We've driven several Kia models this year and they were all impressive as the brand continues to build a loyal customer base. The Kia Stinger GT Line was among the most enjoyable sedans this year and for good reasons.
PERFORMANCE
This is a “test-drive” oriented edition so without wasting any time, lets get behind with ootage and drive visuals from the sun bathed highways and streets of Florida, to running footage from the California open Freeways - yes. We were not let down at all.
On the open road, we were able to really get the feel and capabilities of the Stinger GT Line.
First of all, GT stands for grand tourer, a type of car that's designed with both long-distance driving (touring) and high speed performance. GT's generally have style and often luxurious appointments wtih seating for four, but back seats are usually smaller.
From the very start, turning on the ignition, you are blessed with a mean growl that I loved. In the case of the Kia Stinger GT, there's 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, available in the 2022 base four-cylinder model. It's swift. The Kia Stinger is the fastest car in its class, hitting 0- 60 miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds. That's more than quick enough for my taste in a performance sedan.
We took it out to our test area for figure eights, zig-zags and start-stop excercises that we felt happy about because we were a bit tough and demanding. We wanted to know if the critics feedback was what we discovered.
GT’s 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 ups performance with a bump in power and is complemented by a new electronic variable exhaust for an even more visceral experience. But there’s more here. You get the RWD or available torque vectoring AWD. Estimated gas mileage: 22 in the city, 32 on the highway or 25 mpg combined (RWD) delivers 21/29/24 mpg (AWD) .
Among the options in this line, it is the GT that delivers this level of power and torque for a more thrilling drive. That drive is enhanced by the various modes available to adjust the drive experience. Sport mode is way more fun on turns, obstacles and open road driving/ The improved suspension's rebound damping over the previous model is an enhancement to the drive experience.
Safety based technology is abundant which includes several of my favorites:
Navigation based Smart Cruise Control: standard across the range for 2022. It's a system that relies on navigation data to recognize curves, different speed limits (even temporary ones), and other factors and adjust the cruise control's set speed accordingly.
Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian detection, cyclist, and junction turning.
Forward Collision Warning
The safe Lane technology: Lane Keep & Lane Follow Assist,Lane Departure Warning.
A slew of warning enabled tech; Driver Attention Warning, Blind Spot Collision Warning, Surround View Monitor
INSIDE
Stepping inside, the driver and passengers are treated with a premium touch from the dash, the center stack, the seats and the trimmings. Up front is an attractive layout that has plenty of notable features. For starters it's comfortable to sit in with those sports bucket seats that are adjustable for your height and leg length as well as depth. You can sit low and sporty or you can drive high and mighty (at least that's the way I felt).
In the driver seat everything is right there in front of you within reach. There's also a significant information and infotainment center at the center of the dash. It took a few days to get the hang of everything but it was quite useful and enjoyable when used to fit your needs and personal taste.
Looking at the driver readout gauges, there are two of them that dominate, one with the RPM readouts on the left, and driving mode readouts to the right. As well as information for your miles per hour, and gasoline status. You can actually adjust the settings there.
Those gauges are trimmed in silver. Up top there's a sunroof, evidently appointed overhead to enjoy outdoor air and changes in the seasons.
The front seats can be adjusted 16 different ways with the head rest sporting the GT badge right in the middle. You can even adjust the bolstering on your sides and the thigh extender that adds a bit more comfort to the driver. To the left you'll notice the soft touch doors have high quality stitching and leather, enhanced by silver beautiful Harman Kardon speakers both at the top and bottom of the door.
The center of the dash is dominated by that 10 and a quarter inch screen with three circular silver trimmed air vents underneath and buttons controlling the climate beneath that. In the middle of the center stack is a USB port and a 12 vt batte port. Below that, you find the drive stick and places to store your items along with two cup holders.
Behind that is additional storage places between the seats. Overall it's a nice cabin, with all the features we have become accustomed to.
The aluminum trim adds a style to it and your heating and cooling seat lever is right between the driver and passenger seats. Let's go to the back seat, be sure to duck your head when you get in because the roof line is a bit low. Kia says you get about 36 inches of legroom and I was recently comfortable in the back, not crunched up.
At 6' 3" I have that problem sometimes. The two speakers in the door added to the surround sound experience. In the middle of the driver and passenger seats there are two air vents and more places to charge your phones. The seats are quite nice, perforated leather with great color combination in the middle of the two seats is your arm rest drop down. It's quite useful and in front behind each driver and passenger seat is a netting for storage. The back seat was significantly roomier than I expected. The interior is actually one of my all-time favorites of the year. The color combinations and design are impressive to say the least. To top it off, the Stinger also had ample cargo space in the trunk. 23.3 cubic feet of space in that area.
EXTERIOR
This is one good looking car. It's a head turner with the sportback look. The front fascia has a cool, aggressive look with the KIA grill and detailed exterior appointments on the hood, the lower spoiler and front edges. My audience was not impressed with the fake air intake vents on the hood, but I liked it for the estethics. The side profile is longer and sportier than before with elegant design lines that adds an aerodynamic look and style to it. The 19 inch wheels feature updated five spoked designed styling with Brembo brakes looking cool. Yes, it's longer than some of its rivals. In the back, it's also sporty and aggressive featuring full LED Tail lights with the Stinger logo and GT on the back. The exhaust looks really cool in the back.
THE VERDICT
We do test drives to share with you some of the quality vehicles on the market today that you can consider for buying or leasing. We built wonderful relationships with auto manufacturers over two plus decades of producing Autofocus World content, and will continue to bring you the latest.
The Stinger is among the best of them and we hope that they continue to take this model to the next level and even consider a hybrid or all electric version. Either way it's a vehicle that caught us all by surprise and therefore we found enough good in it to nominate it for an autofocus award in the area of design. You'll be able to vote. Hopefully we'll get the attention of the people at Kia to help them understand our ability to help them expose their new products to multicultural audiences of buyers that can tilt the scale in their favor. Be sure to check out the Kia website for more.