If you want real Coke, you have to go to Mexico. Well, you have to get it from Mexico. That Coke is still made with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. And the good stuff still comes in glass bottles — not plastic.
Kia's new Stinger is the real Coke of sport sedans.
What It Is
The midsize Stinger is Kia's first rear-wheel-drive sport sedan (all-wheel drive is optional) and one of the very few such sedans you can buy for less than $33k to start.
It's also a hatchback sedan, so it has more than three times the room for your stuff as a conventional sedan.
Base price is $31,900 for the entry-level trim with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive can be added to total $35,100, which also gets you a heated steering wheel.
And if you'd like a 365 horsepower twin-turbo 3.3-liter V-6 — and the capability of getting to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of almost 170 mph — that's available, too, plus Brembo high-performance brakes all around and an adaptive suspension. This version in rear-wheel-drive form costs $39,100 to start, and AWD costs $41,300.
A top-of-the-line GT2 with the 365-horsepower V-6, AWD and an array of luxury features (including a 720 watt 15-speaker Harman Kardon audio system) costs $52,190.
What's New
2018 was the first year for the Stinger, so the 2019 received a few minor tweaks only, including standard heated rear seats for the GT2 trim and the inclusion of most of the previously optional driver assists — adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitor and automated emergency braking — with the Premium and GT1 trims.
Rear-wheel-drive models also now come standard with a limited-slip rear axle.
What's Good
The RWD layout and performance are better than many luxury-brand sport sedans for about the same price as a well-equipped FWD family sedan.
AWD is offered with either engine.
The hatchback layout is practical — and sexy.
What's Not So Good
V-6 versions seem thirstier than they are because of a comparatively small (for the power/performance) gas tank.
Under the Hood
The Stinger's standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder has 255 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque at 1,400 rpm.
An eight-speed automatic with four driver-selectable modes is standard.
With RWD, the Stinger gets to 60 mph in about 6.3 seconds and carries and EPA rating of 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. With the optional AWD, the mileage dips only slightly to 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.
The optional V-6 engine stands out like Hulk Hogan at the airport. It has 365 horsepower and 376 foot-pounds of torque, all of that available from 1,300 rpm up.
You can go RWD or AWD — and either way, you'll get to 60 mph in the mid-to-high four seconds.
On the Road
It is easy to forget how pleasant the RWD layout is, how balanced and correctly weighted it feels — like a blade that's just right.
The front tires are only tasked with steering the car, not propelling it. This division of important tasks is sound policy in a sport sedan, if not ideal in a family sedan.
In winter, the rear-wheel-drive car will slip sooner and require more skill to get up a hill. Adding AWD counters the RWD layout's tendency to slip sooner on wet and snow-slicked roads. But that takes away from some of the fun of hanging the tail out when it's dry.
At the Curb
It's said looks aren't everything. But they're not nothing either. From almost every angle, the Stinger is striking.
It is also something else — a fastback that is a very useful liftback.
When closed, it's sleek. When open, it reveals 40.9 cubic feet of space underneath that gorgeous roofline. Even with the back seats in place, the Stinger has 23.3 cubic feet of cargo space — almost twice the trunk space of conventional (and same-size) sedans like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.
People room is good, too: 42.6 inches of front-seat legroom and 36.4 inches of back-seat legroom.
Headroom's good, too, which is impressive given the car's Maserati stance. The car is 55.1 inches high at the roofline — two inches lower than the Accord (57.1 inches) — and yet it has almost the same back-seat headroom (37 inches vs. 37.3 in the Accord).
The Rest
The Stinger has a 15.9-gallon gas tank, which is about the same size as the gas tanks in most current midsize sedans. However, most midsize sedans don't offer 365-horsepower engines, which go through fuel almost as fast as they get to 60 mph.
Kia might have added a larger tank to go with the heroically powerful engine. But saying this is like complaining about a napkin not being properly folded at a really top-shelf steakhouse.
The Bottom Line
Few cars can match this Kia's sting — without stinging you with a much higher price.
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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