The fact that Kia decided to take on the largely established luxury sedan segment with the Stinger speaks volumes about the Korean carmaker’s ambitions. What’s more, it largely succeeds in doing this as the Stinger offers almost everything available in its German rivals and at a relatively cheaper price. Kia has come a long way in the past few years, especially shedding its image of making stylish hatchbacks and SUVs that lacked the performance figures to go head to head against its rivals. With the Stinger, Kia has improved its focus on the overall performance of its product and yet maintains its design’s unique selling proposition.
Meanwhile, the Audi A5 Sportback is very much like the A4 sedan but with a fastback roofline, a big boost in performance and some minor interior/exterior tweaks.
So does the Kia Stinger manage to hold its own against the A5 and S5 Sportbacks from Audi? Let’s have a look…
The Exteriors
The aggressively styled Stinger is a step forward for the South Korean carmaker. Unlike most production cars, the Stinger closely resembles the appearance of the concept car which first debuted in 2011. Its stance is wide and low with a sleek roofline complementing the aggressive grille at the front. This helps the car stand out in a crowded parking lot many different cars.
The A5 and S5 Sportback are pretty similar in design except the latter has sharper lines down the side, larger headlights that run up to the hood and a much larger “Audiesque” grille.
Stretching 190 inches long, standing at 55 inches high and with a width of 77 inches (excluding mirrors), the Kia Stinger is much larger than most of the cars in its segment, including the A5 and S5 Sportback. While the Sportback version of the A5 is 186 inches long, the S5 is 187 inches. Both stand tall at 54 inches and have the same width of 72 inches. Continue reading Kia Stinger vs Audi A5/S5 Sportback