Necks crane, cellphones click. Those that haven’t seen the badge are wondering what it is. But it’s clear that admiration is the overriding sentiment.

And yes, the Kia Stinger GT is a crowd puller. Whether you’re cruising in the fast lane, or parked in the local shopping mall lot, the low-slung muscle car doesn’t remain undetected for long.

You get used to waving cheerfully at yet another eager motorist pointing his mobile at the Kia, and answering endless questions about the fast-backed four-door. It’s the kind of attention usually reserved for supercars.

All of this confirms that Kia has managed what would have been unthinkable only a few years ago: to create a truly aspirational, head-turning machine that people desire.

The brand has come a long way from those early, cheap runabouts that sold on price alone. Back then, a colleague once wryly remarked that the faux wood in the original Kia Rio was so fake they made real trees laugh – much to the chagrin of the then Kia SA CEO.

Today’s Rio is an entirely different and thoroughly appealing proposition, as is the diminutive Picanto and all the other models in the contemporary Kia range. But in terms of sheer desirability, the Stinger propels the Korean brand into an entirely different motoring universe.

The Stinger GT sets its sights on the premium segment, specifically on the so-called grand touring class. It’s a segment populated by contenders purporting to combine sports car dynamics with four-seater space and comfort.

That’s a tricky balancing act at the best of times, and in most cases, the pendulum tends to swing more towards the sporty side of the equation. Not surprisingly then, the Stinger GT adopts a similar approach.

In styling terms, the Stinger GT’s suit is cut from muscle car cloth. The look is low and mean, if not necessarily lean, thanks to a long nose, aggressive air intakes, deep-drawn sills and flared wheel arches filled to the brim with big, 19-inch wheels.

For Kia cognoscenti, the grille’s trademark shape will serve as confirmation of the Stinger GT’s identity, but its interpretation here is broader and narrower, while the slim, all-LED headlight clusters incorporate both fog lamps and daytime running light strips.

The rear gets a gloss black-finished diffuser and a quartet of bold chrome-tipped exhausts, while the tailgate includes an integrated spoiler just above the LED tail lights. There’s something distinctly Audi-esque about that rear treatment, though …

While the fastback shape creates a wind-cheating impression, the sheer bulk of the Stinger does become apparent when viewed in profile. The extended wheelbase is good for interior space (and high-speed stability), but even with a relatively short front overhang, total length still comes to just more than 4.8m.

The scalloped flanks and scythe-shaped air vents behind the front wheel arches save the Stinger from slab-sidedness, however, and its low, crouching stance also ensures an almost feline aggression that ties in nicely with the high-performance theme.

If the exterior design bias favours a dynamic image, then the cabin places the emphasis firmly on the luxury side of the equation. No cheap plastic wood or indifferent finishes, here: it’s all plush leather, soft-touch surfaces and metallic accents.

A tall centre console splits the front into two distinct zones for driver and passenger, and the ergonomics favour the pilot. If there is a criticism here, it’s that there’s a lot of switchgear by modern standards – but at least the layout is user-friendly.

The touchscreen display centrally perched on the dashboard will be familiar from other current Kia models, and serves as an intuitive interface for the Stinger GT’s infotainment system.

The latter offers most of the important stuff – Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, classy Harman Kardon sound, USB and auxiliary connectivity – but a notable absence, at this price point, is satnav. You’ll just have rely on your smart device’s Google Maps …

Even so, the standard equipment bar is set high: heated and ventilated electric seats, a heated multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry and start, electric steering wheel adjustment – the list is exhaustive, even by luxury car benchmarks.

Rear accommodation is generous for a sports tourer, thanks to that long wheelbase, and despite the rear-sloping roofline, there’s ample head and legroom for two adults. The boot is expansive, too, if on the shallow side.

Kia claims 406 litres of cargo space, expandable to 1,114 litres by folding the rear seatback flat. That tailgate also makes access to luggage particularly convenient. However, the flimsy tonneau cover is one of the few tacky touches.

Delve under the Stinger GT’s skin, and you soon realise that Kia is serious about delivering on its performance promise. Wedged in deep and hard against the engine bay’s firewall is a brawny 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6.

