In 2011 Kia wowed the motoring world with the Kia GT, a car that was designed to evoke the elegance and power of 1970s gran turismo cars that would whisk their occupants across continents in consummate style and comfort.

Peter Schreyer, Kia president of design and chief design officer, said: “As a child growing up in France in the 1970s I was unconstrained by the limits of engineering and I drew cars that were, to my eyes, beautiful, dynamic, original and, of course, very fast.

“Those dreams were the inspiration for the GT concept,” he added.

Six years later the Stinger arrived which, according to Schreyer “is not about outright power, hard-edged dynamics and brutal styling at the expense of luxury, comfort and grace”.

Rather, and this is where Kia’s bold ambitions become clear, “this car is all about the journey. It’s about passion”.

This is a car then, whose looks have to tell a story, whose stance and demeanour are required to invoke an emotional response by harking back to an era that, I imagine, a great many of its potential buyers will not recall.

First, then, and with one eye in the past and a foot in the future, Kia had to get the proportions right. The bonnet is long and the front overhang short. The extended wheelbase, at 2,905mm, ensures that cabin space is generous enough for four people to cross continents in comfort. The rear overhang is long and the shoulders broad.

It does, as was the intention, give the Stinger an air of elegance and lithe athleticism rather than brutishness and aggression.

It might be an all-new car but it remains unmistakeably a Kia. It’s possible to take a view that the company’s aspirations might have been better served following the lead of manufacturers like Toyota or Nissan by creating a separate, luxury, brand to take their fight to BMW, Mercedes and Audi – among others – but they clearly have, and with some justification, faith in the Stinger to carry that burden regardless of the badge on its nose.

So it wears the now familiar tiger-nose grille, albeit with a slightly revised look, between complex headlamp units. Another Kia trait. There are large air intakes at either extreme of the front bumper and on the long bonnet to aid cooling while the flanks wear bold creases that flow from the ducts just behind the front wheels to the rear arches where they blend into muscular rear haunches. Quad exhausts flank a bold rear diffuser to complete the notice of intent. And well served it is too.

There are some examples where cars’ cabins have failed to live up to the expectations created by the exterior design. Where ideas, or money, have run out and you find yourself sat in a passenger space that could have been – and probably has been – lifted straight out of another model in the manufacturer’s stable. That, I’m pleased to say, is not the case with the Stinger.

That isn’t to say that it’s not without its faults. It’s not as cohesive as, say, an Audi and there are some places, just a few, where material quality doesn’t quite match that of its more revered rivals.

However, there were some attractive touches – such as the red contrast leather in the doors and aluminium-finish centre console – and the swooping, wing-shaped fascia adds a welcome level of interest. It’s well equipped, with heated and ventilated Nappa leather front seats – the two outer rear seats are also heated as is the steering wheel – LED headlights, reversing camera system, head-up display, powered bootlid, wireless charging pad for your mobile phone and dual zone air con.

Mounted on top of the dashboard is an eight-inch touchscreen. Below it is a trio of circular air vents and, below those, are the audio and air con controls. As well as TomTom sat nav it also has Android Auto Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity.

It’s a competent system and responds well to touch inputs but its position high on the dash means that it’s a bit of a stretch to reach it, not something you’d particularly want to be contemplating while on the move.

The GT S and GT-Line S models are both fitted with a 15-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system that includes an under-seat subwoofer. It also comes with some clever processing that restores sound lost when files are compressed as well redistributing signals from the original recording to deliver multi-dimensional playback.

The seating position is low, which emphasises the sporty feel. There’s plenty of adjustment in seat and steering wheel so finding a decent driving position is straightforward. Visibility, particularly around the rear thanks to the small windows and sloping roofline, isn’t exceptional.

The extended wheelbase pays dividends in the cabin, with excellent legroom for passengers in the front and back and, because the roof doesn’t begin its downward trajectory until its well behind rear passengers’ heads even taller passengers won’t feel the pinch.

There are three flavours of Stinger to choose from. A 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel, a 244bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or, the subject of this review, the range-topping 365bhp GT S with a 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 under the bonnet.

With 510Nm of torque available from just 1,300rpm the GT S is never going to disappoint in the performance stakes. There’s very little turbo lag as it picks up pace strongly and predictably from low down in the rev range.

There is a tendency for the stability control system to intervene too frequently – even when turned ‘off’ – and too unpredictably.

There is some disappointment at the lack of an appropriately enticing soundtrack to accompany the engine’s exertions – unless you’re running in Sport modes with the electronic audio enhancements to beef up the volume – but the flipside is that refinement, a degree of tyre roar on some road surfaces aside, is excellent.

The eight speed semi-automatic transmission swaps ratios smoothly in Comfort mode but you sacrifice some of the refinement switching to Sport mode, or using the manual paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel. On motorways at cruising speed, however, the Stinger is effortless and the need to change gear to overtake slower vehicles is unlikely to ever arise.

Despite its dimensions the Stinger feels agile and lithe. The steering is on the light side – though switching through driving modes adds weight, changes engine and throttle response and, in the GT S, adjusts the damping – but grip is excellent, and the front tyres bite keenly as you turn into a corner.

A little more tactile feedback through the steering wheel would be welcome but, as it is, you’re always driving with the suspicion that there’s just a little bit more to come from the chassis.

The electronically-controlled rear differential helps ensure that the rest of car toes the line and, though Sport and Sport+ modes reduce roll and softness in corners, they do so with very little compromise in either comfort or composure.

Despite its bulk, something that the driving aids can’t entirely hide, the Stinger is nimble with impressive levels of grip to keep the huge reserves of power in check.

Kia have professed to have grand ambitions for the Stinger. There’s little doubt that it looks the part both outside and in and goes like it looks. Dynamically and materially there are some shortcomings but it must be remembered that the Stinger’s price, right across the range, is considerably less than its rivals and those savings have to made somewhere.

The truth is that it manages to push its rivals very, very close and, if you’re not overly concerned with the badge that adorns the front of your car, then the Stinger is very much worthy of your consideration.

Kia Stinger 3.3 T-GDi V6 GT S

Price: £40,535

Engine: 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbocharged.

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Max power: 365bhp @ 6,000rpm

Max torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm – 4,500rpm

Max speed: 168mph

Acceleration (0-60mph): 4.7sec

Urban: 20.8mpg

Extra urban: 36.2mpg

Combined: 28.5mpg

Emissions (CO2): 225g/km

For more information visit www.kia .co.uk