The flagship Kia Stinger V6 leaves the Czech market. Greet us with a huge photo gallery

It was supposed to elevate the Kia brand to the next level around the world. The Stinger has fulfilled its task, after five years it says goodbye without a direct successor, the role of top model will be taken over by an electric car.

Template Kia Stinger it was introduced as a flagship in 2017. Even then, the automaker announced that the new car had no ambition to become a bestseller, rather it should boost brand perception and become an illustrative example of what Korean engineers I am able to create.

Initially, the Stinger was offered with three engines. The basic two-liter petrol with an output of 188 kW had rear-wheel drive. The 147 kW 2.2 CRDI turbodiesel also preferred rear-wheel drive, but also offered all-wheel drive at extra cost. The V6 3.3 T-GDI with 272 kW of power and 510 Nm of torque is at the absolute top of the engine range.

For European customers, the six-cylinder was only available with 4×4 drive. The only exception was Great Britain, as Kia could only offer right-hand drive with this engine. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The most powerful one reached 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and continued up to 270 km/h. It’s probably not surprising that the six-cylinder Stinger was once the most powerful and fastest mass-produced Kia in history.

After two years, the six-cylinder underwent minor changes. It has a particle filter and its performance is slightly decreased. From the original 272, as much as 269 kW remained, acceleration from zero to hundreds took 5.5 seconds, the maximum speed was maintained.

The successor will be an electric car

Just a few months later, in the summer of 2020, the facelift arrived. On the outside, the latter has only made cosmetic changes: reworked LED headlights, a slightly modified mask and a new design of the alloy wheels. In the cabin, the creators appealed to higher quality materials in new color options. However, the main distinguishing feature of the facelift was the multimedia system’s large 10.25-inch screen.

When Kia announced the under-the-hood changes, we feared the V6 would become a victim of stricter emission limits. Fortunately, only the weakest four-cylinder disappeared from the offer, which made us a little less sad. No wonder, after all, eighty percent of customers on the Czech market alone opted for the six-cylinder engine!

From 2023, the role of the brand’s top model will be assumed by an electric model Kia EV6GT. In terms of parameters, it is even better than the six-cylinder “predecessor”: two electric motors deliver a system output of 430 kW and 740 newton meters of torque. The battery with a capacity of 77.4 kWh is enough for a range of 424 km, thanks to the on-board 800V technology, the car can be charged from 10 to 80% in just eighteen minutes using a quick charger. Reach 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and top speed is 260km/h.

“The EV6 GT is the ideal car to take over the Stinger model in the Czech Republic. The brand’s strategic plan has a strong focus on electrification and plans to offer 14 new electric cars worldwide by 2027. The The EV6 GT is an important part of this plan and the new flagship for Kia.” said Aleš Barna, CEO of Kia Czech. Sales of the powerful electric car started in early October and the Czech representative office already has 50 customer orders.