2021 Kia Stinger vs 2023 Porsche Taycan

What's the difference?

The Stinger GT-Line is a great machine. It looks good, feels good to drive and while it's not the cheapest large sedan, it's also not a Camry. With a strong European vibe, it's a nice bridge between boring-dependable and out-of-reach European. Boasting a strong link to Europe in its chassis DNA, it has it all apart, maybe, from the badge.

But Kia has a habit of doing unexpected things and the Stinger was a bold move worth making just for the halo effect of having such a cool car in the range. It has done good things for the company's reputation, as though the rest of the range isn't proof already.

Is the GTS a worthy addition to the Taycan range or is it just adding complexity to an already comprehensive line-up? The answer is most definitely the former, with the GTS bringing something suitably different to add a new dimension to the Taycan range. 

It also adds something new to the electric car space - a true ‘driver’s car’ that’s engaging in the corners as it is running 0-100km/h times. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Porsche is the first brand to achieve this feat, and it’s also not meant to be a slight on the very impressive Taycan and other sporty EVs like the Polestar 2, BMW i4 M50 and Tesla Model 3 Performance.

But with the Taycan GTS Porsche provides hope that for driving enthusiasts the switch to electrification is the start of something new, and not the end of the road. 

The Stinger looks fantastic. I know the car has its detractors, but there's a massive Euro influence here that sits well in my visual cortex. It's maybe not as ooh-aah as the A5 or the outgoing BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but the Stinger can and should be mentioned in the same breath. It looks terrific, even if it is a bit fussier in the details.

From the signature grille, the low beltline, big wheels and sports coupe roofline, it looks sleek and sophisticated. 

Inside is a bit more conventional, with some real classic touches such as circular air vents, conventional-looking gear selector and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. It's cool, clean and, with the big new screen, a bit more techy-looking than before. There are lots of nice materials and the odd rogue one, but it's a good cabin that feels well put-together.

Beyond the standard Taycan design elements, the GTS gets a raft of unique styling changes, inside and out, to make it stand out in the range.

The outside features black or dark touches to the front spoiler, the underside of the mirrors, the side window trims, side skirts and rear diffuser.

There’s also 20-inch Taycan Turbo S alloy wheels finished in satin black, as well as a ‘Porsche’ logo integrated (in black) into the rear light strip to complete the look.

Inside, there’s extensive use of Porsche’s 'Race-Tex' synthetic suede, which provides a sportier appearance, especially with the brushed aluminium trim, as well as ‘GTS’ logos on the front and rear seat headrests and a multifunction sports steering wheel trimmed in Race-Tex.

This is really a four-seater car. While there is good legroom in the rear, the falling roofline, small door aperture and huge transmission tunnel box you in a bit, almost rendering the middle seat useless for all but the shortest of folks. You do get your own air vents, though, which is generous.

The low roof also means limited headroom, made a little worse by the standard sunroof. I had room but taller people might brush the headlining. There are two cupholders front and rear for a total of four and each door has a bottle holder.

The boot is a modest-for-this-size 406 litres, rising to 1114 litres with the seats down. Access to the boot is good if not spectacular; the hatch opens wide but a slightly narrow aperture means loading and stowing flat packs and things like that could be a struggle.

The GTS doesn’t offer anything different from the rest of the Taycan range in a practical sense. It’s a mid-size sedan, filling a gap in the brand's line-up beneath the larger Panamera, which means the front seat occupants are well accommodated but the rear seats are a bit tight on space - specifically kneeroom and head clearance.

The boot measures only 366 litres in total capacity and the opening is relatively small, so fitting bulky items in can be challenging.

Fortunately, there’s an additional 84L of space underneath the bonnet, so the Taycan ends up being quite practical.

The biggest gripe is the lack of a specific storage area for the on-board charging cable. Instead it comes in a large rectangular box which can be secured via clips in the boot, but that means you’ve lost some of what was already a modest luggage space.

