Kia’s high-performance fastback sports saloon, the Stinger, now boasts a refreshed design to amplify its gran turismo character and features a range of technology and safety upgrades.

The latest Stinger boasts a re-profiled exterior design along with improvements to the cabin appearance and build quality.

The exterior gains a more high-tech light signature, with a new rear combination lamp spanning the width of the car. New rear indicators, each comprising of 10 individual LED units, are arranged in a grid pattern – a motorsport-inspired design – which reflects the appearance of a chequered flag.

A new design for the 19-inch alloy wheels with intricate, geometric designs enhance the sporty, grand tourer nature of the car. And ‘Electric Blue’ exterior paint is also introduced to the ’GT S’ for the first time.

Inside, the overall architecture of the cabin remains the same, but subtle visual, material, and textural improvements create a more luxurious ambience. New additions include a metallic finish to sections of the flat-bottomed steering wheel and a chrome bezel around the instrument cluster. The rear-view mirror is now frameless and the dashboard features Kia’s upgraded 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and navigation system with a new gloss black trim.

New mood lighting allows the driver to select from one of 64 colours to subtly alter the character of the cabin.

The upgraded Kia Stinger carries over the same Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that it offered previously, as well as a series of new features and updates to provide even better protection for the driver, their passengers and other road users.

The latest cutting-edge safety technology has been added to the new Stinger, including a new Blind-Spot View Monitor (BVM) that acts as a ‘second pair of eyes’ for drivers by eliminating a driver’s left- and right-side blind spots. It displays a high-resolution video feed within the instrument cluster’s digital display if the driver indicates to change lane with another vehicle in their blind spot.

Lane Following Assist (LFA) helps the vehicle stay in the centre of its lane, while Highway Driving Assist (HDA) maintains a set distance from the vehicle in front on a motorway or A-road, and also keeps the car in the centre of its lane, even on a curved road.

Safe Exit Warning (SEW) detects vehicles coming up from behind on either side of the Stinger when parked and stopped, alerting occupants with a sound and visual warning if they attempt to open the door into oncoming traffic. Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) provides a warning to the driver if they leave behind any pets or children when they exit the car.

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) now offers protection when turning across the road into a junction by identifying oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Furthermore, it offers increased activation range when detecting a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. The Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) is now able to detect the edge of a road, as well as the lines in the road, providing steering assistance to prevent the driver leaving their lane without signalling. Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) provides an enhancement over the existing Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW). Instead of simply warning drivers of cars in adjacent lanes, BCA helps drivers avoid a potential collision by applying differential braking.

Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA) is a new feature for the latest Stinger, with system based on traffic sign recognition. Driver Attention Warning (DAW) now has an increased operating speed of up to 130mph, and also alerts drivers if they fail to notice the car in front move off from a stop. The navigation-based Smart Cruise Control (NSCC) helps drive around curved sections of a motorway or A-road, automatically reducing the vehicle’s speed to an appropriate level before entering the curve. It reverts to the original speed as the vehicle leaves the curve and returns to a straight road.

The Rear Cross-Traffic-Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA) has been upgraded and now helps to prevent collisions with crossing vehicles while reversing by taking emergency action, whereas previously the system only warned the driver with a sound.

The Stinger ‘GT S’ is priced from £42,595 and is available to order now. And like all Kia models, the new Kia Stinger will be available with the industry-leading seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.