Vehicle Type: Mid-size sports sedan/hatchback.
Price Range: $37,135 - $52,335 including destination but before options.
Powertrain: As standard, the 2022 Kia Stinger GT-Line is outfitted with a 2.5-liter turbocharged-four cylinder engine, producing 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Rear-wheel-drive (RWD) is standard, while all-wheel-drive (AWD) is optional across all models.
Additional powertrain options include:
A 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine producing 368HP and 376 lb-ft of torque found in the Stinger GT1 and GT2 models paired to the same eight-speed automatic transmission found standard.
What’s New for 2022?
While the existing Stinger model line carries over into 2022 without a wholesale redesign, the Stinger did gain several styling and powertrain updates.
A new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine replaced the old standard 2.0-liter motor.
The twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 is standard in both the GT1 and GT2 receives a power boost taking the output from 365 horsepower to 368 horsepower in the 2022 model year.
Styling improvements in the 2022 model year include updated exterior lighting elements, new wheel designs, and more extensive exhaust tips.
Interior updates consist of upgraded materials throughout the cabin, new metallic trim pieces, and a larger 10.3-inch infotainment display became optional equipment.
What’s Good?
- A newly tuned V6 engine offers more power
- Hatchback design makes the Stinger a more practical daily driver
- Performance at every trim level
What’s Bad?
- Not as luxurious as other offerings in the segment for a similar price
- Subpar fuel economy rating
- Still catching up to Germans in terms of brand cache
Would we buy one? We would definitely consider one!
More Photos:
See more 2022 Kia Stinger Photos.
Overview:
The 2022 Kia Stinger is a mid-size sports sedan hatchback that offers a poised ride and handling, roomy seating and cargo space, and a user-friendly infotainment system. The Stinger competes directly against vehicles such as the Audi A5 Sportback, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, and the Genesis G70. Competition remains tight among these vehicles as they overlap in price and target demographic.
Kia has aimed their production of the Stinger as an alternative sports sedan for people who are successful in their careers but are not satisfied with the typical German lineup. The top of the line Kia Stinger GT2 is the best Kia offers in a sports sedan and is outfitted with AWD and a tuned twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6, producing 368 horsepower.
Kia launched the Stinger in 2017, gradually updating and improving each model year. The 2022 model year represents the most powerful and most refined Stinger to date. Standard features of the 2022 Stinger consist of adaptive cruise control, interior cargo shade, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, rear parking aid, rain-sensing wipers, and an optional electrochromic rearview mirror.
The Kia Stinger offers standard infotainment features such as a 7-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, two USB ports, HD Radio, satellite radio, six speakers, and a smartphone charging pad. Optional infotainment features include an 8-inch touch screen, navigation, nine speakers, and a 15-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
Overall Score: 3.7/5 stars
Tech Features: 3.5/5 stars
Kia's onboard infotainment system is known as the UVO system. The Stinger comes standard with an eight or ten-inch touch screen, offering simple menus, sharp graphics, and additional buttons and knobs for the main audio and climate controls. As previously mentioned, the 2022 Kia Stinger includes technology such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The user interface is occasionally slow to respond to user input but overall is easy to use.
Other technologies featured in the Kia Stinger are a wireless smartphone charging pad, in-dash navigation, and an optional sunroof. Music lovers will enjoy upgrading their speaker system for the optional 15-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system, which sounds excellent. Kia has insulated the Stinger to block road noise and increase cabin interior noise quality.
Practicality: 4/5 stars
The Kia Stinger presents an efficient daily driver. The front seats are power-adjustable at all trim levels, wrapped in leather upholstery, and heated as standard. Surprisingly, the rear seats are comfortable for two grown adults or three children to ride in as the Stinger has more rear seating room than average for the segment. The Stinger comes with a suite of driver assistance safety features making the Stinger a safer and easier to drive daily vehicle.
The Stinger's performance figures make it a joy to drive daily and provide enough perkiness to make your daily commute more enjoyable. The cargo capacity offered in the Stinger is 23.3 cubic feet of space with the rear seats upright and 40.9 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded down. The Stinger's back hatchback design offers ease of loading groceries, golf bags, or suitcases. Kia provides a limited five-year or 60,000-mile warranty and a powertrain warranty for ten years or 100,000, making it one of the leaders in warranty coverage within its segment.
Practicality is built into the 2022 Kia Stinger, making it a segment leader for daily driving. However, Kia does not offer one piece of usefulness: complimentary scheduled maintenance appointments that all other vehicles in the segment offer. Not only would complimentary maintenance increase Stinger's practicality, but it also adds to the overall cost of the car over time.
Styling & Design: 4.5/5 stars
The design of the 2022 Kia Stinger is impressive. It offers a well-built sports sedan with stylistic features to improve its overall aesthetic. Kia does a great job at making the Stinger look aggressive and refined with styling to rival BMW and Mercedes-Benz; ditto for how well Kia has kept the Stinger looking current.
