Do not adjust your set. That really is a Kia. In Classic & Sports Car.
No, the world hasn’t gone mad, though it might seem so to those of us for whom the Kia Pride – the licence-built version of the Mazda 121 that signalled the South Korean brand’s arrival on our shores in 1991 – is an all too recent memory.
Kia sold just shy of 1800 cars here that year – which is how many Stingers it aims to shift annually in the UK, though very few of those are likely to be this flagship GT S version.
Not many, then, but it wasn’t really made for us. It’s a statement car aimed squarely at the US market – hence the name which, like the looks, feels a bit shouty and brash for British tastes.
Yet this car is a significant step for the car maker best known for cheap ’n’ cheerless hatchbacks and budget SUVs.
This four-door coupé is the first Kia created purely for people who love driving.
Just look at the spec: a twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 up front, powering the rear wheels only (no four-wheel-drive safety net here) via an eight-speed paddle-shift auto, with four drive modes that include the option of disabling the nannying electronic intrusion completely.
