Tweaked looks & cabin for Kia Stinger, same engines

KIA Motors Australia (KMAu) has released the first official images of its facelifted Stinger sports sedan ahead of its arrival Down Under later this year, with the rear-wheel-drive four-door also set to continue with the current range of engines.

Described by KMAu as being more muscular with “a new touch of drama”, the styling changes to the Stinger are actually quite subtle and hard to spot at first with KMAu working to “amplify its gran turismo character”.

In fact the changes to the front of the Stinger revolve almost entirely around the darkened headlamps and complementing LED running lights, with the headlights themselves being new multifaceted reflector LED units.

At the rear there is a new full-width light signature designed to mimic the outline of the integrated boot-spoiler while new LED indicators are designed to resemble a chequered flag.

Sticking with the rear-end, new wider exhaust tips will be optionally available on the more powerful variants – 330S and GT – along with a more aggressive rear diffuser.

Two new 18-inch and 19-inch aluminium alloy wheel designs will also be introduced designed specifically to “enhance the sporty, grand tourer nature of the car”.

For those hoping for some extra visual flair, two new enhancement packs will reportedly be on offer, although neither have been confirmed for Australia as yet.

The ‘dark package’ brings a blacked out rear diffuser and rear Stinger badging while also adding the wider exhaust tips as standard.

Confirmed at this stage only for North America, the ‘black package’ will add lightweight, matte black 19-inch wheels, a rear wing, black mirror caps and blacked out trim on the front wings.

The theme of subtle refinement has been continued within the cabin with the biggest change coming in the form of the updated infotainment touchscreen which now measures 10.25-inches in diameter, up from seven or eight inches depending on the variant.

Other changes include a frameless rear-view mirror, the addition of 64-colour ambient mood lighting, red, black or beige Nappa leather upholstery as well as a new Saturn Black suede option, metallic finished steering wheel bottom and matching chrome bezel around the instrument panel.

Head of Kia Global Design Karim Habib said the Stinger “projects an air of elegance and comfort, and also great purpose, for long distance driving”.

“The updated model builds on the svelte gran turismo design we introduced three years ago with modern flair and a subtle hint of aggression to enhance its on-road presence,” he said.

“The interior too has been enhanced, and the new design elements and technologies incorporated into the Stinger reconfirm its credentials as the consummate grand tourer.”

While the Stinger’s styling has been subtly pumped up and the interior refined, no changes have been made under the bonnet with a KMAu spokesperson confirming to GoAuto that the current engine line-up will be carried over to the new model.

This means the facelifted range will continue to offer customers the familiar choice of either a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder good for 182kW/353Nm or a twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 churning out 272kW/510Nm.

In either case, power is sent to rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with the V6s also scoring a limited slip differential.

Full specification details and pricing of the new model are yet to be released, however KMAu says all will be revealed soon.

According to the latest round of VFacts figures, KMAu sold 851 Stingers through the first seven months of this year, accounting for a dominant 55 per cent of the sub-$70,000 large car market.

By contrast, Skoda sold just 89 examples of its Superb – arguably the Stinger’s only real rival – through the same period.