2018 Kia Stinger Spotted in the Wild for the First Time [News]

The 2018 Kia Stinger made its debut at the 2017 North American International Auto Show. However, the release date is not supposed to come until this fall. So you can imagine we were a bit surprised when a viewer sent us these photos of the 2018 Kia Stinger on the road.Very special thanks to TFL viewer Jezreel who sent us these pictures from Santa Clarita, California. Jezreel managed to catch the Kia Stinger in the wild, months before it is supposed to be released. Although, the model name has been removed from the car.

The 2018 Kia Stinger is all about performance. Featuring a selection of two turbocharged engines and the option of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, Kia hopes to tap into the sports car. According to Kia, the 2018 Kia Stinger will make as much as 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque from it’s 3.3L turbocharged V6 engine. This power will be sent to the wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. Alternatively, you can go for the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which produces 255 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. However, to get the claimed 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds, you’ll need the more powerful engine.

Other performance upgrades include some beefy Brembo vented brakes and Dynamic Stability Damping Control (active suspension), to help the Stinger corner flat, ride smooth, and come to a stop when necessary. Kia has even gone so far as to test this car on the Nürburgring, taking notes from a number of performance car manufacturers, in order to insure it can keep up with its competitors.

Special thanks again to Jezreel for emailing us these pictures. It is really cool to see this car on the road well before its launch in the fall. Until then, stay tuned to TFLcar for more news regarding the 2018 Kia Stinger.

While you wait, why not see some other angles of this new GT sedan from Kia. Watch the reveal below: