Kia has put a fair number of promotional eggs into the sleek basket that is the Stinger performance sedan, but the company needs to work a little bit harder during the pandemic to make them pay off.
Since debuting in 2017 as an ’18 model, the Stinger has received its fair share of positive attention. It was a hit during Wards 2018 10 Best awards, winning for its 3.3L V-6 and interior, and the model sold over 16,000 units in 2018. The numbers have been dropping since then, though, with just 12,556 sold last year.
But a car like the Stinger isn’t meant to outsell, say, the Honda Accord. As a halo car, its effect already can be seen in models such as the ’21 Kia K5, with its Stinger-inspired style.
But Kia hasn’t been able to fully promote the Stinger as a halo for the past year, Russell Wagner, Kia vice president-marketing, says during a virtual media briefing hosted by the Automotive Press Assn.
With large, in-person events not possible during the pandemic, messaging’s effectiveness has dropped a bit, Wagner says. Kia is looking forward to refreshing its message when crowds are possible again.
“Once we start, that’s where the halo element is,” he says. “Whether it’s our NBA sponsorship or other activations, we always bring a Stinger to make sure people understand the halo, because we still have low awareness of this vehicle. We’ve still got a challenge to show people that Kia can be your solution when you want to get into a sports car.”
When those events start up again, Kia will have an updated ’22 Stinger to display. Three trims will be available when the refreshed Stinger launches this spring – GT-Line, GT1 and GT2 – and a special-edition Scorpion model will arrive fashionably late.
The 2.0L base 4-cyl. has been replaced with a 2.5L turbo-4 with 300 hp, 45 hp more than before, and 311 lb.-ft. (422 Nm) of torque, but with the same fuel economy figures. Those are estimated at 22/32/25 mpg (10.7-7.3-9.4 L/100 km) for the rear-wheel-drive model and 21/29/24 mpg (11.2-8.1-9.8 L/100 km) for all-wheel drive with torque vectoring.
The 3.3L twin-turbo V-6 remains an option, but it now gets three extra horsepower. The ’22 Stinger comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and should have a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 4.7 seconds with the 3.3L.
Exterior updates are led by the new brand logo on the hood and wheel caps, but Kia also has given the Stinger standard LED headlights and LED taillights that now go all the way across the liftgate. There also are new 18- and 19-in. wheel designs and new exhaust tips.
The interior (above) now has a 10.25-in. (26-cm) navigation display that’s standard as well as black gloss and chrome cockpit garnishes and a new Nappa leather seat design with “chain link” stitching inspired by high-end wristwatches.
Kia’s suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies, including automatic emergency braking, blindspot collision avoidance and lane keeping assist are standard in the ’22 Stinger.
The base price of the Stinger G-Line is $36,090; the GT1 and GT2 are priced at $43,690 and $51,290, respectively. All-wheel drive adds $2,200. Prices don’t include $1,045 in destination charges.
Stinger redesign includes LED taillights, new exhaust tips.
