The Audi A7 is perhaps one of the most unique and luxurious sports sedans on the market today. Its coupe-like shape, practical hatchback, and athletic performance characteristics are unlike any other car, except perhaps for the Kia Stinger. The Korean brand’s most recent star performer takes some of its styling cues from Audi’s four-door coupe, but is it good enough to be considered a budget version of the A7?

A surprising sedan

It’s amazing to think that a Korean automaker that once produced cheap cars like the Rondo and the Sephia was able to come up with a formidable competitor like the Stinger in 2018. The Stinger, which starts at around $39,000, doesn’t just compete with other cars in its class, like the Acura TLX and Lexus IS but also punches above its weight class.

While Kia might not have specifically targeted the German brands when it was designing the Stinger, the end product sure has a wide target range even if it was unintentional. To recap, the Kia Stinger is a four-door sedan with a practical hatchback cargo area that comes with a choice between two different engines: a turbocharged four-cylinder or a twin-turbo V6.

Kia power

The turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine produces 255 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque while the twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 puts out 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. Both engine choices are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and come standard in a rear-drive format, however, an all-wheel drivetrain is available.

The Stinger’s 0-60 times are all over the board thanks to testing from multiple outlets, however, the best we have heard of is from Road and Track’s testing, in which the AWD Stinger with the more-powerful V6 got up to 60 in 4.4 seconds.

Comparably speaking, the 2020 Audi A7 is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine the produces 335 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque through all four wheels. According to Audi, this setup is good for a 0 to 60 time of 5.2 seconds. As you can tell, the Kia Stinger provides some worthy competition.

It’s not just about performance

The Stinger’s performance numbers are downright impressive and so is its interior. Considering the class that it’s actually in, the Stinger’s interior boasts a notable improvement over Kia models of the past in that it provides a much more comfortable cabin thanks to its premium material quality and better overall fit and finish.

Does it hold a candle to the Audi A7? According to Car and Driver, not so much. However, it is half the price of the German rival, so no one would expect it to. As far as that cargo area, the Kia Stinger measures in at 23.3 cubic feet of cargo volume as compared to the Audi A7’s 24.9 cubic feet. It’s close, very close.

RELATED: 3 Reasons Why You Should Buy a Kia Stinger

The verdict

While the Kia Stinger definitely comes close to being a carbon copy of the Audi A7, given its performance and overall shape, it’s just not quite there in every other department. Of course, we wouldn’t expect it to best a German sedan that’s sole purpose is to provide unbridled luxurious performance, but it does show that Kia has stepped up its game and it putting forth a valiant effort.

If you’re looking for a budget-minded solution to buying an Audi A7, then the Kia Stinger has you covered in the performance aspect, however, don’t expect it to swaddle you in luxurious accouterments like an Audi.