Kia Stinger review

The driving position in the Kia Stinger is largely spot on. Adjustments are numerous, thanks to the standard electrically operated steering column and driver’s seat, which has lumbar adjustment, and you feel cocooned because of the high window line and centre console. It feels better than the incongruously high driving position in the Audi S5.

Your view out past the slim windscreen pillars and over the long bonnet helps it feel sporty, too, but the rear window is quite small and the view over your rear shoulder is restricted when you're reversing. Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors plus a 360-degree camera are on hand to help while parking. You also get automatic wipers and automatic LED lights.

While it's not a match inside for the beautifully made Audi S5 Sportback, material quality on the Stinger’s upper interior surfaces still looks and feels pretty good. There is faux leather covering the dashboard and brushed aluminium highlights on the top of the doors and between the front seats. You’ll find increasing quantities of cheaper looking scratchy plastics as you move lower down, though.

The ritzy fully digital instruments you'll find in the latest German executive cars are absent in the Stinger. Instead, it has conventional analogue dials that are nonetheless attractive and clear. There's a 7.0in TFT screen that shows driving data, along with a head-up display that projects important information on to the windscreen, directly in your line of sight.

Then there’s the floating 10.3in infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard. It’s a touchscreen, and is more distracting to use on the move than the rotary dial interface used by BMW, but the graphics are sharp and the screen switches promptly between menus. It’s also well-equipped, with sat-nav wireless phone charging, a DAB radio, smartphone mirroring and various online services included. 

A Harman Kardon premium sound system is standard, with an external amplifier and a centre speaker for surround sound listening, delivering impressive clarity and punch.