I've been feeling the itch to start looking at new cars, even though I've got over 6 months left on the ol' lease. So, a coworker offered to let me drive his Stinger GT today. It's a GT2 AWD in Panthera Gray, with a black interior. Sorry I didn't take any pics, seemed like it'd be awkward since we were both sort of time crunches. However, I found a decent he shared back when the car was new, with apparently, a red Stinger in the background.



First off, I took a pretty decent-length drive, about 10 minutes give or take. I took it on some back roads near the office, with a few turns but not too many opportunities to go fast in a straight line.

This one wasn't totally stock, either. It had a sweet-sounding blow-off valve and intakes. I may sound immature for saying this, but now that I've driven it with those, it's hard to imagine it without them.

Overall, how was it? Well first impressions were of course, of the outside. The exterior is stunning. It's got this clean, simple look that makes it look a bit bigger than it actually is. That hatchback rear end works really well, though it can appear bulbous when looked at from the side. The wide hips and quad exhausts finish off the rear of the car nicely, making it look like more than a run-of-the-mill hatchback/sedan.

On the inside, it's actually not too different from what we're used to in the IS, where space is concerned. The seats were a bit wider, and there's a hair more width to the car overall. However, it still feels more like a compact car than a midsize car on the inside. To be honest, its tweener size was actually quite refreshing. The steering wheel has a nicely thin rim, with perforated leather on the 9-and-3 grip areas, and a flat bottom. The dashboard was totally padded in soft-touch material. Overall, it's a quality interior.

I didn't waste too much time in the parking lot, since I wanted to see how this Stinger drove. Setting off, there's a back up camera with lines that turn, like in an IS. The resolution was decent, but no better than what I am used to. As I rolled towards a stop sign, the owner showed me how to change the drive modes, and suggested that Comfort is overall the best mode for driving in. I toyed with Sport for a minute, but decided that it was a bit aggressive on the throttle. Like in the Genesis G80 I had previously driven, it was just a hair too eager to hold gears. In terms of the drive modes, I left the car in Comfort most of the drive, since it seemed to do what I wanted it to just fine. If I had time to play with customization, I'd probably make a mode that had the Comfort powertrain, but the stiffer damper setting.

As fas as how it drives, let me start with how it rides down the road. The Stinger GT has struts up front and multi-link in back, meaning it has the par-for-the-course suspension setup for a compact luxury sedan. In Comfort mode, it's really quite comfortable. I felt bumps, but only just so - the car neither allowed loud sounds to intrude into the cabin nor did it get bouncy over rough surfaces. Coming out of some corners at "normal" driving pace, I felt that the steering felt natural and actually interestingly similar in its weight and steering ratio to the IS. Probably a coincidence. All in all, this would be a killer car in which to simply commute to work. Visibility, ride comfort, and ease of driving are all high.

Now, what about taking some turns and accelerating with enthusiasm? Those are things the Stinger also does. And, it does one of them much more enthusiastically than the other. The power delivery in this car is very responsive for something with a turbo. The turbo lag is negligible, and it's nonexistent in Sport mode. Indeed, Sport seems to somehow keep the turbo on boil, as even the lower revs have a bit more shove to them. Stomping it out of a bend in 3rd gear saw me going from 40 to 70 in the blink of an eye, while also producing some entertaining turbo whooshing. Though not as characterful as the Macan Turbo I drove recently (the most recent turbocharged vehicle I've driven), it felt similarly fast.

Really, the transmission is not bad. I promise! Okay, so maybe there's a hint of lag between your paddle pull and the gearbox reacting, but the shift speed and smoothness are great. It seems to be doing a decent impression of a ZF 8 speed, but with lag. The transmission was easy to use when left to shift for itself, which I let it do for most of the drive. I was a bit worried that the transmission would be clunky based on what some have said online, but I found it to be quite good.

