Kia Stinger shows sultry sedan coupe

Like the publication of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition in the dead of winter, Kia Motors warmed up the frigid Detroit auto show Sunday with the introduction of a gorgeous, four-door sedan coupe called the Stinger.

Realizing the promise of Kia’s acclaimed GT concept first shown in Geneva in 2011, the Stinger’s long wheelbase and fast back is modeled after $80,000 sedan coupes like the Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera – but priced much closer to the $40,000 Audi A4 compact sedan.

The sleek Stinger marks another bold move by the Korean automaker to expand beyond its mainstream, affordable roots to compete in the world of performance luxury. While sister automaker Hyundai has created a separate luxury automaker called Genesis, Kia is exploring luxury under its same nameplate – first with the K900 large luxury sedan and now with the Stinger coupe.

Not uncoincidentally, the Stinger’s design comes at the hand of Kia design chief Peter Schreyer, a former Audi draftsman. While Kia says that the Stinger aims to “redefine a segment currently populated by European automakers” - like the Audi A4, Infiniti Q50 and BMW 4 Gran Coupe - the car’s 114.4-inch long wheelbase is considerably bigger than those compact sedans. It's similar to the midsize Audi A7 and Panamera.

The Kia takes its performance cues from those bigger sedans, sporting a rear-wheel architecture that underwent athletic training at the world-renowned Nurburgring race track in Germany. But performance does not come at the expense of comfort.

“A true gran turismo, a car for spirited long-distance driving, is not about outright power, hard-edged dynamics and brutal styling, all at the expense of luxury, comfort and grace,” said Gregory Guillaume, the European designer who penned the Stinger from the company’s Frankfurt studio.  “The Stinger has nothing to do with being the first to arrive at the destination – this car is all about the journey. It’s about passion.”

That passion is evident in the Stinger’s dramatic styling, from Kia’s signature “Tiger Nose” grille to the front fender gills to the swept roofline to the dual exhaust pipes. The Stinger’s silhouette mimics the Audi A7 but features a unique, ovoid rear fascia.

The Stinger’s long wheelbase offers roomy interior quarters despite its low, swept roofline. The car comes loaded with the latest safety technology, including a driver alert system to combat drowsy driving, forward collision assistance, a heads-up display, rear-cross traffic alert, and so on. State-of-the-art audio systems are also available, including a Harmon/Kardon music hall with 15 speakers.

True to its performance DNA, bolstered Nappa leather seats with air-cell bladders are available along with a TFT screen between the instrument gauges that displays performance data such as cornering G-forces, oil temperature and even lap times for the truly adventurous

Under the long front hood, engine choices are more in line with the compact luxury segment with 2.0-liter four and twin-turbo, 3.3-liter V-6 offerings. Both mules, however, will provide plenty of kick – most notably, the V-6 which puts out 365 horsepower; more than the six-cylinder engines in the BMW 4-series GT, Audi A7, or Porsche Panamera.

The engines will be mated to an eight-speed automatic familiar to drivers of the K900 sedan as well as Genesis luxury models like the G90. The Stinger will be offered with a sophisticated, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system for wintry climates like Michigan. According to Kia’s press release, the system “automatically applies power and braking force to the appropriate wheels to maintain course in adverse conditions.”

The Stinger rides on 18- or 19-inch tires with 10 inches of rubber in the rear to accommodate the aggressive engine and chassis. With 55-percent, high-strength steel and MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension, the sleek Kia is ready to rumble when the thermometer climbs above freezing.

For complete coverage of the Detroit auto show go to detroitnews.com/autos/auto-show

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at [email protected] or Twitter @HenryEPayne.