Aussies are tuning the Kia Stinger and the results are amazing

I’ve always wondered when this time would come. And here it is.

Argue all you want, but the 272kW/520Nm twin-turbo Kia Stinger is one of the most underrated cars on sale. It’s fast, sleek, has an engaging chassis and a damn good engine.

But, as always with turbocharged engines, there’s always a little ‘wiggle room’ once you play with its guts. HP-F in Melbourne has been doing such a thing, and with great results.

According to HP-F's dyno, the Stinger GT makes around 218rwkW on the dyno - about 19.8 per cent less than the official 272kW flywheel figure.

That figure might not sound incredibly impressive to LS-engine die-hards, but it's enough to push the Stinger from 0-100km/h in 4.9-seconds. An auto-equipped 6.2-litre SS-V Commodore does it in around 5.3.

When fitted with nothing more than a catback exhauast, cold air intakes, and a custom tune, that original 218rwKw figure explodes to 260rwkW - or about 311kW when converted back over.

That’s only 6kW shy of a brand-new BMW M3!

Packages for the Stinger are still fresh, but we contacted HP-F for some stats and pricing and were not disappointed.

A 'Stage 1' kit, which costs around $1500 consists of high-flow air filters, a custom ECU remap and a dyno run. That should make 330kW/570Nm (calculated).

The fully-fledged 'Stage 3' kit gives you a two HP-F cold-air intake systems, a dual 2.5" 'turbo back' exhaust system with high-flow cats, and a custom factory ECU remap. That one is around $5300 and should make 345kW/610Nm.

Would you save yourself some dosh and get a tuned Stinger instead of a six-digit BMW M3? Tell us in the comments below.