Kia has branched into sports-sedan territory with its four-door hatchback Stinger. It was designed as a thoroughbred rear-wheel-drive sports sedan with an aggressive stance. In our tests, the Stinger proved to be a nimble car that combines performance, style, and practicality. But in terms of luxury and comfort, it’s not quite to the level of an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series.
The 2.0-liter, 255-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine offers ample power and a sporty engine note. There’s hardly any turbo lag. The eight-speed automatic transmission is smooth and responsive.
Even though the Stinger feels fairly quick out on the road, the 7.5 seconds it takes to get to 60 mph makes it one of the slower cars in the class -- and that’s likely due to the extra weight the Stinger carries versus some of its smaller rivals. What’s more, it gets a mediocre 23 mpg overall in our testing, falling short of several competitors.
Shoppers will need to spend several thousand dollars more to get the Stinger GT with the optional 3.3-liter, turbo V6 engine. With its 365 hp, funneled through either rear- or all-wheel drive, the GT is more of a treat to drive, with smooth, punchy performance. Of course, with all that extra power, owners should expect a fuel economy penalty.
The Stinger feels taut and agile when steering through corners, and it was a real hoot around the CR test track. The car demonstrated good tire grip and a balanced breakaway point at its limits, making it enjoyable to drive. Ride comfort is another matter. Impacts from pavement imperfections come through as stiff jolts, and the rear of the car can feel unsettled over large bumps. Other performance sedans strike a better balance between ride and handling.
It can be a challenge to get in and out of the Stinger because of the car’s low stance. Once inside, the front leather seats are comfortable and offer plenty of adjustments, including four-way lumbar for the driver. Rear-seat comfort is hurt a bit by the sloping roofline, but the hatchback creates generous cargo space, especially with the rear seats folded down.
The cabin has a sporty theme, with round dash vents and a few toggle-style switches. Fit and finish and attention to detail are good, but the car doesn’t feel particularly luxurious. The controls are easy to use, but drivers may struggle with the faint labelling on the satin-chrome buttons in sunlight, and they might that it’s a long reach to the infotainment screen and the audio system’s tuning knob. The electronic, stick-like monostable gear selector in the top-level GT2 trim, which we also drove, can leave drivers confused about whether they’re in Reverse or Park.
Optional advanced safety and driver-assist features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and driver-attention warning, along with the convenience of adaptive cruise control. These features come standard on the high-end GT2 version, but we found them hard to find on dealer lots in the more common (read cheaper) models.