2018 Kia Stinger is a bona fide high-performance grand tourer

As a sporting five-door, Kia's Stinger has ambitions of competing against cars like the BMW 4 Series Gran Turismo and Audi A5/S5 Sportback. 

The Stinger is Kia's first production rear-wheel-drive car, although this particular example features optional all-wheel drive.

Proportions are generous, with a particularly long wheelbase. Overall length splits the middle ground between Audi's A5 and A7 Sportback models.

The Stinger's amply proportioned cabin skews more sport than luxury in its aesthetic.

Final Stinger pricing has not yet been revealed, but the estimated starting price is $31,900 plus delivery. Top-shelf all-wheel-drive GT models with lots of options like this test car are likely to sit around $50,000.

Owing to local tastes, in America, these dual exhausts are tuned to speak a bit more freely than in other markets.

Yes, there's body roll in aggressive cornering, but it's not out of hand.

The GT's 3.3-liter, twin-turbo V6 puts out 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. 

To borrow a phrase, "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."

Embedded navigation is simple to use and snappy.

A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system comes on four-cylinder models, while an 8-inch display like this one is fitted to V6 examples. 

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.

Cargo capacity is listed at a healthy 23.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up.

Flip down the 60/40 split rear seats, though, and you'll liberate 40.9 cubic feet of space.

Front seats strike a nice balance between all-day comfort and support for enthusiastic driving.

There's plenty of rear seat legroom, and surprisingly decent head space. 

Rear seats are 60/40 split folding for maximum utility.

A pair of analog gauges bookend a color multi-function screen. No fully digital display is offered.

All but base Stinger models receive LED headlamps.

Brake lights are LED, but weirdly, only certain models receive matching LED turn signals.

Hopefully Kia will see fit to making these functional front fender vents also available in body color.

A range of advanced driver assist safety technologies are available, including intelligent cruise control with stop and start and auto-brake with pedestrian detection.

These plastic hood panels aren't vents at all. 

For a genuine performance car like the Stinger, this sort of non-functional jewelry isn't just unnecessary, it's tacky.

Continue clicking or swiping through for more images of the 2018 Kia Stinger.