Thinking of getting a Kia Stinger?
The style of the car
The Kia Stinger is a distinctive, attractive car with a sporty look that really stands out from the crowd. It looks like a saloon but it’s actually a five-door hatchback. The interior looks great and has a premium feel. Cars built from 2021 have subtly tweaked styling, including a new rear light design.
How it drives
The Stinger is a lot of fun to drive, with responsive steering and a great feeling of balance through corners. It’s comfortable and undemanding too, with light steering and a smooth automatic gearbox. Three engines are available: a 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0- or 3.3-litre petrols. The diesel and smaller petrol engine give rapid acceleration up to motorway speeds, while the 3.3-litre model is seriously fast. From 2021, only the 3.3 is available as new. The Stinger’s great for long journeys – it feels rock-solid and the interior’s quiet and comfortable. The view behind isn’t great, so manoeuvring can be tricky, but all models have parking sensors and cameras that help.
The interior
The Stinger is a large, five-door hatchback with five seats and is about the same size as the Alfa Romeo Giulia or Audi A5 Sportback. The interior looks great and feels luxurious, though some buttons do feel a bit basic. Still, there’s lots of standard equipment including sat nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, heated leather seats, cruise control, head-up display and much more. The 2021 updates include a bigger dashboard display screen. There’s loads of space in the front seats, but the sloping roof means that your taller back-seat passengers might find headroom a bit tight. Small children might have difficulty seeing through the high back windows, too. The boot holds four medium suitcases and the back seats fold down for more space.
Running costs
According to official figures, the diesel Stinger gives average fuel economy of 50mpg, the 2.0 petrol model gives 35mpg and the 3.3 model gives 28mpg. Those numbers are good but some rivals with similar engines are more economical. Tax costs for the latest 2021 are on the high side but are much lower for older cars. Safety organisation Euro NCAP gave the Stinger a five-star rating.
How it compares with similar cars
The Stinger’s main rivals are the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. They’re smaller than the Stinger and available with a wider choice of engines, but the Kia has a really distinctive look and is much better equipped. You can’t ignore the sheer speed of the 3.3-litre model, either.
