Ever since cars like the KIA Stinger started appearing, fans of brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have felt that the Koreans are close to the Germans but not quite there just yet. However, what if they actually are? In this new video from Everyday Driver, we get to see the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe take on the KIA Stinger GT.
The Stinger has been on sale for awhile now and, to be honest, hasn’t sold very well. However, that likely has to do with the fact that customers have a hard time spending BMW money on a car with a “KIA” badge. When you look at it, though, the “BMW money” you’ll spend on a fully loaded, top-of-the-line Stinger GT is the same as a mildly loaded BMW 430i Gran Coupe. This video puts those very specific cars up against one another to see how they get on.
Both cars are only within $1,000 of each other, so they’re essentially the same price. Yet the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, in 430i-spec, gets a 2.0 liter turbo-four with 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. While, for the same money, the KIA Stinger gets a twin-turbocharged 3.3 liter V6 with 365 horsepower and 373 lb-ft of torque. That’s quite a bit more punch for the same money.
In terms of handling, the 4 Series Gran Coupe is the smoother and more precise of the two. Even though the KIA Stinger is far, far better to drive than anyone would have expected, and is genuinely very good, the 4 Series has that extra layer of polish you’d expect from a brand that’s been building rear-drive sports sedans for more than half a century. Still, the 4 Series only a little bit better and that little bit is really only noticed at limit handling. Not exactly what you’d expect for the price.
In the end, Everyday Driver comes to the conclusion that the KIA Stinger GT is the better car. It’s far better value, just as fun to drive most of the time, much faster, more interesting to look at and just a bit more exciting. Would the conclusion have been different had it been a BMW 440i instead of a 430i? Maybe but the 440i is far pricier.
