Kia Stinger gets fives across the board

ALL versions of Kia’s Stinger performance sedan will now carry a five-star crash safety rating after the Korean car-maker added key safety gear to the 200S and 330S variants.

The two entry-level Stinger variants achieved a three-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in December last year because they were missing autonomous emergency braking and lane-keep assist.

All other variants – the four-cylinder 200Si and GT-Line and V6-powered 330Si and GT – were awarded the maximum five stars at the time.

The addition of AEB and lane-keep assist to the 200S and 330S to vehicles built from March 2018 has brought the two variants back in line with the rest of the Stinger line-up’s five-star rating.

Kia has also added adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert and rain-sensing wipers to the 200S and 330S, while at the same time increasing prices of both variants by $1000, to $46,990 plus on-road costs and $49,990 respectively.

Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith said the car-maker acted immediately to improve the Stinger 200S and 330S’s safety offering after it was made aware of the low safety rating.

“As soon as we were made aware of the unusual situation regarding the original ANCAP rating of the Stinger, Kia Motors Australia took steps to rectify and ensure consistency across the model range,” he said.

“At no stage was there any suggestion that the physical crash safety of any Stinger model was less than any other grade, however the absence of some technology on the entry-level cars led to a split rating. With the inclusion of AEB on both S-grade models that situation no longer exists.”

The Stinger has been a critical and sales success for Kia since its launch in September last year, with 504 finding homes in its four months on sale in 2017, while 681 have been sold to the end of April this year.

It is offered with either a 182kW/353Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a 272kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6, both paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.

It is priced from $46,990 for the base four-pot 200S and tops out at $59,990 for the V6 GT.