Designing the Stinger as a hatchback allows for practicality and ease of consumer use, making it an excellent choice for families who desire a sportier sedan option.
While Kia does not match Stinger's interior quality to its German rivals, the interior of the Stinger is comfortable for all passengers. Kia utilizes quality materials throughout the cabin and offers leather seating. The vehicle's exterior provides a sports car look but does not offer the polish found in segment rivals. The Stinger's quad-exhaust adds to the overall aesthetic and sportiness found.
Driving Experience: 4.5/5 stars
The 2022 Kia Stinger offers a driving experience that gets your blood pumping. Either engine choice is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers quick shifts. The paddles shifters lag behind driver reaction times, but the Stinger shifts quickly when left to shift independently. The Stinger GT has an impressive 0-60 miles-per-hour (mph) time of 4.6-seconds.
We tested a RWD Stinger GT with the V6 and came away impressed with how well this car has aged since it was introduced. The additional power from this larger motor was certainly appreciated and frankly the car felt like it had more than the advertised 368hp.
We loved the predictability of the RWD model's handling though it's been our experience that Stingers equipped with AWD also perform well around corners, hugging the corner tight before quickly accelerating out of the turn. Brembo brakes are outfitted to the Stinger, allowing for more fantastic deceleration times and quick stops.
The steering feel from the delightfully thin wheel was outstanding; some of the best we've felt in a while. This added to the car's inherent sense of communication with the road.
Overall the Kia Stinger performs as well as its German rivals when equipped correctly and with the proper driver behind the wheel. The Kia Stinger maneuvers well and provides aggressive handling while keeping all passengers in leather-wrapped comfort.
Safety Features: 4.5/5 stars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the 2022 Kia Stinger an overall safety rating of five out of five stars. Similarly, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2022 Kia Stinger a Top Safety Pick Plus award with overall "Good" and "Superior" ratings.
All Kia Stinger trim levels are equipped with a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Safety features on the 2022 Kia Stinger are user-friendly. They include optional advanced safety features such as forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, head-up display, and adaptive cruise control, among many more. The only chink in the Stinger's safety armor is the NHTSA's four out of five-star rating on the Stinger's frontal collision avoidance crash test.
Value: 3.5/5 stars
The Kia Stinger falls short in interior and overall quality compared to its German rivals. The Stinger easily meets buyer expectations for the price paid but does not exceed expectations in any category.
The Kia Stinger is a great budget option for consumers seeking a sporty sedan with increased interior quality over standard sedans and sporty drivability. Kia has yet to provide the same quality German rivals such as BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.
Fuel Efficiency: 2.5/5 stars
Fuel efficiency can be broken down by powertrain configurations offered in the 2022 Kia Stinger. The most fuel-efficient variant of the Stinger is the RWD four-cylinder variant achieving ratings of 22 miles-per-gallon (mpg) in the city and 32 mpg on the highway (hwy).
The more powerful V6 engine, the most popular choice, is less efficient, only achieving an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the hwy when paired with AWD. Compared to other vehicles in the segment, the Kia Stinger offers poor fuel economy ratings. Compared to cars with similar specs, the Stinger is less fuel-efficient than the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
What’s it Going to Cost Me?
The 2022 Kia Stinger has a starting MSRP of $37,135, inclusive of the destination fee for the base GT-Line model. The GT-Line model is the entry-level Stinger and is equipped with a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower and paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Standard features consist of 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated leather front seats, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen display with navigation and a rear backing camera system, among others. Standard safety features include a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
The GT1 model starts at $43,690 without destination fees included and features a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 368 horsepower and paired to the same eight-speed automatic transmission. The GT1 model is more performance-oriented than the GT-Line model and offers launch control, Brembo brakes, and a limited-slip differential in the RWD format. Convenience features include what you expect from a new car in 2022: a 12-way power driver seat and an eight-way power passenger seat. The interior cabin has multi-color LED accent lighting and a push-button start.
The GT2 trim level is the peak of Kia Stinger's ability and offered technology; this is the model we tested. With a starting price of $51,290 before destination and options, the GT2 competes directly against small luxury cars built by German rivals such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. The GT2 utilizes the same powertrain as the GT1 boasting a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 368 horsepower paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The GT2 Stinger level provides Nappa Leather seating, dual-zone climate controls, and heated and ventilated front seats. Convenience features at the GT2 level consist of surround view and blind-spot view monitoring, head-up display, and Harman Kardon premium audio.
Our tested added some wonderful red paint and a few other accessories for a total of $53,110 out the door.
But if we were buying one ourselves, we'd probably choose the GT1 trim level. It fits into a middle-range budget and provides a grand sports saloon in comfort and performance. The GT1 trim offers a more robust powertrain and an AWD system that make the Kia Stinger a sports sedan. Upgraded brakes, the comfort of interior seating, and the engine cause the GT1 to be the best choice for 2022.
