2017 Kia Stinger vs 2018

What's the difference?

In my review of the Stinger 200S I confessed that before I’d even driven the car I’d decided there was no way it could be worthy of the hype that buzzed around it. I was wrong. It not only deserved the hype, but it far exceeded my expectations. And that was the lowest spec with the smaller engine.

Now the GT had arrived to rub it in even further with more grunt, more features and better advanced safety technology.

Yes, $60K may feel like a lot to spend before you even get to the on-road costs, but it only seems that way because it’s a Kia. Snap out of it – this is the only rear-wheel drive four-door with an engine that punches out this much grunt on the market at this price. Plus, if you were to spend the same amount on a luxury German ride, you’d be getting a lot less features and nowhere near the performance.

If it makes you feel a bit better, step down to the Si grade, it’s five grand less and comes with the same engine, AEB and most of the GT’s features.

As far as halo cars go, the Kia Stinger is pretty much perfect. It’s the ideal aspirational offering - the sort of car that would definitely put a smile on your face and cause your neighbours to unexpectedly drop in for a cuppa, if only to see if they can have a look at your Stinger. 

For this writer, the flagship GT is the model to go for - 92 per cent of buyers have done exactly that, and it’s because that variant, while pricey, is exactly what this car should be. And while you might find people saying “ooh, Stinger” in any of the versions available, the GT is the one that deserves the admiring stares the most... even if the additional safety equipment recently added to base models now warrants further investigation at the lower price points.