Kia Stinger GT

Positive taste of Kia’s sporty Commodore alternative

- Chris Chilton

WE PRIDE ourselves on being able to assess a car after the briefest of drives, but this is ridiculous. After being bundled out of a bus in the pitlane of the old Nurburgring Nordschleife, I’m hurried into a Kia Stinger GT, a car I’ve never sat in, let alone driven, and waved out on to the track in hot pursuit of Dirk Schoysman.

He’s the bloke who broke the eight minute production car record here in a Nissan R33 Skyline 20 years ago. And judging by his pace on what is supposed to be the sighting lap, someone forgot to tell him he got it in the bag. Two laps, and less than 20 minutes later (even Dirk couldn’t manage an eight in the Stinger), we’re back in the pits and summarily ejected from the car. Wait, what just happened?

What just happened is Kia took a swipe at the rear-drive establishment, and managed at the very least a glancing blow. Having caused a world of pain to mainstream European and Japanese brands, the Koreans have set their sights higher.