When the plug is eventually pulled on the Kia Stinger GT-S in the UK, hopefully with the smaller-engined models left behind, it will be missed. Even though hardly anybody has bought one. Because it's a very easy car to admire from a distance, when you're not seriously considering one to buy: it's fast, rear-drive, rare, handsome, stuffed full of equipment and good to drive. 'Likeable' often sells a car short, flaws overlooked for the sake of some misplaced affection, but it applies to the GT-S; it's a car person's kind of car.
As a rational purchase, however, the flagship Stinger was (and remains) harder to justify. The list price in excess of £40,000 was a nightmare for tax, and the twin-turbo V6 was hardly the last word in efficiency. It was worse than rivals on the NEDC score, and new WLTP ratings of 27.7mpg and 233g/km make it more comparable to a BMW M4 (28mpg and 228g/km) than anything more humdrum in the 4 Series range. That's before discussing any issues around the badge, UK buyers surely still more comfortable with a German key in their hand for £40,000 than a Korean one.
None of that should detract from the fact that the Stinger was a really good executive saloon. When we compared it to the BMW 440i Gran Coupe the Kia came out on top, offering a drive that felt more BMW-like than the one with the blue-and-white roundel on it. Not so surprising, perhaps, when you consider that Albert Biermann had a key influence on the car's development. Add in a £5k price saving in the Stinger's favour and that was that.
The big Kia has been with us for 30 months now, though, with the first drives having taken place back in October 2017. Which means, joy of joys, there are one or two used examples around, including the 365hp GT-S. And what do we love more than a fast, exciting, rear-drive exec saloon stuffed full of equipment when it's new? Exactly the same thing lightly used, of course, and with a bit of money off.
This Stinger GT-S, still in the first flushes of youth with 13,000 miles recorded, is now for sale at £27,495 - or a pound a mile in depreciation from the £40,495 list price. With so few miles and a '68' reg plate, the Stinger still appears factory fresh from here, and will be backed up by a Kia warranty until half-way through this decade. Handy.
Furthermore, that depreciation - believe it or not - isn't quite as savage for the Kia as it may first appear, perhaps thanks to its relative rarity. Take, for instance, the BMW 440i Gran Coupe the Stinger was tested against; this car will have been more expensive to start with, yet here comes with a '19' plate and only a little more than half the mileage, for £27,790. From a BMW main dealer. Perhaps it's no legendary BMW saloon, and the residuals will have been impacted by a new 4 Series that's due soon, but it's hard to argue with.
Same with the Jaguar XE S, the supercharged V6 flagship that's now been discontinued as another strong bit of opposition for the Kia. For £28,000 this Jag has more power and fewer miles than the Stinger - some would probably say it's better looking as well. And the XE gets even cheaper than that, too...
So, the Stinger's battle for attention doesn't seem to have gotten any easier with the passing of a few years, though prospective buyers can still take heart. The fact that it hasn't depreciated as wildly as was perhaps expected should mean it continues that way, mitigating somewhat the outlay that will inevitably be there on tyres, tax and fuel.
Alright, a Stinger is always going to be a fairly costly car to run, though anyone considering a six-cylinder, forced induction, 3.0-litre saloon should go into that with their eyes open to the outgoings. The Stinger offers now what it did back in 2017, and hopefully will for a few more years yet: great performance, admirable dynamism, good value for money and smart looks. Besides, the world would be boring if we all bought BMWs - right?
SPECIFCIATION | KIA STINGER GT-S
Engine: 3,342cc V6, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 370@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 376@1,300-4,500rpm
CO2: 225g/km (NEDC)
MPG: 28.5 (NEDC)
First registered: 2018
Recorded mileage: 13,000
Price new: £40,495
Yours for: £27,495
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