Review: 2022 Kia Stinger GT-Line - Underappreciated 

bought my mustang because of you Matt. Thank you so much for your work

I bought this for my wife and she loves it! It's quick and fun to drive. If you take it on the highway with cruise between 75 and 80 you can get 37 mpg no problem which is crazy 😉

I own this 2022 GT-Line model and they came with those Bridgestone Potenza tires. I absolutely hated them. Never really felt the best traction on them especially when it rained and the ground was really wet. After about 5000 miles, I decided to upgrade to the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus. These are UHP (Ultra High Performance) All Season tires. These are some of the best tires you can buy for this type of vehicle. So much more traction in terms of overall handling, off the line, improved road noise and traction in inclement weather. The 2022 Kia Stinger GT-Line has really good handling overall but having better quality tires improves the handling even more. If you own a Stinger or plan to get one, I highly recommend getting the DWS06 Plus tires. Definitely worth the upgrade!

Bought a 2021 K-5 GT-Line and am super happy. It has all is was looking to settle for. I wanted the Stinger but couldn't make the numbers work. Maybe next time. Love Kia!

iv had beemers, Subaru's, vw, Toyota's all sorts and its crazy to say my kia stinger is the best car iv ever owned. ticks so many boxes

Excellent review, Matt. Some comments... The attributes of a true European "GT" may not be familiar to most Americans where the term is applied to a variety of cars including the Mustang where the term is especially inappropriate, at least by European standards. The original designation of a Gran Turismo vehicle in Europe was (and remains) a car suitable for four (or even five) adults and their gear/luggage to travel in comfort for hours at speeds up to and well over 100 mph on meticulously maintained highways while at the same time driving well on twisting back roads (many of which were originally created by the Romans almost 2000 years ago) and in crowded urban centers where overall size of a vehicle is a critical issue. All of that in a vehicle driven in locales where fuel is the equivalent of $8 to $10 a gallon. There are very, very few such vehicles sold in America. The GT-Line Stinger stands nearly alone in approximating a GT in the European mold, especially at an MSRP (with destination) under $42K fully loaded with AWD and KIA's "Sun and Sound" package that includes a sunroof and a HK audio system with 15 speakers. Alternatives? The KIA K5 Gt or the Hyndai Sonata each offers the same engine as the KIA Stinger GT-Line. Each provides a DCT rather than the Stinger's conventional AT. And each has an MSRP of $3K to $5K less when fully loaded. But each is FWD only compared to the Stinger's optional AWD or or standard RWD. If you're someone who believes wheel hop and torque steer are essential to "performance," the K5 GT or Sonata N-line might be your cuppa tea. If you're over 14 years of age, not so much. Furthermore, both the K5 and Sonata are conventional 4 door sedans compared to the Stinger's "lift back" design with far more room for cargo and gear. Room for four or five on a longer journey is far superior in the Stinger. And the overall interior appointments are considerably more upscale in the Stinger. All in all, making the case for the Stinger GT-Line as a better value is considerably easier. The Stinger's cousin, the Genesis G70 might be seen as an alternative. But it's a smaller sports sedan aimed at the iconic BMW 3 series vehicles, not a GT. And inexplicably Genesis has failed to replace the 2.0L base engine it shared with the the Stinger with the new 2.5L turbo 4. Whether Genesis will come to its senses will depend on whether they believe a more capable base model would cannibalize sales of their upper trim level versions. In any event, the G70 with the base engine and options comparable to the Stinger is significantly more expensive. The most comparable alternative to the Stinger GT-Line is the VW Arteon. A liftback sedan with slightly less HP and torque than the GT-Line Stinger, the 2021 Arteon goes from 0-60 in about 6 seconds. However, with a Stage I tune of the EA888 engine, that's reduced to about 5 seconds. And for 2022 the US gets the Euro-spec "R" version of the Arteon with over 315 HP and 414 ft lbs of torque delivered at 2100 RPM. Furthermore, it has VW's excellent dual clutch transmission in place of the current model's conventional AT.

