Kia Stinger vs Skoda Superb

What's the difference?

There is nothing quite like a car company occasionally building a car that could be considered a risk. And there are all kinds of risks in the car business - the market isn't ready for that car, people don't identify your brand with this or that type of vehicle, the list goes on. And it's long. It's very easy for me to sit on the sidelines and say, "Pft, what were they thinking?" Few cars land on your driveway without years of thinking having already gone into their development.

The Kia Stinger is the kind of car that would have caused lots of thinking and plenty of hand-wringing at Kia HQ in Korea. Not because it was a bad idea - it wasn't. Not because it's a bad car - it is, in fact, the opposite. And not because SUVs have already changed the way we look at cars - Kia has done well out of that.

It's just that Kia has never produced a car like the Stinger. A five-door coupe-sedan, rear-wheel drive and with a focus on driver dynamics. Most of us know very well how the Stinger GT burst on to the scene in a blaze of well-deserved glory. It's not all about the GT, though. There's a whole range of Stingers and just below that very accomplished sports sedan is the Stinger GT-Line.

The large passenger car segment, meaning big sedans and wagons, has taken a huge nosedive in terms of sales and available models over the past decade or so.

The Holden Commodore, Chrysler 300, Kia Stinger and even the Volkswagen Passat? All axed locally.

The Toyota Camry remains a strong fleet and private buyer option (hello Uber). But it leans more towards medium than properly large car proportions, as confirmed by industry statistician, VFacts segmentation.

The only vehicle left now before you start considering premium players is the Skoda Superb. It has just launched locally in new, fourth-generation guise.

Sitting alongside the new Kodiaq as a flagship product for the Czech brand, the Superb continues to now only be offered in a single, fully-loaded Sportline trim level. Thankfully, you still get the option of either a liftback or wagon body style.

Skoda has made a wide array of changes to this new-generation Superb, including plenty of new ‘Simply Clever’ touches, but will Australians actually care about this new version of a dying breed?

@carsguide.com.au Simply Clever? The new 2025 Skoda Superb’s ‘Smart Dials’ are a set of three physical dials that are capable of altering the following: Climate control temperature Air direction Fan speed Seat heating, ventilation Drive mode Sat-nav map zoom Volume P.S. these Smart Dials also feature in the new 2025 Skoda Kodiaq SUV#skoda #superb #sedan #wagon #car #carsguide #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

Read along to find out.