Styling Size-Up: Kia Stinger GT vs. Four-Door Fastback Competition

Before the Kia Stinger GT came along, there were very few players in the four-door fastback category. Now Kia has thrown its hat into the ring to give the Germans a totally new type of competitor to worry about. Does the Stinger GT have what it takes to compete against the Audi A5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe?

You could argue that Audi and BMW erred on the side of austerity and restraint when designing their four-door fastbacks. But Kia followed a bolder look, adding hood vents and other athletic elements throughout the exterior. Up front, the fastback features Kia’s signature tiger-nose grille and uniquely shaped LED headlamps.

Like BMW’s fastback, the Stinger GT features a side vent just ahead of the front door. Its character lines may not be as bold as those on the BMW, but its wheels are much more jazzed up than the competition. As a vehicle in its segment should, the Stinger GT features a beautifully sloping roof. The model also has a subtle piece of silver trim that runs along the windows into the rear of the vehicle.

In the rear, the Kia Stinger GT receives dual exhaust tailpipes. The thin taillights hide underneath the top of rear deck lid, giving the Stinger GT an unusual back end. On the bottom corners, angular vents finish off the look.

Peek inside the Kia, and you’ll find available Nappa leather seat covers as well as a large touchscreen (the screens of its rivals are controlled by knobs and buttons, not touch). Like the A5 Sportback, the GT’s screen sits prominently on its own atop the dash. Circular air vents remind us of those we’ve see on Mercedes vehicles. The rest of the controls look very Kia, however.

Which coupe-ified luxury-performance car do you think is the style winner? Let us know in the comments below.

Last week, we instigated a styling showdown between two new EVs: the Faraday Future FF91 and the Lucid Air. And it looks like Lucid won the day.

“The Lucid wins this comparison hands down,” declared J.B.W. “It is equally edgy and restrained.”

But there were some strong supporters of FF. “When it comes to design language you must stand out, and the Lucid gets lost quickly, while the FF is far from derivative,” said CaliDesigns777.

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