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Kia Stinger Sportswagon Is Nothing But Wishful Thinking

Arguably the most exciting vehicle Kia has ever unleashed upon us mortals, the Stinger lit up the imagination of gearheads like no other Kia ever before. Hungarian artist X-Tomi Design is one of the Kia Stinger’s latest victims, spurring the Photoshop wizard to design a longroof version of the automaker’s sportiest model yet.
2018 Kia Stinger Sportswagon rendering by X-Tomi Design 11 photos
Photo: X-Tomi Design
2018 Kia Stinger Sportswagon rendering by X-Tomi Design2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger2018 Kia Stinger
Taking inspiration from the Optima Sportswagon, X-Tomi applied the station wagon treatment to the Stinger and the result speaks for itself. It’s an achingly beautiful car that marries sportiness with family duties. You could even say that this virtual creation is more of a grand tourer than the actual Stinger is, but then again, the longroof will never see the light of day.

Kia is by no means a small automaker, nor one with small R&D funds. The problem with the Stinger Sportswagon is similar to what clamped down the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake: slow sales. However, Porsche will be trying to revive the luxury wagon class with the Panamera Sport Turismo.

In any case, the Kia Stinger is perfect as is. Sure there’s some Audi taillights here and Mercedes-Benz coupe-inspired circular air vents there. But you know what? Don’t forget hat imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When all is said and done, the Stinger looks unlike any other car currently on sale.

Performance, however, is not on par with the likes of high-performance fastbacks such as the Audi RS7. The most the Kia Stinger can offer is the GT model's twin-turbocharged V6, which sends 365 ponies and 376 pound-feet to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. AWD is also available for the South Korean bruiser, but only on left-hand drive models.

U.S. customers are also offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The Kia Stinger's entry-level engine is good for 252 hp and 260 lb-ft.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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