This is the all new Kia Stinger, a GT Fastback looking to up Kia’s street cred  in Europe and also looking to slap down any German auto rival that dares to drive bumper-to-bumper on a highway/autobhan/motorway near you. To the untrained eye it looks like a Kia Optima, that’s exactly what we thought, for many hours, when we first caught sight of the Stinger. But it is all new from top to bottom, inside and out. Think of the Optima as the ugly sibling in Kia’s sedan range and the Stinger as a kind of A-List Brad Pitt, but a A-List Brad Pitt look-a-like. The Stinger’s design language is not influenced by the Optima a you might first expect, it is actually influenced by the 2011 Kia GT4 Stinger Concept. As with all concepts only a few design details get filtered through to the final production version. The Kia Stinger is a modern GT with old school values, power is delivered to the rear wheels and power comes courtesy of three engines one such engine is the only diesel engine in the range a 197bhp, 440Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine. Two petrol engines will be at the fore one such is a 4-cylinder 2.0-litre 251bhp/353Nm unit and the other is a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 which delivers 365bhp and 510Nm. The Stinger features the second-generation of Kia’s electronic eight-speed automatic transmission, which is fitted as standard with all engines. The Stinger’s ride and handling was developed to make it capable of taking every kind of road in its stride. Kia managed to persuade a former BMW M Division specialist to to develop the ride and handling, the BMW 440i was used as a benchmark. The MacPherson strut front suspension system has been tuned to optimise feedback to the driver, as well as maximise steering response and stability in all conditions. At the rear, a multi-link suspension setup aids handling responses, with a reinforced anti-roll bar for high stability and minimal body vibrations. The suspension is also adjustable thanks to variable dampers and Kia has tuned the Stinger to offer high speed stability and low speed agility. The Stinger also features an electronically-adjustable suspension system, Dynamic Stability Damping Control (DSDC).  Drivers can choose from five drive modes: Eco, Sport, Sport+, Comfort and Smart. In car technologies will include a height-adjustable Head-Up Display (HUD), a wireless smartphone charging pad, while Bluetooth integration is standard across the Stinger line-up in addition to the latest safety biased technologies. The Stinger will also be available with 4-wheel drive variants and will at a later date include a Hybrid version. Kia are taking a substantial risk with the the Stinger, European consumers tend to be patriotic and it will be hard for people to part with their Audi’s, Mercedes and BMW’s. The Kia Stinger will enter production in the second half of 2017, and will go on sale across Europe during the fourth quarter of the year. Pricing will be announced closer to the Stinger’s on-sale date. Rumors suggest the Stinger is expected to start at around £30k for the entry level 2.2-litre diesel and rise to around £47k for the V6 version.