Kia Stinger (2018 – 2022) Review

The Kia Stinger showed how far the South Korean company had come when it was launched as a rival to the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. And it was a mark of how accomplished the car is that many considered it. But ultimately, running costs and a lack of badge appeal counted against it, and buyers erred towards safer bets like the Audi A5 and Volkswagen Arteon. Read on for our full Kia Stinger review.

The Kia brand has traditionally been synonymous with value, thanks to vehicles like the Kia Picanto city car and Kia Ceed family hatch.

But it also aimed to provide an affordable alternative to more upmarket cars with the Kia Stinger.

You may think that no self-respecting BMW or Audi used car buyer would consider a model from the firm, but take a look at what you get with the Kia Stinger before dismissing it.

The entry-level model has a 2.0-litre petrol engine producing 255PS. Even this Kia Stinger comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, heated leather seats, front and rear parking sensors, selectable drive modes, adaptive cruise control and – for enthusiastic drivers – a limited slip differential.

The mid-range Kia Stinger GT-Line S added an electric tailgate, LED headlights, a Harman Kardon premium audio system and a panoramic sunroof.

The top-spec Kia Stinger GT S features 19-inch alloys, hefty Brembo brakes and adaptive dampers, not to mention a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine producing 370PS.

That’s enough to take it to 62mph in 4.9 seconds – faster than a BMW 440i. Makes the Kia an intriguingly affordable fast car prospect, eh?

The Kia Stinger does the ‘value for money’ thing well, but it’s also pretty good to drive.

It’s not quite as polished as models from the established premium brands, but it handles very well and there’s plenty of power on tap.

The gearbox is a bit unrefined and we’d like a bit more compliancy in the suspension, but a Volkswagen Arteon, for example, doesn’t come close for driver enjoyment.

It would have been easy for Kia to cut corners on the interior, and, while you will find switchgear from lesser models, the cabin has a reasonably upmarket ambience.

Three turbine-style air vents dominate the dashboard, along with a large central touchscreen.

You sit low down, helping the sporty feel, while a longer wheelbase than the Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series of the same period means that there’s a reasonable amount of interior space (although adults in the rear might wish for a bit more legroom).

The boot appears fairly big, but it’s also quite shallow, meaning its 406-litre capacity isn’t as impressive as rivals.

The Kia Stinger is not an obvious choice and might take a bit of explaining to people who don’t quite get what it’s all about. It’s an interesting alternative to German rivals, however, and its rarity means it turns heads in the way a BMW 4 Series never will.

We’d almost go as far as saying the Kia Stinger is a modern-day bargain.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Kia Stinger review here.

The Kia Stinger has the kind of interior that gets better the longer you spend in it.

On first impressions, it’s high quality, without being excessive. There’s no wood or strange veneers, and no mixed materials fighting for your attention.

Even the three central and two rear ventilation nozzles feel premium, working beautifully and reminding us of the original Audi TT (in a good way).

With a bit of time, you start to realise how user-friendly the cabin is. Many of the essential controls are duplicated or even triplicated, so you don’t have to fumble around in an impenetrable touchscreen menu just to adjust the climate control.

You can turn up the radio on the steering wheel, by using a knob, or in one of the function menus: whatever suits you. Everything you want to know is easy to find. And all the switchgear is beautifully laid out and neatly designed. 

Eight-way adjustable front seats mean it’s easy to get comfortable, and the driver’s seat drops very low to help the sporty feel (also aided by the view over the long bonnet).

Tall adults might be less comfortable in the rear, where legroom isn’t as generous as you may expect, but the sloping roofline doesn’t hinder headroom too much.

Although the Kia Stinger's interior isn’t as plush as upmarket alternatives, it’s sufficiently different from other Kias to feel special.

There could be a few more soft-touch materials and the infotainment clearly isn’t a premium system, but few buyers are going to feel let down by what the car has to offer.

An eight-inch touchscreen in the centre top of the dashboard takes care of the infotainment.

It looks a little bit small compared to premium rivals, but operates easily enough, with simple sub-menus working in its favour. 

In the GT Line models, there’s a nine-speaker audio system with a subwoofer under the front seat, although on the GT Line S and GT S, this is upgraded to a 15-speaker Harman Kardon system, which sounds excellent.

Either stereo comes with standard DAB radio, MP3 connectivity and USB, aux-in and Bluetooth. There’s standard sat-nav as well as Kia connected services, including local search, traffic details and weather updates. All have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. 

There is also a reversing camera for all Kia Stingers, with the GT Line S and GT S benefiting from a full 360-degree surrround view monitor.

Indeed, there are few obvious omissions from the standard specification, with only the lack of a full digital instrument panel – or even the option of one – a miss in this area of the market.

