Kia’s fan-favorite fastback shuns Korean normalcy to beat out a crowded field
It’s normal to be scared of the unknown. In fact, in 2017 when Kia announced the Stinger, we were all a little bit skeptical. An automaker known for cheap econoboxes suddenly shifting gears to manufacture a luxury-oriented sports sedan? In what world had that been done. It turns out taking Audi’s design executives like Peter Schreyer and placing them on your own upper echelon makes a world of difference.
Flipped somewhat is the public stigma of the manufacturer once associated with the throwaway Rio, enter in a new world of Korean vehicles, one that Kia has sat at the forefront of the stampede. Now, in 2022, the Kia Stinger has grown to an all-around example of a jack-of-all-trades. On one end sits the car’s ability to transport and be a quintessential family automobile. On the other is its vicarious twin-turbo V6 powertrain that’s a hallmark of the tuning community and makes it a sublime competitor to the Audi RS7 and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
An Oxymoron of a Car
It has become more and more prevalent in the automotive world to be a jack-of-all-trades. But, a literature expert would know that the continuation of the phrase reads out, “yet a master of none”. So many vehicles attempt to pander to a hodgepodge of different demographics. Oxymorons like “performance SUV” or “sporty pickup truck” are scattered across nameplates that shouldn’t ever be relinquished to a watered down shell of themselves.
The Kia Stinger, is none of that. A true performance sedan that flies under the radar. The Stinger doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Instead, it attempts to seek all sorts of categories. The marketing team didn’t have to fight about who the car is oriented towards, they just had a simple answer— “everyone”. The Stinger GT can pick up children from the afterschool program at the local elementary then shuttle them to watch it run hot laps at your local track.
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The performance isn’t unbearable, it’s not a race car, but it can take off on your neighbor who just bought a Mustang GT. Kia has found a niche, a large one that is, of people looking to do it all while not having to keep up with the regular endeavors of a high-performance vehicle. What soccer mom doesn’t want to be the talk of the PTA when she purchases a new car? In a day and age where the Chevy Trax has a high-performance variant in the RS, it seems as though the word performance has lost its meaning.
Kia has changed that, giving consumers the best of both worlds. An engine engineered by some of the best minds in the automotive industry by poaching their top staff, a design meant to be as practical as possible, and a features list that aspires to be one of the most equipped at a reasonable price means that people don’t have to compromise or get a watered-down version of a minivan strapped to a CVT.
Performance That’ll Blow Your Socks Off
As tough of a market the midsize sedan is, the Kia Stinger is one that sticks out of the pack. Ostracized by the mix of unique variables that the segment throws at its participants; the Stinger doesn’t seem to fit the ideal mold. In one faction, you get the economy vehicles which have vastly improved since Kia’s bad rap as a vehicle for people with a 300 FICO. The Camrys of the world never seem to be without a buyer or a market, there will always be room for those in the automotive pie. On the complete other end of the spectrum sits the high-performance variant, one that seems to be shriveling and shrinking by the second. The C63 AMG’s engine gets smaller, rumors that the BMW M3 will be downsizing, the abolishment of the CTS-V for the CT4-V, the list goes on.
Yet, the Kia Stinger doesn’t fall into any of those categories, maintaining its tenure with a 3.3 L twin-turbo V6 that hasn’t stooped to anyone’s level except its own. Originally pointing itself at a small cadre of enthusiasts to revive the Kia brand name as more than just a tarnished nameplate, the scope of the Stinger’s stronghold has increased exponentially with every year of production.
The V6 puts out 368 horsepower, leading the Stinger raucously down nearly every road you plant it on. That’s no hyperbole either, with the Stinger’s rather pedestrian outward gaze taking the vehicle to 60 mph in a tested 4.58 seconds. Topping itself out at a governed 150 mph, the Stinger GT can easily make its way around a dragstrip, notching a ¼ mile time of 13.1 seconds. That’s faster than our 2001 Corvette we tested at .2 ticks slower at the same time.
Driving the Stinger doesn’t feel nearly as raunchy as the times make it out to seem. Kia did a splendid job with controlling all the excess flamboyant jabberwocky that comes with a performance car. The interior held its mute stature throughout our testing, so much so that some of our testers fell asleep in the rear seats while flying down the George Bush Turnpike at 80 mph. Something that not a lot of “sporty sedans” can attest to.