Porsche claims most owners won’t travel with a cable, instead they’ll do most charging at home. But it’s still an odd move given the Taycan was designed to be an electric car from scratch, so a cable storage space should have been included from the beginning.

The Taycan GTS doesn’t just slot in between the 4S and Turbo in performance terms, it also neatly intersects the pair on price. The GTS starts at $241,900 (plus on-road costs), which is $40,000 cheaper than the Turbo (from $281,900) and $43,100 more expensive than the 4S (From $198,800).

For that money you get a well-equipped model which comes with keyless entry and ignition, heated front seats, a 14-speaker Bose surround sound system, digital radio, adaptive cruise control and a head-up display.

It also comes equipped with a 150kW on-board DC charger for 400-volt public charging stations, a 22kW mobile charger, a public charging cable and a Porsche charging dock.

Also included in the price is a three-year subscription to the Chargefox network of public infrastructure. This allows for charging on Chargefox’s 350kW ultra-rapid chargers which makes the most of the Taycan’s 800-volt electrical system for the fastest possible charging time at present.

Under the GT-Line's bonnet is Kia's Theta II 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine. It's the same as before, with a stout 182kW and 353Nm. Driving the rear wheels is an eight-speed automatic from the Hyundai-Kia empire.

It's pretty rapid, knocking out the 0-100km/h spring in just six seconds, a mere 1.1 seconds slower than its faster sibling's 4.9 for the benchmark.

The GTS is motivated by the same permanently excited synchronous electric motors as the Taycan Turbo but they have been tweaked for this new model.

I use plural because there are two motors, one on each axle, which means the GTS is all-wheel drive - just like the Turbo and 4S.

In the GTS the motors are tuned to make 380kW of power and 850Nm of torque. However, there’s an 'Overboost' function as part of the launch control system that allows for up to 440kW released for short bursts.

That fits the GTS between the 4S, which makes 390kW/640Nm, and the Turbo, rated for 460kW/850Nm.

In order to extend driving range Porsche is able to effectively disconnect the front motor when in ‘Normal’ or ‘Range’ driving modes to reduce drag on the powertrain and conserve energy.

Like most EVs the Taycan uses a single-speed transmission, at least on the front motor. At the rear Porsche has opted for a two-speed unit, which is the key to the Taycan’s rapid acceleration (0-100km/h takes just 3.7 seconds) and repeatability.

Kia's claimed combined cycle figure is 8.8L/100km. As the Stinger goes without trickery like stop-start or mild hybridness, it's no surprise that my week with it yielded an indicated 10.4L/100km, which isn't bad for a 1750kg sports sedan that was not molly-coddled and also spent some time in a resurgent case of crap traffic in Sydney.

It also drinks standard unleaded, which is a nice touch.

The GTS is fitted with the 'Performance Battery Plus' as standard, which is a 93.4kWh battery pack that is an upgrade from the 79.2kWh battery that’s standard in the Taycan 4S.

Porsche claims the GTS has a greater driving range than the models around it, befitting its title as the ‘sweet spot’ in the line-up. The company claims the GTS can go up to 485km between charges, compared to 414km for the 4S and 420km for the Turbo.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get an accurate real-world figure on energy consumption because our test drive included a significant amount of track driving. However, the fact the Taycan GTS was able to do both an extended road drive and track running on a single charge suggests the 485km claim is realistic.

In terms of recharging times, Porsche quotes nine hours using an AC 11kW outlet, while a DC 50kW charger can take it from five per cent battery to 80 per cent in 93 minutes.

If you get access to the 350kW ultra-rapid charger it can top up 5-80 per cent in just over 22 minutes.

I have driven and loved the Stinger GT. It's tremendous fun, goes like a rat running away from a cut snake, which itself is being chased by a mongoose with its bottom on fire, and it handles like a proper sports sedan.

The GT-Line is obviously not that quick, but it's not slow, either. But it does take a bit of the GT's DNA and delivers a driving experience eerily reminiscent of an E90 BMW 3 Series. That seems like an out-of-date reference, but it was a beautiful car to drive with a lovely balance of ride and handling.

