2018 Kia Stinger Expert Review
Reviewed by Stefan Ogbac
The 2018 Kia Stinger is an all-new model for the Kia brand and is its first sports sedan.
Vehicle Summary
The 2018 Kia Stinger is a midsize sports four-door that features a fastback roofline and a large hatch. Rear-wheel drive comes standard and all-wheel drive is optional.
Overview
The Stinger is offered with two engines including a 2.0-liter turbo-four rated at 255 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 365 hp and 376 lb-ft. Both engines are paired exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Available features include LED headlights, Kia's UVO infotainment system, leather upholstery, a head-up display, a Harman/Kardon premium audio system, blind spot warning, and a multi-information display between the gauges. Rear-drive models come standard with a mechanical limited-slip differential, while all-wheel-drive-equipped cars have torque vectoring control instead. The Stinger is also the first Kia to feature an adaptive suspension system.
Safety
The NHTSA and IIHS haven't crash tested the 2018 Kia Stinger. Available active safety features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and driver attention assist.
What We Think
We have yet to drive the production-spec 2018 Kia Stinger but we expect it to be a car that should drift easily in rear-drive guise, as we noted on our First Look. The rear-drive 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6-equipped Stinger GT should be the most potent and driver-focused variant of the Korean brand's first sports sedan.
Cool Fact
The 2018 Kia Stinger's exterior design was inspired by the GT Concept that first debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.
