2019 Kia Stinger GT long-term report part two

When you have a test car for a few months, it lets you get a better grasp of a range of things, like what the consumption is going to be for owners.

The average for this GT is sitting at 10.1L/100km over an accumulated 4700km, which is right on its official combined figure. Its urban number is quoted at 14.9L/100km, and that’s also what the trip computer would suggest most of the shorter, round town trips will chew through.

Include a stint on the motorway and that’ll drop into the 12s but it’s the easy, cruise control-monitored motorway and highway kilometres that will see it average out in the 10s. So as always, where and how you drive matters.

For the around town stuff, we’ve found the Smart driving mode to be aptly named. While the Kia always defaults to Comfort upon start up, Smart mode is just two clicks away on the drive dial, and this has the Stinger switching automatically between modes. It’ll sit in Comfort until you bury the throttle and then it quickly alters its behaviour to Sport, before settling back down again once the action is over.

In its Comfort setting, the adaptive dampers give the big Stinger a well struck ride quality for a sports sedan rolling on large 19s. It feels a few of the ripples along the way but otherwise rides calmly over city streets.

You wouldn’t want to be in Sport mode in urban confines, however. The ride gets an edginess to it as the dampers ready themselves to quell any roll and the throttle is noticeably sharper. And this thing really doesn’t need much encouragement to get going anyway.

It’s always good to have this much easy going grunt from right down low. It does things without fuss this, pulling well from 1200rpm in tall gears, and will really steam along if your throttle inputs spur the gearbox to drop a cog.

While it’s a big car, the steering is well assisted, and not at all heavy. With just over 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, it makes it easier to turn it around. The turning circle is about what you’d expect for a sizeable vehicle, but helping manoeuvres is a good camera system with numerous views to choose from.

So there’s really no excuse if you smack into something. People still really like the look of the Stinger, even after a couple of years, and we do too. This one’s only done 4700km, and so the interior is still tight, no squeaks to mention, and the shiny trim is still looking good. The only bum note in the cabin is the hard edge to the centre console, which your knee can come into contact with.

Rear drive cars aren’t renowned for storage with the big trans tunnel robbing room, but the center bin is okay here, the cup holders well placed, as is the charge pad, making it easy to retrieve your phone.

Thanks to said transmission hump, it’s more a four seater, while the sloping roofline that gives it such a killer profile does rob passengers of an easy entry to the rear. The vision out is okay though as the glasshouse is not too racy, even if the rearward view is tight.

Overall, the GT proves just as successful at tackling the daily routine as it does blasting out the cobwebs on the weekends.