Finally, there's the going around corners part. In Comfort, the Stinger is... comfortable, naturally. This means, however, that there is some body roll. In Sport, the front end seems a bit more eager to turn in, but the body roll is still present. To be honest, the IS stays flatter in the turns compared to the Stinger, but I think there's nothing wrong with that. The turn-in response in the Stinger is still unquestionably sharp, but it's obvious from many aspects of this car - namely its size and shape and GT moniker - that it is more intended to be a GT car than a track car. That said, for back-road driving there are some minor downsides. Notably, I thought the car felt just a little bit loose when turning and also hitting uneven pavement at the same time. The IS, while a bit firmer, always feels rock-steady in these types of situations - not so much in the Kia. That said, I could probably just floor the gas pedal, and all would be forgiven.

In summary, the Stinger GT seems like a super fun car. And, I was impressed at the quietness and high-quality materials in the interior, despite coming from a Lexus. It's definitely keeping its spot on my short list of IS replacements.

 

Glad to hear your thoughts, I pretty much agree with all of them, as I spent considerable time in the Stinger while looking to replace my GS.

My biggest complaints on the Stinger are items that you touched on with the handling. If you took a curve at speed and there was any kind of dip or rise in it, I felt that the rear end would get a bit unsettled. Not sure exactly how to describe it. Totally a livable situation, but I did not feel that the handling was the equal of the IS/GS. I felt the the Sport mode wasn't aggressive enough in the suspension setting. I think it would handle a lot better if it would firm up some more in Sport mode. I found the Hyundai/Kia 8 speed to be completely pleasant.

But that engine. Dear lord. I loved it. If I could have stuffed it in my GS, I would have what I consider to be a perfect car. So much power on tap at any speed. Truly intoxicating.

I really liked the interior, though after having the GS 12.3" screen the 8" unit in the Stinger felt small, and I don't like touchscreens, but the software/interface is pretty solid. The leather was nice, power sunroof shade was good, cargo room is superb, etc. My only real dislike on the interior was that, at least in black, it felt very dark with a high belt line. The windows/greenhouse felt short.

I also think the outside is absolutely stunning.

Pricing is good too. They tend to sticker around $52k, but Kia generally runs about a $6500 rebate on them, and it's easy to get another $4-5k off from the dealer, especially at the end of the year, meaning you can get one for around $40-42k, which is a heck of a value.

So back in October or so of last year, I called up a few local dealers and asked them to get me a 2019 GT2 AWD, red on black. After none of them could get one for 4-5 months, my interest wained and I ended up picking up a 2019 GS350 to replace my 2015 GS350. I am 100% good with my GS decision, but I can't help but gawk and wonder "what if" when I see a Stinger on the road.

 

Nearly picked one up as a replacement for my IS 350 a few months ago, but the paint issue kept me away. Numerous videos and a 130+ page thread on the kia stinger forum detailing this issue. Like JDR76 mentioned, they have huge discounts on stingers. I have seen GT1's in the low 40K range and gt2's slightly under 45K so it is tempting.

 

I think after driving it, the paint issue wouldn't keep me away. Everything I interacted with seemed really well put-together. Though, it was my understanding that only the yellow and bright-blue colors had the issue? The dark gray is a fabulous color. I would totally rock it, though it'd be easy to get my car mixed up with my coworker's if that actually happened.

 

I read that over time, the Stinger gets squeaky and rattly fast. I'd much rather get a Genesis G70. Has higher build quality.

 

Yeah, my coworker has put about 5,000 miles on his so far. He just got back from a road trip to Colorado (about a 9 hour drive from here). Nothing yet, that I could detect on the short drive. But, 5,000 is still pretty early.

 

I test drove a white one (gt1 2018) few months ago, it was a demo car with 5k miles on it. Noticed many chips on the front bumper and hood and paint peel underneath both headlights. Yellow is by far the worst when it comes paint issues but I guess all colors can be affected, it all comes down to the build date (also read about issues on 2019's).

Another problem I had was that nearly all stingers came with the "all season package", at least here in NY. This package gets rid of the 19" (225 F 255 R) wheels and summer tires and instead has 18" wheels with 225 Front and rear all season tires. In my opinion the 18's just look too small on the stinger and having 225 section tires front a rear is not a good idea on a car pushing over 360hp.

 

That's ridiculous, I'd never get anything other than the 19s on the Stinger GT. Though, in Kia's defense, I've never seen a GT with anything other than the 19-inch wheels out here in Kansas City - and we have real winters here.