This incredible experience was paid for by Kia, but all opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
I recently went to California to see the 2018 Kia Stinger up close and personal. I not only got to test it on some winding mountain roads, I was lucky enough to put the petal to the medal and go from 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds! OK, maybe I didn’t accelerate that fast, but the car can! At the autocross, Kia had also brought in some comparative vehicles to the Stinger so that we could test drive them as well. These included the Infiniti Q50, Porsche Panamera, Audi A5, Lexus GS, and the BMW 440i GC – all of which I drove or was a passenger in.
The Specs
Seeing the specs of these cars side by side really is an eye opener. Especially when you add the price in to the mix. The Kia Stinger is compared to cars that sell for $50,000+ more, and, in my opinion, it blows them out of the water. Just look at the comparison charts above and you will see the Stinger comes out on top with leg room, torque, and top speed. Being behind the wheel of several of these cars I can honestly say that I just felt way more comfortable in the Stinger. You can get all of it’s specs here – but my favorites are the Brembo brakes, blind spot detection, memory driver’s seat, and of course, the Harman Kardon premium audio with 15 speakers! I mean, there is a reason that Kia has been #1 in Initial Quality for two straight years by J.D. Power.
Rankings
Now admittedly, I don’t know too much about cars. My dad tried to teach me at a young age by taking me to car shows a lot – which I remember fondly. However, I ended up mostly just enjoying them for their color or shape of the car – not so much what was under the hood. After becoming a mom, I started to pay more attention to which vehicles were safe for myself and my family. Combine those two things – looks and safety – with some conveniences like heated seats and push button start, and the Kia Stinger easily became the top contender of the day. Before even taking the price into consideration, it topped my list. After the price reveal, I want to know where to sign to get one.
- Kia Stinger GT (driver & passenger)
- Lexus GS (passenger)
- BMW 440i GC (driver)
- Audi A5 (passenger)
- Porsche Panamera (passenger)
- Infiniti Q50 (driver)
Why I Rank the Kia Stinger First
There are three reasons the Kia Stinger was easily my first selection. Let’s take price and looks completely out of the equation – although those are two major reasons why I love the Stinger. The first thing I noticed was how much more comfortable the Stinger is. Not only is the interior roomy, it is extremely soft and comfortable. I didn’t sink into the seats like I did in the Stinger in any of the other cars. Getting back in to the Stinger after riding in the other cars, I felt at home. It just felt…right.
Flooring it in all of these vehicles really showed us their horsepower and acceleration ability. I felt like the Kia Stinger hands down beat out the competition on this one. Some came close, but none of them sped up like the Stinger did, as smoothly as the Stinger did. It took off like a rocket, and I loved every second of it.
Which brings me to my third reason, I just felt safer in it. Perhaps it was because I had already ridden in it/been driving it for about two hours before taking it out on the autocross. But I was never once truly nervous taking sharp turns or speeding around the course, where I was in a couple of the other cars. Also, I felt like the Stinger handled a lot better than most of the other vehicles. The Stinger is a car that I would drive my daughters around in – and feel good about it. Not to mention the added bonus of being the envy of all the moms at school drop off and pick up.
Price
The Kia Stinger is coming to dealerships this December with base pricing of just under $32,ooo. I mean, what! talk about a competitive price. The Stinger Premium starts at $37,100 and the GT starts at $38,3502. Even the GT1 & GT2 are extremely affordable – starting at a modest $43,250 and $49,200 respectively. If you are somewhere like I am (upstate New York), you can go with the all-wheel drive version for just $2,200 more.
Head to Your Local Dealership & Test Drive A Kia Stinger Starting in Early December!