You can have a Kia Stinger with the 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine for less than £20,000 in GT Line trim. This sort of budget will also bag you a 2.0-litre turbo petrol.

If you want to go the whole hog with the 3.3 V6, you will have to up the spend to around £23,000 for a four-year-old car with 45,000 miles showing.

Officially, the Kia Stinger 3.3 V6 manages 27.7mpg on the combined cycle, which is close enough to the 30.3mpg of the 2.0-litre petrol to warrant giving the V6 the nod.

The 2.2-litre diesel does better, with an official combined consumption figure of 40.9mpg. But it’s not the engine we’d pick, as the V6 makes the Kia Stinger feel special in a way the other motors do not.

As the car was launched after 1 April 2017, all models attract the same flat rate of road tax payment at £180.

However, the V6’s original list price of just over £40,000 also means you’ll need to pay an additional £390 per year until the car hits its sixth birthday.

As the Kia Stinger was sold new with a seven-year warranty, used car buyers will enjoy this cover up to that point, or 100,000 miles depending on which comes round sooner.

Servicing at a Kia dealer will be more cost-effective than for rivals with Audi, BMW or Mercedes badges on their bonnet.

However, insuring a Kia Stinger will be much the same as for its German opposition, as its sits in groups 32 to 41 (out of 50).

The standard suspension of the four-cylinder cars provides a smooth ride most of the time, but it’s not quite as polished as premium rivals when you do hit a bumpy stretch.

The Kia Stinger weighs more than 2000kg, and it feels it. Despite that, it handles a lot better than you’d expect for its size and heft.

For a budget GT car, it’s incredibly agile, with a front end that loves to dart in and a rear end that’ll follow obediently until you select Sport Plus mode. In which case, you’ll need your wits about you as even the 2.0-litre petrol has enough power to loosen traction in the dry with a bit of provocation.

When you have long distances to cover, the Kia Stinger is a lovely companion – jerky gearbox aside – with little wind or road noise at motorway speeds.

The Kia Stinger is very good value, but it’s also flawed in a number of areas.

For a start, the gearbox is hesitant and seems to take an age to change gear. Stick the cruise control on and, even at a fixed speed, it’ll flick between gears as it can’t decide which of the eight available is best suited to the conditions.

You can use the steering wheel paddles to take control if you like, and this is a better option for spirited driving, but it’s still not fully manual.

The automatic gearbox will override you if it thinks it knows better, which is frustrating if you’re mid-bend.

The powerplant that shows the Kia Stinger in its best light is the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6.

It’s a smooth, muscular performer, with peak power of 365PS arriving at 6200rpm. However, it’s the 510Nm of torque – available from just 1300rpm through to 4500rpm – that delivers its excellent low-rev flexibility and mid-range shove.

It’ll get from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and top out at 168mph.

The 2.2-litre turbodiesel is a poor relation in comparison to the V6, which is hardly surprising, although it will provide decent if raucous pace if you want it to, with its 197PS backed by a useful 440Nm of torque. 

The 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol delivers 242PS and 353Nm, allowing it a 0-62mph time of 6.0 seconds – 1.6 seconds quicker than the turbodiesel.

All Kia Stingers come with autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, driver attention alert and speed limit information.

GT-Line S and GT-S versions also have blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, and the GT-S is fitted with uprated Brembo brakes.

A limited slip differential is standard on all models, as is an Active Bonnet to protect the heads of pedestrians in the event of a collision.

Performance GT cars are not the first port of call for most drivers looking to tow a trailer, but the Kia Stinger can handle an unbraked addition of up to 750kg.

Hitch up with a braked trailer and the car is good for up to 1500kg.

The Kia Stinger GT-Line is the entry point to the range and comes with an eight-inch touchscreen navigation system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth with voice recognition and music streaming.

There’s also a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensor and seven-inch TFT supervision cluster, plus a head-up display to provide speed and navigation info.

You also get a nine-speaker sound system with front under-seat subwoofer, 18-inch alloy wheels, projection headlights, LED tail lamps and daytime running lights.

Add to that leather upholstery, eight-way power-adjustable memory front seats, along with a two-way power-adjustable cushion extender, heated front seats, chrome gear shifter, alloy pedals, wireless phone charger, cruise control, dual zone climate control and a suede headliner.

The Kia Stinger GT-Line S adds a 360-degree surround-view monitor, 15-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system with subwoofer, external amp and front centre speaker, full LED headlights and 19-inch alloys. You also get ventilated front seats, plus a powered tailgate.

The Kia Stinger GT S trim was only offered with the V6 engine and has adjustable suspension, soft Nappa leather upholstery, two-way adjustable driver’s seat side bolsters and a Brembo brakes upgrade.