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The updated Kia Stinger is revealed in full detail for the first time today, with the high-performance fastback sports sedan boasting a range of upgrades to amplify its gran turismo character.
In addition to its refreshed design, revealed earlier this month, the enhanced Kia Stinger includes Kia’s latest driver assist and safety features, as well as improved interior packaging for greater space and comfort. For North America, the upgraded model is also now offered with a powerful new ‘Smartstream’ 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine.
“The Stinger remains the standard-bearer for the Kia brand, almost a decade after we first revealed the Kia GT Concept in 2011. It remains our most driver-focused car, and is capable of covering great distances in comfort and style,” said Thomas Schemera, Head of Product Division at Hyundai Motor Group. “The upgraded model builds on the Stinger’s well-established grand touring ethos, with a renewed sense of design flair, new powertrains and technologies, and greater usability enhancing its appeal for buyers in markets around the world.”
The new Kia Stinger will go on-sale in Korea during the third quarter of 2020, with sales due to commence in many of Kia’s global markets later in the year.
New 2.5-liter T-GDi added to high-performance powertrain line-up
The upgraded Stinger offers a revised range of three powerful turbocharged gasoline engines, in line with its reputation as the most performance-focused car that Kia makes. Each engine offers swift acceleration and rapid responses to driver input, while offering a refined grand touring experience for steady cruises.
A new engine has been added to the Stinger line-up exclusively for North American customers. The new ‘Smartstream’ 2.5-liter T-GDi (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) engine sits directly between the two existing gasoline powertrains, producing 304 ps at 5,800 rpm. The maximum torque of the new four-cylinder engine, 422 Nm, is accessible from 1,650 to 4,000 rpm, making it easy for drivers to build and maintain speed in all conditions.
The most powerful engine in the Stinger line-up, a twin-turbo 3.3-liter T-GDi V6 from Kia’s ‘Lambda’ engine family, remains unchanged, save for a new Electronic Variable Exhaust Valve system*. This features a small butterfly valve in the exhaust which opens and closes, producing a more prominent, deeper exhaust note in Sport driving modes, or a quieter, more subdued exhaust note in Eco or Comfort mode. As well as enhancing the sound quality, the revised exhaust flow path helps to liberate an extra 3 ps from the engine (for a total of 373 ps at 6,000 rpm). Its 510 Nm torque is accessible from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm, giving the Stinger effortless performance everywhere.
The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder ‘Theta’ engine, also available since the car’s launch in 2017, is unchanged, producing 255 ps at 6,200 rpm and 353 Nm torque from 1,400 to 4,000 rpm.
All three engines are paired with a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, matching the car’s long-legged gran turismo personality.
New widescreen infotainment systems and digital driver displays
At the center of the Stinger’s upgraded cabin is an upgraded touchscreen infotainment system, providing new functionality to meet customers’ changing expectations of in-car technology.
Depending on market and specification, the upgraded Stinger is now available with an optional new 10.25-inch touchscreen display. Bluetooth multi-connection enables users to connect up to two mobile devices at the same time – one for hands-free phone and multimedia use; the other for media use only. Its advanced split-screen display lets users control or monitor different vehicle features at the same time, customizing the screen with a series of different widgets. The 10.25-inch system offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, with a voice control system for many of the car’s features, such as heating and ventilation, audio and navigation.
A new 8.0-inch touchscreen display with a narrow-bezel design is also available, replacing the previous 7.0-inch system. Depending on market, the larger display also offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Drivers have a choice of two instrument cluster displays, based on vehicle specification. The standard 3.5-inch mono-TFT cluster is now replaced with a larger 4.2-inch color-TFT LCD cluster, delivering improved visibility and displaying a wider range of information to the driver. In addition, a fully-digital, high-resolution 7.0-inch ‘Supervision’ cluster is available – a full-color display with vivid graphics for different driving modes, delivering crystal-clear information to the driver.
Technologies to improve everyday usability
The upgraded Stinger features a series of new ‘connected car’ features to improve convenience for owners in many countries. Depending on market and vehicle specification, among these technologies is a Remote Engine Start system, which allows owners to start their car remotely using the Stinger’s smart key.
In certain markets, Kia’s UVO App can be used to pre-activate the Stinger’s seat heating and ventilation functions remotely, creating a comfortable temperature before entering the car and avoiding the inconvenience of sitting on a hot or cold seat.
New ADAS technologies to assist drivers and protect passengers
The upgraded Kia Stinger carries over the same Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that it offered previously, as well as a series of new features and updates to provide even better protection for the driver, their passengers and other road users.
Depending on market and vehicle specification, the ADAS range in the Stinger is comprehensive, with many of the existing systems newly updated:
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) now offers protection when turning across the road into a junction by identifying oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Furthermore, it offers increased activation range when detecting a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) is now able to detect the edge of a road, as well as the lines in the road, providing steering assistance to prevent the driver leaving their lane without signaling
- Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) provides an enhancement over the existing Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW). Instead of simply warning drivers of cars in adjacent lanes on the highway, BCA helps drivers avoid a potential collision by applying differential braking
- For Europe, the upgraded Stinger now features Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA) based on traffic sign recognition
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW) now has an increased operating speed of up to 210 kph, and also alerts drivers if they fail to notice the car in front move off from a stop
- Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control (NSCC) helps drive around curved sections of a highway, automatically reducing the vehicle’s speed to an appropriate level before entering the curve. It reverts to the original speed as the vehicle leaves the curve
- A similar updated has been made for reversing out of parking bays, with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA) now helping to prevent collisions with crossing vehicles while reversing (previously the system only warned the driver)
The following new ADAS technologies and convenience features have been added to the Stinger for the first time:
- Safe Exit Warning (SEW) detects vehicles coming up from behind on either side of the Stinger when parked and stopped, alerting occupants with a sound and visual warning if they attempt to open the door into oncoming traffic
- Kia’s cutting-edge Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM) technology acts as a ‘second pair of eyes’ for drivers by eliminating a driver’s left- and right-side blind spots. It displays a high-resolution video feed within the ‘Supervision’ digital instrument cluster if the driver indicates to change lane with another vehicle in their blind spot. The video feed comes from discreet wide-angle lenses hidden beneath the door mirror housings, giving drivers a wider viewing angle of their blind spots
- Lane Following Assist (LFA) helps the vehicle stay in the center of its lane
- Highway Driving Assist (HDA) helps maintain a set distance from the vehicle in front on the highway, and keep the car in the center of its lane, even on a curved road
- Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) provides a warning to the driver if they leave behind any pets or children when they exit the car