The steering has good feel and you know what's going on underneath the front wheels. You sit towards the centre of the car, also a BMW trademark. Turn the wheel and the car goes with you, despite its bulk, and it's happy to dance a bit with its limited-slip diff.

The 2.0-litre turbo does a good job in most conditions but you feel it coming up short when you're hustling it. It's never breathless, but the torque deficit to the turbo six is clear. If you've not driven the faster Stinger, you may not notice, but there's a touch of lag in the 2.0 that contributes to the idea it's working hard to move the big sedan.

But back off a little and it becomes a fluid, fun drive. In town it's firm but very comfortable, gently bumping rather than crashing into potholes. The rear suspension is a complicated five-link set-up that costs money and eats into boot space but delivers the goods.

Given its length the Stinger is a bit tough to manoeuvre in tight spaces and its 11.2m turning circle isn't too flash either, but you soon get used to it.

This is where the true test of the GTS lies because of its positioning as the ‘driver’s car’ in the Taycan line-up. We already know electric cars are quick in a straight line thanks to the instant torque offered by the motors, but there hasn’t been one that has matched conventional sports sedans in the corners yet.

The GTS comes as close as any EV to providing the same driving experience as its petrol-powered equivalent, which are the highly-rated BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S.

Porsche allowed us to experience the Taycan GTS on the roads of south-east Queensland, as well as the Norwell Motorplex circuit near the Gold Coast.

In either environment the sheer size of the Taycan is hard to disguise, with the GTS tipping the scales at a hefty 2295kg, more than 200kg heavier than its petrol rivals.

To compensate for the extra weight the Taycan feels more stiffly sprung, which helps to control the chassis better, but does make for a less forgiving ride. 

Even though the GTS uses a uniquely tuned version of Porsche’s three-chamber adaptive air suspension it can still feel too sharply sprung on sharp edged bumps and across patchy road surfaces.

However, the GTS is also equipped with Porsche’s adaptive dampers - officially known as the Porsche Active Suspension Management or PASM - which helps the car really come alive when you push the handling to its limits.

In typical Porsche fashion the steering is well sorted, providing direct feedback and ideal weighting, and the chassis responds quickly to your inputs.

On the track, when pushed to its limits, the GTS car occasionally feels a bit slow to react because of its weight, but it never feels dull or lazy. This might be the best handling electric car yet.

Like all Porsches, the Taycan hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP, most likely due to the high costs associated with the multiple vehicles that are needed to finalise a rating.

Despite this, there’s strong evidence to suggest the Taycan is a very safe car, both in a passive and active safety sense.

The Taycan GTS comes equipped with active cruise control, active lane keeping assist and 'Traffic Jam Assist' (which is a mild form of autonomous driving).

There’s also autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring as well as surround-view cameras and front and rear parking sensors.

There are also eight airbags fitted, including side airbags for the rear passengers.

The Taycan features three top tether points for child seats or baby capsules across the rear row, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

Kia's ground-breaking seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty along with roadside assist for the first 12 months. Each time you service your car at Kia, you get an extension on your roadside assist for up to eight years.

Perhaps the only thing that makes you go, "Oh, what?" about the Stinger is the 12 months (Good)/10,000km (Oh...) service intervals. That's pretty common with Kia's turbo engines but is a little inconvenient. Then there's the cost - prices range from $312 to $685, which adds up to $3459 over the first seven services. If you stay under 10,000km/year, that's not bad going at under $500 per year for servicing, but if you're a high-miler, it will add up.

The servicing isn't outrageous - and the prices are capped - but it's not cheap, either.

Thanks to the more simplistic nature of electric cars, or at least less oily bits that need maintenance, servicing intervals for the Taycan GTS are a lengthy two-years or 30,000km, whichever comes first.

Porsche doesn’t list pricing for the servicing because labour charges vary in each state.

The Taycan GTS is covered by Porsche’s regular three-year/unlimited warranty for the majority of the car, but the battery pack gets an extended eight-year/160,000km of coverage.