New all-wheel drive Kia Stinger gets drift mode
The Stinger was like an old BMW beforehand; now it's like a new one!
PH likes a Kia Stinger GTS. So much so, in fact, that it beat a BMW 4 Series in our twin test. By combining punchy performance with no little dynamic finesse, it wholly overdelivered on the Kia sporting saloon promise. Being rare, interesting and different only further helped its cause.
Now Kia has seen fit to update the Stinger GTS, revealing this new special edition at the New York show. By and large it's the same as before, packing the same 370hp twin-turbo V6 and fundamental architecture, jazzed up with 'Federation' orange paint, carbon fibre for the grille, side vents and mirrors plus a new 'Stinger' logo replacing the Kia one on its rump. There are new swathes of Alcantara inside, too.
Of far more interest, though, is the new dynamic all-wheel drive (D-AWD); Kia says the technology is a result of Albert Biermann striving for a more capable Stinger, and that it "inspires more spirited driving." While there is already an all-wheel drive Stinger in the US, this new GTS edition aims to sit between that and the rear-drive car in terms of dynamics; to that end even the Comfort drive mode only sends 40 per cent of power forward, with Sport reducing that further to just 20 per cent. And, yes, there's Drift Mode, which is 100 per cent rear drive and holds gears without upshifting.
To achieve all this, D-AWD gets a mechanical limited-slip diff that isn't there in the regular all-wheel drive car and a rework of the assist systems (Slip Control, Counter Steer Detection and stability control), as well as a tweak of the gearbox shift pattern. So in theory there's the best of both worlds, as you'd get in more expensive sports saloons like the M5 and E63, boasting all-wheel drive security and rear-drive lairiness. Or, in Kia's words, an "all-wheel drive system peppered with rear-wheel drive DNA." Nice.
Interestingly, Kia will launch the 800-unit Stinger GTS limited edition in both RWD and D-AWD variants, with prices in the US expected to start at around $44,000. There's no word yet on how that 800 number will be split between the two models, or whether the D-AWD update will make it beyond this version, although it would seem bizarre to invest in the technology only to restrict it to relatively few cars. One to keep an eye on. In the meantime, those who prefer their sports saloons unsullied by all-wheel drive traction will be pleased to find half a dozen GTS Stingers in the PH classifieds, this ex-demo being of particular interest - with just 100 miles on the clock, it's already £5,000 off...
I've seen one on the road so far and that it turned out was a demonstrator being used by one of their sales people.
I suspect there is a limited market for it given most buyers would still rather have a lower performance BMW, Merc, Audi etc for the badge kudos
I've seen one on the road so far and that it turned out was a demonstrator being used by one of their sales people.
I suspect there is a limited market for it given most buyers would still rather have a lower performance BMW, Merc, Audi etc for the badge kudos
I've seen one on the road so far and that it turned out was a demonstrator being used by one of their sales people.
Nevermind that one is driving some dreary, under-engined, miserable handling identi-box, look at the shiny tech! Look at the badge! Look at the 'lifestyle'!
The Stinger is the sort of car that will sell about six of them, drop like a stone in value, and then years later, be hailed as a true gem, in the same way that the Avantime did.
Kia and Hyundai deserve to do really well for all the effort they are putting into making decent driver's cars, but I do fear it might be too late - with 'Intelligent' (haha) Speed Adaption on the way rendering anything with performance basically redundant, and people apparently more interested in how they look to others than how they are actually feeling themselves, I think perhaps the ship might have sailed, which makes me sad.
I've only ever seen 2 GTS models in total on the roads. It's a very big car, but it's got some real presence to it. I like it!
Nevermind that one is driving some dreary, under-engined, miserable handling identi-box, look at the shiny tech! Look at the badge! Look at the 'lifestyle'!
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