Soon enough, all of our sins were washed away by the active exhaust we found to work to near perfection. The toggling of a switch made the rambunctious engine noise screech to a sharp halt. Speaking of halts, the six-piston Brembo brake calipers were a next-level addition to the approximately $52,000 starting point. Those brought us to a skidding stop from 70 mph in 185 feet, a healthy figure for a vehicle with a curb weight of 4,179 lbs.
Creature Comforts are a Big Plus
What the Stinger gets right is what so many other vehicles and competitors seem to get wrong. Kia has been known to include most of its features as standard, and the Stinger is no exception. With most of the car’s creature comforts as standard, the GT2 is lightyears ahead of its competition in terms of value provided at its price point. The list includes the 10.3-inch touchscreen, Kia’s host of active safety features such as active cruise control, and Michelin Pilot Sport rubbers as standard.
We found it appealable that the Stinger had this onslaught of useful trinkets when we were struggling to even find them available on vehicles $20,000 above its starting ranks. The CT5-V’s Super Cruise feature is an extra fee on top of the V’s base price. The Audi S7’s adaptive cruise control function is a $4,200 premium over the S7’s already pricy $83,500 position in the segment.
Kia’s UVO system does well in the face of increasing pressure from rivals, but leaves something to be desired on the table. There’s no cool gimmicks or outstanding features which we found, but we don’t expect that fully at this end of the payscale. Yet, we have fallen in love with the simplicity of it all, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the heated seats are or how to turn on the headlights. It’s all laid out for the driver with a basic mindset.
German Design Roots
Since 2006, head honcho of design Peter Schreyer has been commanding Kia’s design department. The same person who worked for German rivals like Audi, Schreyer has had a history of creating impressionable designs. Known best for creating the Audi TT, his same ethos has carried over to the Stinger, making a design that’s uniquely German with a Korean twist.
The fastback design frees up space not available with a traditional roofline, also pitting it in direct competition with the Audi S7. The Stinger benefits from a low-profile ideology. Nothing about the car says it’s packing nearly 400 horsepower under the hood. No flashy M badges grazing every inch of the vehicle’s bodywork, no RS stamped on every headrest. Instead, the Stinger shows spurts of a race car, with red stitching, satin black exhaust tips, and a spoiler implanted on the rear decklid.
A refreshed headlight setup with a new design for the DRLs steals the look of the front fascia. Emulating something out of Star Wars, the sci-fi theme continues on the intake vents for the front brakes in the lower part of the bumper. The entire car looks above its zip code on the price scale. Showcasing its pedigree from previous European designs, the Stinger looks like a vehicle three times its price, which we found immense value in. The amount of “what car is that?” or “how much did you pay for that” conversations we had during our testing was justification enough to think about dropping the press car status and inducting it into our full time fleet.
Value That’s Hard to Beat
Quite possibly one of the Stinger’s biggest strengths is its value. Segmented in an affordable place for most mid-end buyers, the Stinger offers the best of both worlds for a reasonable price. Too often do rebrands drive up the price of otherwise cheaper vehicles, yet the Stinger GT2 reaffirms its price at a solid $54,435.
With competitors flying into the low $70,000 range and even higher, the Stinger offers a sense of sanity at its lower MSRP. The Kia name doesn’t carry as much weight in society as other name plates such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz, but it doesn’t need to. Its offerings make it well worth its base price. The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing starts at $84,990 in its most basic variant. Start adding options and that price skyrockets faster than your wallet can keep up.
The 10 year/100,000 mile warranty helps as well. The piece of mind one gets is well worth the step down in vehicle prestige from a German one, especially when you know that the repair bill won’t force you to take a loan out on the house. It’s important to note that even though the namesake isn’t nearly as famed as some of the opposition, the Stinger doesn’t sacrifice anything worthwhile in the name of price.
We’ve Declared a Winner
In a pack so dominated by duality, it’s clear the Kia Stinger exceeds expectations beyond our highest hopes. It beat out serious competition in the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, Cadillac CT5 and CT4 plus their V variants, and the Audi S7. Unlike the latters, the Stinger is the epitome of value. Where cars are getting pricier and pricier with more features being omitted or being reserved for the highest bidder, Kia directly combats the enigma that is predatory pricing.
It’s hard to be a jack-of-all-trades, and Kia has made it clear that its flagship vehicle isn’t a one trick pony. We’ve grown smitten with the Stinger in more ways than not, which is a testament to the car’s ability to wow at a reasonable price.
