Marking its second model year, the 2019 Kia Stinger sports sedan will celebrate its garnet anniversary with a new limited-run Atlantica edition.

Based on the top-of-the-line GT2 trim with all-wheel drive, the 365-hp Stinger Atlantica will be limited to a total of 500 units. Each Atlantica wears a coat of Deep Chroma Blue paint and rolls on 19-inch wheels cribbed from the Europe-market model. Completing the Atlantica’s exterior is a large “Stinger” badge at the center of the decklid. Meanwhile, the Atlantica’s blue hue is complemented by Espresso Brown nappa leather seats and a black faux-suede headliner.

The Atlantica isn’t simply an exercise in styling, though, as Kia has added meat to the model’s bones thanks to a trio of technology features that are new to the Stinger: a surround-view monitor, a wireless phone-charging system, and seat heaters for those positioned in the rear outboard seats.

Look for the 2019 Stinger Atlantica to go on sale this summer. Pricing has yet to be announced for the limited-edition model, but we’d wager that the Atlantica will sticker for a couple bills more than an all-wheel-drive 2018 Stinger loaded to the GT2 trim level, which is priced from $52,300.

Queensland, Australia’s police department is rolling out 50 Kia Stinger patrol cars this week after the sports sedan received “top reports” from officers, News.com.au reports. This is not surprising, since the car seems perfect car for this job.

The news website says police departments throughout Australia are moving to replace Holden Commodore V8s and Ford Falcons, now that the companies that built them have shuttered their factories. I guess Aussie cops aren’t easily parted from their performance sedans.

While some organizations have gone with BMWs or Chryslers as highway patrol cars, the news site reports that Queensland has chosen the Kia Stinger. Fifty Kias are expected to be “rolled out across Queensland from this week,” News.com.au writes, and 200 are expected to eventually replace the third-most populous Australian state’s entire fleet.

The news site quotes Assistant Commissioner of the Road Policing Command, Mike Keating, who described how well the Stinger did in what news.com.au reports was an “extensive” evaluation process:


The Queensland police minister also gave the Kia some love, saying:According to Carscoops, the new patrol cars will be 365-horsepower GT V6 models (the Stinger is also available with a 255 horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four) with all-wheel drive, and that they’ll be outfitted with a bunch of police equipment from “strobe lights and sirens to communication radios.”

I haven’t driven the Kia Stinger, but my boss has, and he called it “the real deal,” lauding its excellent Lambda II T-GDi V6 engine, its superb handling, and all the room in the cargo area (it’s a hatchback!). And really, what can you want in a police car? (Admittedly, Patrick said the rear headroom isn’t great, but the back seat of a cruiser isn’t meant to be plush. Don’t break the law if you don’t want to be back there.)

Queensland’s got the right idea, here, and I hope American police units hop onboard, too. That way, in 15 years, I can buy a used Stinger for a song.