ABDC 2018: Kia Stinger 330Si

11th place

Why is it here?

The Kia Stinger with its twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 has been the great white hope for fans of affordable performance sedans since its debut late in 2017. For those missing the local heroes, the Holden Commodore SS and the Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo, the Stinger is the next best thing.

Since the locally-manufactured cars have taken part in Australia's Best Driver's Car in previous years, there was certainly a precedent for the Kia Stinger 330Si – the mid-range V6 model – to join the fun in 2018.

We know from having driven the Stinger in the past that it's not short of performance, but the question likely to arise in this company is whether the Kia has the handling, steering and braking to get anywhere near last year's winner – the Commodore-based HSV GTSR W1. More to the point, could it out-perform and out-point others in this year's field?

What’s under the bonnet?

There are four-cylinder models in the range, but it’s the V6 Stinger that offers the sort of performance to attract attention from enthusiastic consumers.

And the V8-level performance is amplified through the prism of rear-wheel drive and a sophisticated eight-speed automatic transmission that has been developed in-house by Kia's parent company, Hyundai. This same unit will also feature in Hyundai's upcoming Genesis G70, another rear-drive passenger sedan.

Suspended by MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent rear end, the Stinger steers through an electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion system. The 19-inch alloys fitted to the 330Si variant are shod with Continental tyres – 225/40 at the front and 255/35 at the rear. Completing the picture are the standard Brembo brakes.

Four-piston calipers at the front clamp down on the 350mm-diameter ventilated disc rotors, and the twin-piston calipers at the rear are paired with 340mm discs, which are also ventilated.

>>Get all the 2018 Australia's Best Driver's Car results here

How does it perform?

Fitted with an after-market exhaust for some extra rolling thunder, the Stinger impressed judges with its torquey, mid-range performance, best summed up by this lamentation from Bruce Newton: "I wish the Commodore SV6 had this engine."

Feann Torr echoed that sentiment, commenting on the dynamic "engine thrust" and Ken Gratton praised the engine's "snarl from around 2800rpm".

Chris Fincham observed that the Stinger was "surprisingly exhilarating, performance-wise... feels like a real autobahn mile-eater..."

But the Stinger did draw fire from various judges for braking, steering and handling.

"Ride was a little floaty at speed and the brakes not sharp enough," noted Nadine Amstrong. James Whitbourn shared Nadine's view of the Stinger's ride quality, stating that the suspension "could be a bit stiffer."

Bruce singled out the Stinger's "body movement" too and Marton Pettendy found the ride "jiggly" in Sport mode. Sam Charlwood felt the Stinger "lacks cohesion" and was prone to skip over mid-corner bumps.

On the track at Winton, the Stinger put in a time that saw it ranked slowest of the non-four-cylinder cars tested. But race-car driver Luke Youlden found words of praise.

“It doesn’t disappoint in that regard,” declares Luke. “It’s good, it's fun. It’s very loose, you can make it oversteer at will. It’s a good mixture of power and grip and it is what I expected it would be; a good driver’s car.”

Is it worth the asking price?

Of the rear-drive big bangers involved in this year's running of ABDC, the Stinger was the most affordable. Only the four-cylinder MX-5 and BRZ were cheaper.

As the mid-range V6 model, the Stinger 330Si is well priced and well equipped, offering advanced safety features such as autonomous emergency braking and lane-keep assist, plus seven airbags. It misses out on some big-ticket safety items fitted to the GT flagship, but balanced against the price, the middle-tier Stinger passes the pub test.

Comfort and convenience features include leather upholstery, electrically-adjustable front seats, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, multiple 12-Volt and USB charging ports, an eight-inch infotainment touch screen, nine-speaker audio, digital radio, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and dual-zone climate control.

With all that equipment fitted as standard, the Stinger rates pretty highly for value among the ABDC contestants.

What do the judges think?

The Stinger finished this year's event with a well-earned reputation for easily-tapped straight-line performance. No one argued for a moment that it could do with more power and torque, but the Kia was a little out of its depth on the demanding Victorian country roads used for ABDC in 2018.

Handling, road-holding, body control and brake pedal feel all mitigated against the Stinger scoring a better result. On top of that, at least three judges mentioned it lacked character.

While one might argue it's the best performance package for the price, and one judge did praise the Stinger for being a 'mature' package, it is a car that still can't quite match the last of the locally-built Commodores for all-round dynamic competence. So there's room for improvement, but we're in little doubt that will happen – and the Stinger will be all the better for it.

Revisit last years action with ABDC 2017

2018 Kia Stinger 330Si pricing and specifications:

Price: $55,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.3-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 272kW/510Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.2L/100km (ADR Combined), 17.8L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 239g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2018 Kia Stinger 330 Si performance figures (as tested):

0-100km/h: 5.7sec
0-400m: 13.851sec @ 172.1km/h
Lap time: 1:39.961sec

Related reading:

>> Kia Stinger Review