The Best Review of this car I´ve seen! Great no Fussy but Effective Information. And, Oh Yes, No kiddie short pants with hairy legs! Thank You, Matt Maran. Now KIA owes you the commission for a new customer (me).

Awesome video matt

I just bought one of these in this color. I absolutely love it. Very happy they updated the engine. It’s really nice to have the same engine as the K5 GT but with the option of AWD in the US.

I cross shopped BMW 4 but bought this one with AWD. It's a GT car for comfort, not a sports car. I agree with everything in this review, but also like to mention that the adaptive cruise control works with full stop, a great benefit in Thanksgiving interstate traffic.

I have a 2020 GT Line with the old 2.0T, which still is plenty enough. I traded "down" from a GT2 when that lease was up because I didn't need all the horsepower and accompanying high insurance payment. Yeah you give up some horsepower and some interior accoutrements with a GT-Line, but you get the same looks and decent performance and that awesome steering feel. I"m surprised they don't sell more of this trim.

Yay 😀 Kia knew what color to send you for review there Matt. I love that green color too. I don’t like that they have named this trim GT Line when they already have a GT. It’s almost like Nissan having a Rogue and Rogue Sport, could be confusing for some people. I do like that they gave it some more power and a substantial boost vs what others do sometimes. 10 here 10 there etc… I wish that I could afford one new so that I could help keep this car alive. But I need the extra ground clearance and utility that a mid size truck could provide for me for a very similar price. I would love for my wife to have one though. She misses her VW GTI. 😎

Absolutely love my 2020 GT AWD. It was an aspirational car for me when it came out, and all the reviews, including yours, led me to buy one last year.

My buddy back home has an Ascot Green Stinger GT AWD, his 3rd Stinger and he loves it! I'm surprised you didn't make of a todo about the color, it's AMAZING!! He's a detailing enthusiast and damn does that color POP🔥🔥🔥

I currently drive a 2020 Kia Stinger GT1 with AWD. I have it in the Snow White Pearl exterior color with the red leather interior and it is a blast to drive, especially when you stomp on the “go” pedal. I’m happy to have memory seats, ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, sunroof, the larger LCD display between the speedo/tach and the HK Sound Systems which rocks. I do wish of course I had the larger infotainment system and the larger better sounding exhaust pipes from what the 2022 model has.

That green is beautiful.

Thanks for posting this review Matt! Out of all of the RU-vidrs, your truthful and honest videos alone led me to buying my new stinger GT AWD back in July of 2020. I’m looking to downgrade now for something a little more affordable and youthful, your videos of the K5 GT and Kona N have me wanting to trade 😂

Thanks! Just put Conti Viking 7 winter tires on my RWD 2002 GT line for the season here in Reno NV....you think they'll get me around if we actually have a a winter here on the valley floor?? Really complete review!

Definitely thought about this car when I traded in my 2015 Genesis. At the end of the day I went with the G70. I really wanted to get the G80 but the one I wanted was a little out of my price range even though Hyundai gave me a great price on my Genesis. I am 2 1/2 weeks in with this car and love it, this thing is a blast. I do have to say I have one regret, not test driving the GV70. Yeah the G70 is a little small after all those years with the Genesis. And I just think the GV70 would hit the sweet spot for a smaller vehicle.

I love this 4 cylinder version more, engine feels more reliable and just more peppy

MPG from Reno to Sonoma in July...37 MPG thank god!

Thanks for the headlight tip. No one ever mentions that.

I bet there is a way to give you notifications in the info setup screen at 21:08

Matt When are u going to test the 2022 BMW m240ix? I am thinking of ordering one in purple in time for spring.

The gear knob can be found on a gt-line model exclusively ? Or it's somehow related to the trim level ? As it differs from the one often seen in the GT model.

Trade in my Shelby 350 for the Kia stinger gt 3.3t about 2 years ago still loving it! Performance little slower then the 350 ofc but more friendly daily drive which fit my needs!

Getting this exact car. Is the power much more noticeable r Than the old 4 cyl?

