KiaStinger

　　

2023 Kia Stinger Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　, rating written byChristian WardlawVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　When it comes to enigmatic cars, the 2023 Kia Stinger might top the list. It's a sport sedan offering the utility of an SUV. It's a Kia with premium design and interior fittings. It looks like a low-slung coupe, but it has room for your spouse, your kids, and enough luggage under its rear liftgate for a family road trip. It can easily drift around paved corners but offers available all-wheel drive for when a snowstorm strikes. Depending on your priorities in a new car, owning a 2023 Stinger might have you thinking you've died and gone to heaven.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2023 Kia Stinger GT-Line 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$178/mo  for Stinger GT-Line

　　Stinger GT-Line

　　GT-Line 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 8A) - $36,690 MSRPGT-Line 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 8A) - $38,890 MSRPGT2 4dr Sedan (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A) - $51,890 MSRPGT2 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A) (Most Popular) - $54,090 MSRP

　　vs

　　$165/mo

　　Avg. Midsize Car

　　What's that? You didn't even know the Kia Stinger exists? Don't worry. You're not alone. But you still have time to check this car out and get one before it's gone. You see, Kia is in the midst of a big electrification push, and with the arrival of the EV6, there simply isn't much need for Kia to keep the Stinger in its lineup. But there's still a lot to like about this overlooked sport sedan. Check out our Expert Rating below for our in-depth testing of its performance, comfort and more.

　　

What's it like to live with?

When Kia introduced the Stinger for the 2018 model year, we added one to our long-term road-test fleet and put more than 18,000 miles on it. Aside from consistent complaints about outward visibility and a lack of refinement concerning the adaptive cruise control system, the twin-turbocharged Stinger GT2 proved its worth. You can read up on our experience living with a Stinger in our long-term test of the car.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.5/10

　　How does the Stinger drive? We tested the Stinger GT-Line with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive. It's smooth and responsive and provides quicker acceleration than most other sedans in this price range. In zzdcar' testing, the Stinger hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which is decently quick. There's also the V6-equipped Stinger GT1 or GT2 if you need more power. With that engine the Stinger rips from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.0 seconds.

　　Braking performance isn't quite as good. It took the Stinger GT-Line 133 feet to stop from 60 mph, which is longer than the braking distance we get from many SUVs we test. We blame the GT-Line trim's all-season tires, which aren't particularly grippy. Those tires also hold it back when it comes to handling, though the Stinger still feels responsive and fun on winding roads. It leans more in the corners than other sport sedans, but it's fairly composed overall. The Stinger's steering is a highlight. It's on the lighter side, but there's a decent amount of feedback. It's quick and precise and makes the car feel relatively nimble.

　　

Comfort

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the Stinger? While it doesn't balance comfort and performance as well as the V6-powered Stinger GT, we found the four-cylinder GT-Line to be smooth and refined. The suspension smooths out bumps and imperfections pretty well, but the ride can get a little jittery on rough pavement. The seats are the bigger letdown. The fronts are well shaped with plenty of support, but the padding is a bit too stiff and can reduce comfort on long drives. The rear seats are stiff too and somewhat flat. They're not uncomfortable, but they're not outstanding either.

　　The Stinger is pretty quiet. At idle, you occasionally need to look at the tachometer to see if the engine is still on. When you get moving, there's a mild amount of wind and road noise, but nothing unacceptable for the class. The standard dual-zone climate control works well and has easy-to-use controls.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below