2022 Kia Stinger Overview
Photo: Kia
Although the official debut of the 2022 Stinger was somewhat deflated by a handful of eager Kia dealers, the updated model is still worth getting excited about. Elevating “the game” and presented as a vehicle that’s “born to perform” by Kia, the Stinger is poised to continue to impress those looking for a high-end drive at a moderate price.
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What’s new for 2022?
The popular Stinger has undergone quite a few changes for the 2022 model, including improved performance, a more advanced interior, new exterior touches, and additional standard safety features. The Scorpion Special Edition Stinger, arriving later this spring, comes with a rear spoiler, blacked-out exterior accents, unique black wheels, a carbon fiber interior trim, and select exterior colors: Aurora Black, Ceramic Silver, and Snow White.
Exterior
The 2022 Stinger keeps its recognizable body style thanks to its low, wide stance. But new features worth mentioning include distinctive LED lighting and new geometric alloy wheels. In the back, you’ll see a more aggressive and bold quad exhaust design. However, one of the most noteworthy changes is Kia’s brand-new logo adorning the hood and wheel caps.
Interior
Inside, the Stinger’s driver-centric cockpit features gloss black details and ambient LED mood lighting with a variety of colors for an added touch of luxury. The Stinger GT specifically gets a more modern “chain link” stitching effect on the door panels. When it comes to tech, an all-new 10.25-inch touch-screen display is standard and is compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Additional new amenities include a wireless smartphone charger as well as a larger center cluster display to improve the readability of pertinent vehicle information.
Performance
The Stinger is known for its performance, so it stands to reason that the most thrilling update for the 2022 model is the increased power under the hood. The base GT-Line trim moves on from its previous 255-hp 2.0-liter engine and upgrades to a 2.5-liter turbo-four capable of 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque — all without sacrificing any fuel economy. The GT1 and GT2 trims also benefit from slightly improved performance with the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 capable of reaching a massive 368 hp compared to 365 on previous models. Fuel economy for the 2022 Stinger reaches a max of 32 mpg on the highway for the FWD GT-Line. The GT1 and GT2 cap out at 25 mpg on the highway when equipped with FWD and 24 mpg for AWD models.
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Safety
The latest in Kia’s Drive Wise suite of safety tech is now standard for all trims. Lane Keeping Assist, Auto Emergency Braking Technology, and Blind Spot Collision Avoidance, which applies the brakes if a vehicle is detected in your blind spot to avoid a crash, can be found on every model. An additional noteworthy safety feature offered by Kia is Safe Exit Assist. This innovative tech will alert you if a vehicle is approaching from behind when you’re attempting to get out of the Stinger, potentially saving you and your passengers from disaster.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.