Kia Stinger to live on with new engine? Prototype spotted testing with new 2.5-litre turbo

Reports the Kia Stinger won't be replaced after the 2020 update appear wide of the mark, with a prototype of the Korean Holden Commodore rival spied testing a new turbocharged 2.5-litre engine. 

The engine in question is the group's 2.5-litre T-DGI - also used in the Kia Optima - which is expected to bump up the grunt to a considerable 213kW and 422Nm.

If approved, the engine would presumably replace the 2.0-litre engine found in the entry-level Stinger, and would mark an improvement on that car's 182kW and 353Nm.

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The new pic - published by The Korean Car Blog - also lends credibility to reports that the Stinger is in line for a dual engine transplant, with the new 2.5 litre to be joined by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, replacing the already punchy 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 (272kW and 510Nm) in the current model.

The new engine would be the same as the one in the top-spec Genesis G80, where it produces 279kW and 530Nm, so with luck, we'll see similar numbers in the Kia. 

The new follows Kia's official announcements surrounding the 2020 Stinger family, which would see the new engines forming part of the model that follows. 

A reported in CarsGuide, the Stinger is around $200 more expensive in 2020, now commencing at $47,390 plus on-road costs for the entry-level 200S, and stretching to $64,990 for the top-of-the-range GT Carbon Edition.

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No other changes were made to the Stinger for 2020, which means a new model could follow sooner rather than later.

Happily, the new image also seem to put cold water on rumours out of the Korea that the Stinger was to be axed. While there's been no official confirmation from the brand, the new engine testing implies a new model will follow after all.

The eagle-eyed photographer also spotted a bigger multimedia screen - now thought to be 10.25 inches - as well as a new variable exhaust inspired by the booming Hyundai i30 N.