Thanks for reviewing this Matt…I am looking at this for my next vehicle. My only concern is some others have said the transmission can be slow to respond and they noticed turbo lag…during your week with the car, was there noticeable lag? Kia claims 5.2 0-60, but no one is getting that number…anywhere from 5.5 to 6.3, which is disappointing. I do need to test drive it for myself, though.

The extra power in the stinger VS the K5 gt I believe is because the stinger takes premium fuel and the K5 runs regular. IMO a RWD car with no LSD is a deal breaker living in the midwest. That is a recipe for getting stuck in the snow.

Civic Type R owner, but really appreciate this car, especially with the 2.5T (like my old Subie GT wagon). If I could afford to, i'd buy this with AWD as a winter car.

All newer Audi A5s are come standard with Quattro all wheel drive. And not the Haldex front biased system either.

Underrated car. Too bad, it doesn't have that "buy anything Toyota" crowd to keep it from dying off.

2018 owner punching the air rn

Hey Matt, very interested to hear your thoughts on the lane centering after having it for the week. Did your opinion improve or stay the same? I had an 18 accord with this tech and loved it. Would you say this system is on par with the lane centering in an accord?

Elantra N FTW!!!!! Great performance great price

What about the rear seats?

the Stinger's base fuel tank is so small for a grand tourer at 16 gallons while the GT has pretty mediocre mpg so i'm absolutely thrilled at this updated 2022 base model. Trades half a second 0-60 but gets 33% more range from 16x21 miles to 16x27 miles of range. And also alot cheaper and has better looking headlights for only half a second decrease and its still way faster then the TLX A-spec or RC350 or Challenger gt and other competitors. (Granted though a used GT is about as much as a new GT-Line so the GT has a better argument in that case but for me as I can afford either its not a cost thing to penny pinch at the fuel pump or go for the cheaper model, id still go for the GT-line for the benefits of the longer range utility and better daily drivability and less inconvenience of having to stop to fillup constantly for being a tad little bit slower) Now if they made the GT2 as a hybrid or at least updated the engine like they did with the GT-Line that would help alleviate the small tank without sacrificing power.

This or the new Elantra N?

I know you said the A5 Sportback is FWD based, but how would you compare this stinger to the A5 Sportback overall?

I really like the Kia Stinger, but what I think is holding this car back is just how simiilar it is the K5 GT. The Stinger gets the a bigger 2.5L engine for the 2022 model year but so does the K5 in its GT trim. However it only makes 10 more horsepower in the Stinger resulting in a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds which three tenths of a second faster than the K5 GT. Also, the quarter mile time stays the same (trap-speed same). In my opinion, given these similarities, the question is whether you want a car with FWD for $30K or an AWD car for 36K.

Throw that old 2.0 Liter turbo into the forte GT with a LSD and that thing would be a blast and probably sell like crazy. Love these but prefer the g70 interior and comfort.

You could actually get a Dodge Charger Scat Pack with the 6.4L Hemi V8 for about $3k more than this car, so not sure why we are comparing it to V6 lower models. The R/T with the 5.7L is actually slightly cheaper than this car.

With the rumors about the Stinger getting axed, hopefully the next gen G70 is a liftback so that instead of taking on the A4, it takes on the A5 Sportback

What color is this?

I know the arteon doesn't drive as well as this, but I'm leaning on that simply because it's bigger and looks slightly better in my opinion

Own a 2022 GT-line AWD... fantastic car! Seriously been tweaked over the previous version. Added a JB4 on Map2 and Map3 with E20 - E30 and getting 5.2 - 5.4 5 - 60mph figures which are the same as the GT2 =) Doing it the same way as C&D... idle just under 5mph and floor it! Without the JB4 my 5 - 60mph was between 6.1 - 6.2... The 2.0 5 - 60 (according to C&D) was 7.2 RWD & 7.4 AWD... 2022 really improved! Jb4 took off ~ 0.8 - 1.0 seconds off the 5-60mph times! Car is very nimble ... handling is so much better than my 2019 2.0.

the only thing that slows this thing down is it's weight.

