. While the EV6 GT is far from a direct replacement for the old four-door coupe, it undoubtedly continues the tradition of looking like nothing else on the road, offering buyers loads of equipment and, for the performance and tech on offer, not costing much money. It’ll even do big skids as the Stinger did, thanks to its rear-drive drift mode. The flagship EV6 costs £62,645 (and deliveries will begin before the year is out), which isn’t much more than a flagship ID.5 costs. Only the Kia does 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, and can charge at 350kW, and has 546lb ft.
Kia UK’s CEO and President, Paul Philpott, said: “The EV6 GT is the ideal car to take the baton from the Stinger in the UK. Our future product plan has a major focus on electrification, and globally Kia plans to offer a line-up of 14 EVs by 2027. Combining high-performance capabilities with an incredible design and a long-range electric powertrain, the EV6 GT is an important part of this plan, and a true new flagship for the Kia brand." Everybody who has bought a Stinger up until today, the legends that they are, will have their orders fulfilled. And if you’re thinking of cruising the classifieds for one, then we can only say that great minds think alike; the cheapest on PH right now is £23,489, though it’s an advert without pics. Up the budget to £30k and you can have a Stinger that’s just a couple of years old. Finally, for the piece de resistance, what about this - an orange Kia Stinger GTS? Pretty sure that’s paint, too, and not a wrap. Wouldn’t lose it in a, well, anywhere…
I wouldn't be surprised if Kia actually took a financial hit on the UK version of this car. Even in the US, they couldn't even sell more than 17,000 in its best selling year!
Five years of utterly abysmal sales? Yeah, definitely time to pull the plug on it. I'm sure the BEV replacement will do better.
However, I'm grateful that they existed, and I'd love to have a go in one. I would certainly be tempted if they depreciated like the German equivalent saloons do. Unfortunately for us second handers, they have kept strong. Was watching the Grand Tour episode where James May beat the two nutters on skateboards on the mountain pass in one literally a few days ago.
I've only ever seen one on the road, according to this there's less than six thousand on the road.
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=kia+stinger
A very decent used buy though I reckon.
The 6000 service interval is relatively shorter than competitors and some Kia dealership even struggle to fix it if anything go wrong
However, I'm grateful that they existed, and I'd love to have a go in one. I would certainly be tempted if they depreciated like the German equivalent saloons do. Unfortunately for us second handers, they have kept strong. Was watching the Grand Tour episode where James May beat the two nutters on skateboards on the mountain pass in one literally a few days ago.
Kia would've done really well to drop the list price to sub-£40k - I think they'd have sold twice as many.
thanks for the laughsThe problem is that there is a 2018 car with 35,000 on the clock for £24,500, so you really are flushing your money down the toilet if you buy one of these rather than the more obvious choices.
The problem is that there is a 2018 car with 35,000 on the clock for £24,500, so you really are flushing your money down the toilet if you buy one of these rather than the more obvious choices.
I'd really like to try one but I will look for one that's 5+ years old. I'd also like the facelift version which wasn't released all that long ago from memory...?
I admire the confidence of anyone who bought a new one knowing they would have to explain themselves to everyone they met as to why they bought a KIA not an Audi, BMW, etc.
I'd have a Stinger over a mid-range 5-series or A6, but then I am peculiar in my tastes.
I suspect it would be more reliable than either as well.
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