Only 800 units of the Stinger GTS will be available and they be had either purely as a rear-wheel drive or opt for the new all-wheel drive system.
It’s not like we’ve had a chance to try the ones that came to Malaysia but to think that there’s an even hotter version of a car that’s been lauded by foreign media as something comparable to the BMW 5-series, triggers even more hunger and curiosity to know.
Why? Because the development of this thing was led by Albert Biermann. And who in the world is this Albert dude, you ask?
Only the guy who’s been developing BMWs for the last 30 years; serving as Vice President of Engineering in the BMW M Division. I guess that says enough about the man.
He is now, however, the man who’s charged with elevating Hyundai and Kia’s fortunes as the Head of R&D in both companies to develop new high performance cars.
And he’s brought us the impeccable i30N. Again, enough said. Back to the Stinger GTS, the all-wheel drive system, dubbed the D-AWD, has been tweaked to offer a mix of all-wheel traction and pure rear-wheel fun.
A mechanical limited-slip differential supports the D-AWD system by distributing power more evenly between the rear wheels should there be a slip.
Three different drive modes accompany the car – Comfort, Sport and believe this, Drift Mode. In Comfort Mode, 60% of power goes to the rear wheels, 80% in Sport and 100% in Drift Mode.
Output wise, the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 still makes the same 365 hp and 510 Nm which we’ve not had a taste of.
As for the frivolous bits, the Stinger GTS gets an exclusive Federation Orange paint job, some carbon bits by the front grille, side mirror, hood vents, side vents, rear bumper and a custom Stinger emblem that replaces the Kia logo.
There’s not much to highlight on the inside save for an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and suede-like material for the headlining. As for costs, the RWD version is set to cost USD44,000 (RM182k) while the D-AWD model asks for USD46,500 (RM193k).
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