Needs an all digital gauge display.

This would be perfect with a manual

This AWD or the Giulia AWD? Do you think stability and traction control and limited slip differentials are enough to keep a rear wheel drive car from tailspinning. I watch so many Mustang, Charger, BMW and other rear wheel drive crash "shorts". It seems to me irrelevant the slip differential because of the way the power to the rear wheels just keep sending it in the direction you originally pointed, no matter how much correction takes place. In the 1970s, cars I drove with rear wheel drive were too underpowered to cause much harm (not musclehead Camaros or Mustangs). All the crash data suuports that the Mustang is the most fatal car. Easy to see why with rear wheel drive and lots of power.

Makes me wonder why the refreshed 2022 G70 didn't have the 4cyl emgine changed to the Smartstream 2.5t

1:51 You said "KIA Key". Random fact - "КИ", their new logo, sounds like "key" in Russian

Another great review focusing purely on the substance of the vehicle🙏🏼 Honestly, I find the WRX comparison to be a bit of a stretch considering how much more of a sporty grand tourer the Stinger is trying to be than an outright grip and handling weapon like the WRX, but I see where you’re coming from. Great video nonetheless, as always.

That Kia Stinger GT-Line Feels Like 320 HP & 345 Pound Feet Of TQ.

I had a 2020 kia stinger gt1. It was black with red interior. When I pulled up on another stinger the first thing I did was look at the rear for a gt badge to see if it was a base model or a GT. Kind of upset the new ones now have a gt badge. I now have a new durango SRT, because my 4th child was just born and I needed more room. Agian i have a 72k Durango SRT but dodge now puts the SRT hood on base models and it doesn't stand out at all. Kinda is irritating, because I want my very expensive higher end model to stand out from a base model.

A 4 series gran coupe is a hatch

limited slip????

Love the people who are at the bottom of the comment section who are all like "its a Kia"- like where have you been?! In the last 5 or so years Kia and Hyundai have gotten their shit together. Badge snobs like that are hilariously behind the times.

Would be even better if they offered an electric version

Ah the V6 smile… all the same

I like the Stinger but I don't like GDI for long-term reliability and Kia has quality control issues in terms of rattling and squeaks in new cars.

Nice but too big for me.

Manual.

Love your vids, but I don't get fired up over cars like these. Their own rendition/copycat of a Taurus SHO. And before your other viewers say same bunk like "yeah, well KIA did it better" I will remind them that they had between 10 and 15 years to play catch up or do it "better".

BMW BENZ AUDI KILLER!

"It's no Dodge Charger or anything" ...The Charger utilizes the M-B E320/E500 chassis, weighs over 4,200 lbs., turns-brakes-accelerates like a 2002 Cadillac Deville, etc. it is ancient there is a reason the Charger is a fleet / LEO vehicle. AWFUL comparison. This new "base" Stinger is an amazing car but you can't order The Hill Billy Special; oops I mean the HEMI... sorry bud. You have 433k subscribers with only 17k views...you're doin great :)

Doesn't come with a manual I don't want it.

Ass what paint??😂 20:18

I love the concept of this car, always good to have performance models and so happy Hyundai and Kia have recahed such high levels. But the rear is too much A7/A8, combined with all the trim on the hood/sides/rear, just reminds me of the fake, stick-on trim pieces people put on their non-sporty cars to make them look sporty. Just the looks alone completely turn me off from this car.

Still haven’t warmed up to the Hyundai brands for some reason.

Because it's still a Kia, for this kind of money there is a huge amount of other options especially second hand/near new.

I just can’t get into the looks of this thing. I’d rather a have a pre-owned G70 for the same money.

Great review! Cool little car for farting around town!

First

$40K? nahhh... should be $30k

Overpriced not underappreciated

Love the look but I could never trust a kia

lol its not under appreciated... its a KIA and its over priced... thats its problem Fact ...

I love my Stinger, awd gt line, except for speeding ticket