The 272kW and 510Nm on offer are substantial, helped by a huge wallop of low-down shove from the turbos. They spool up so quickly, and integrate so seamlessly with the engine’s natural urge, that there’s never any sensation of lag or hesitation.

Given that the Stinger GT weighs in at around 1.8tons, its alacrity off the mark is neck-wrenchingly impressive. Kia claims 4.9sec for the 0-100km/h sprint, and if anything, the actual experience feels even quicker.

Despite that fat rubber, and the presence of both stability control and a limited-slip diff, the rear wheels struggle to control that initial surge of power. The tail becomes somewhat unruly, and quite a bit of steering input is required to keep the Kia on the straight and narrow.

For drag racer types, there’s launch control, which optimises power delivery and traction for the cleanest possible getaway. But you won’t be using it in day-to-day traffic, so get used to treating the loud pedal with some respect, even with stability control engaged.

Not surprisingly, in-gear acceleration is equally visceral, even in higher gears: the Stinger makes overtaking slower traffic almost laughably easy. And the surge of urge seems infinite, with no letting up as long as you keep the throttle planted.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox is slick rather than truly quick, and while Kia provides shift paddles, swapping cogs manually remains slightly tardy, with none of the percussive incisiveness you’d expect of a muscle machine.

Left to its own devices, the gearbox reacts rapidly enough to throttle inputs, and the gear shifts are smooth and swift enough to make the most of the V6’s efforts.

To further tweak the driving experience, the Stinger GT offers a selection of driving modes, ranging from Smart and Eco to Comfort and Sport, as well as a programmable custom setting allowing individualisation of the various parameters.

Those include steering effort, throttle response, stability control intervention and even the exhaust note level. The differences aren’t huge, to be honest, with the exception of the Sport setting’s markedly louder exhaust, and the more lenient stability control

The big question, however, is how the Kia copes with all that power when the ruler-straight ribbon of tar starts to unravel itself up and down the slopes of a mountain pass.

The Stinger’s waywardness under straight-line acceleration is the harbinger of a less than impressive handling performance. The rear always feels too soft, resulting in a lot of squat-and-squirm when you power out of a corner.

In typical rear wheel-drive style, it’s best to adopt a slow in, fast out approach: get on the throttle too early, and the rear will want to wiggle its way into oversteer. The good news is that it’s never scary: the process is both benign and controllable, so old-school throttle steer is very much on the cards.

That limited slip diff does maintain a semblance of order, though, and while the steering always feels overassisted, it’s quick and accurate enough to dial in just the right amount of countersteer.

All of this may be hugely entertaining, but it won’t endear you with other road users – and it certainly won’t get you from point to point as quickly as something with tidier road manners.

To their credit, the Stinger GT’s engineers have endowed the Korean with some decent, Italian stopping power. The big, crimson-callipered Brembo brakes have loads of bite, but are easily modulated and provide plenty of pedal feel.

So, is the Stinger GT really up to the task of taking on its more established European rivals? Well, that depends which cars you’d consider rivals.

Conceptually, the Audi S5 Sportback is probably the closest in terms performance, but it has the benefit of quattro all-wheel drive to keep things tidy – and it’s a lot more refined. It’s also a R77,000 more expensive, with less standard kit.

For similar money, there’s the BMW 440i Coupé, which is also rear-wheel drive – but it’s even smaller than the Audi, and has to make do with two doors only. Jaguar’s XF S would be a tempting rear wheel-driven alternative, but it’s way pricier at around R1.3-million.

To me, the Stinger doesn’t need rivals to vindicate its existence. It’s a muscle car done mostly right, with loads of oomph, loads of space, loads of creature comforts – and loads of charisma. It’s entertaining to drive, challenging to corner and more than fast enough.

That it happens to be a Kia will do much to change the local perception of a brand – a key strategy underpinning the car’s limited release here.

It’s pricey in Kia terms, yes – but not when bang for the buck is the real measure. And with only a small number of examples imported, all of which have already been allocated, there’s the exclusivity factor to consider.

That may well end up being the Stinger GT’s strongest draw card. DM

PROS

Distinctive, aspirational and rapid.

CONS

Handling lacks finesse.

VITAL STATS