Sweet memories
The Stinger occupies the penultimate place in Kia’s Dutch sales rankings, where it is nestled between the Opirus and the Mentor. If that all sounds completely unfamiliar, rest assured: all you have to do is remember the name Stinger.
Two hundred and fifteen units, that’s as far as the number of new Stingers sold in our country goes. And we at AutoWeek think that is a shame, because we would like to see them on the road much more, if only because of the sweet memories. Like that time on a rain-drenched, slippery Zandvoort, when the Stinger in the version with four-wheel drive and the 3.3 turbo V6 showed its red rear to the very capable BMW 440i xDrive Gran Coupé. The colleague on duty was clear about it: suddenly Kia had a strong say in the top class where the German brands felt comfortably supreme.
Stinger courtesy of Germans Biermann and Schreyer
Yes, that Stinger was a true piece of art by the Koreans. Excuse me, primarily from two German giants: Albert Biermann and Peter Schreyer. The first came over from BMW M and was responsible for the phenomenal chassis, while the second had long since proven itself as the brand’s cunning designer. The Stinger may have been developed primarily as an advertising pillar for the new craftsmanship, but bottom line it became a formidable enthusiast’s car. But yes, the top model cost a ton. For that much money, any sensible person would buy at least three other brand new Kias: even with a Stonic, a Pro-Ceed and a Sportage in your shopping cart, you would still be swimming in change.
As a 2.0 Turbo and as a diesel
The 2.0 Turbo with rear-wheel drive was much more favorable and otherwise there was a big diesel. We wanted high sales numbers for all Stingers at the time, with a view to ultimately affordable used cars. That was the big problem with the Stinger: the expected loss of value, which caused the car to leave a trail of jingling euros in its wake from the moment it left the showroom. It was no surprise that the model was over and done with in 2022. Unfortunately, this also ended the brand’s ambitions to manifest itself in the premium corner. But wait, is that right? Gasoline engines no longer have a chance, but electric ones do so. As far as we are concerned, the spirit of the Stinger lives on in the EV6. Do you know GT version of that? Yes, that funny drift cannon.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl