Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Robert Kah
Unveiled earlier this year at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, the GT4 Stinger from Kia also came to Europe with the first chance it got, incidentally at Geneva.
Even though the officials claim that the car we’re looking at is in no way intended for production, we might see them surprise us over the next years, bringing forth a rival for the Genesis Coupe.
The car is actually a 2+2 seater which means it can actually fit only 2 normal adults inside, the back seat being destined for either small bags or kids, I myself finding it hard to imagine another 2 fully grown individuals sitting back there.
The engine is located up front, is turbocharged and churns out 315 HP out of 2 liters of displacement, all of them sent to the rear wheels through a manual 6-speed gearbox for as much driver involvement as possible.
Furthermore, the suspension features all-around independent double-wishbones for dynamic intent while the carbon fibre front splitter is meant to increase downforce. The front brake cooling vents are there to help cool off the Brembo brakes when pushed to the max. Pirelli PZero tires cover the impressive 20 inch rims.
As we said before, the size isn’t exactly helping out when it comes to fitting 4 adults inside the cabin. The overall length of the car is just 169.7 (431 cm) while the wheelbase measures 103.1 inches (261 cm) which, to put in perspective, is around the same size as a Scion FR-S and considerably shorter than the rumored rival, Genesis Coupe.
That translates into a lighter weight (2,874 lbs or 1,303 kg) and better handling characteristics than the aforementioned cars, as they both have a higher center of gravity and are narrower.
Of course, apart from the technical details we talked about above, the GT4 Stinger is also an impressive appearance on the floor, with its new, love it or hate it design. According to Kia, the whole thing was drawn in California, to bring forth some new ideas and boy oh boy did those guys over do it.
From the outside, the overall shape of the Coupe reminds us of the never-aging 240Z but that’s only if you ignore the front fascia. That’s where the ‘hate it’ element intervenes as not everyone is completely sold on it. Some might think it was a bit overdone as it resembles a shark mouth to some extent. Even so, the LED lights on the side look good and so do the transparent A-pillars.
Inside, the Kia treats you with the best materials it has right now with billet-aluminum doorhandles, flat-bottomed steering wheel, red LEDs for the instrument cluster and leather bucket seats.
Whether the car will eventually make it to production is still under discussion but we certainly hope it does, as it would be a slap in the face of other cars in the segment, as long as the pricing strategy still falls within the Kia philosophy.
The car is actually a 2+2 seater which means it can actually fit only 2 normal adults inside, the back seat being destined for either small bags or kids, I myself finding it hard to imagine another 2 fully grown individuals sitting back there.
The engine is located up front, is turbocharged and churns out 315 HP out of 2 liters of displacement, all of them sent to the rear wheels through a manual 6-speed gearbox for as much driver involvement as possible.
Furthermore, the suspension features all-around independent double-wishbones for dynamic intent while the carbon fibre front splitter is meant to increase downforce. The front brake cooling vents are there to help cool off the Brembo brakes when pushed to the max. Pirelli PZero tires cover the impressive 20 inch rims.
As we said before, the size isn’t exactly helping out when it comes to fitting 4 adults inside the cabin. The overall length of the car is just 169.7 (431 cm) while the wheelbase measures 103.1 inches (261 cm) which, to put in perspective, is around the same size as a Scion FR-S and considerably shorter than the rumored rival, Genesis Coupe.
That translates into a lighter weight (2,874 lbs or 1,303 kg) and better handling characteristics than the aforementioned cars, as they both have a higher center of gravity and are narrower.
Of course, apart from the technical details we talked about above, the GT4 Stinger is also an impressive appearance on the floor, with its new, love it or hate it design. According to Kia, the whole thing was drawn in California, to bring forth some new ideas and boy oh boy did those guys over do it.
From the outside, the overall shape of the Coupe reminds us of the never-aging 240Z but that’s only if you ignore the front fascia. That’s where the ‘hate it’ element intervenes as not everyone is completely sold on it. Some might think it was a bit overdone as it resembles a shark mouth to some extent. Even so, the LED lights on the side look good and so do the transparent A-pillars.
Inside, the Kia treats you with the best materials it has right now with billet-aluminum doorhandles, flat-bottomed steering wheel, red LEDs for the instrument cluster and leather bucket seats.
Whether the car will eventually make it to production is still under discussion but we certainly hope it does, as it would be a slap in the face of other cars in the segment, as long as the pricing strategy still falls within the Kia philosophy.
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