As enthusiasts, we’re occasionally prone to having our heads in the clouds dreaming of depreciated luxury car bargains before realizing that anything with a “V12 Biturbo” emblem on the flank will likely be cataclysmically expensive as an everyday car and might not be reliable enough to suit commuting duties. However, there is something out there that’s recent enough to be reliable, upscale enough to feel nice, and cheap enough to justify over a base Corolla — the Kia Stinger GT.
Remember the hype when this thing came out? A twin-turbocharged rear-wheel-drive Kia with a top speed of 167 mph. It felt like the sky was falling, but who could blame the hysteria? This was an interpretation of a European performance sedan for people who couldn’t quite stretch to a European performance sedan. It looked damn good, hauled ass, and got the people going.
Seven years since it entered production, the hype around the Kia Stinger GT has died down, but that’s largely a good thing. After all, it’s still a quick and immensely practical car that’s now a secondhand bargain. Let’s take a closer look.
While entry-level Stinger models were offered with a two-liter turbocharged four-banger, and later a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-banger, the one you really want is the Stinger GT because it got a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 pumping out 365 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 376 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,300 rpm to 4,500 rpm. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and offered with rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, this V6 was good for a zero-to-60 mph run in 4.4 seconds during Car And Driver instrumented testing, and the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 111 mph. Yep, that’s a 12-second Kia, and it’s a spacious, practical liftback. Oh, and don’t think this strong acceleration is purely launch control trickery. In the real world, Car And Driver found that the Stinger GT would outrun a Mercedes-AMG E 43, a BMW 540i, and an Audi A6 3.0T:
Perhaps the most striking facet of the engine’s power delivery is evident in the Stinger’s 5.0-second 5-to-60-mph time—quicker than every machine in our last comparison test of mid-size premium sports sedans. Acceleration is strong with this one.
Mind you, just because the Stinger GT is quick in a straight line and looks great doesn’t mean it’s perfect in the corners. The steering is accurate and beautifully weighted, the Brembo brakes offer Great White bite, and the available limited-slip differential is a welcome addition, but the car’s a bit underdamped in the rear, and it never quite shrinks around you. It’s still far sharper than something like a Lexus ES350 and ride quality is downright cosseting, but don’t expect it to be a 3 Series competitor. Still, it’s a lot bigger than a 3 Series, but it still knows how to run, and that’s before we get into the practicality and amenities on offer here.
Obviously, the killer app of the Stinger GT isn’t just that it’s fast, it’s that it’s a fast liftback. That enormous hatch raises up to reveal 23.3 cu.-ft. of cargo space with the rear seats up and 40.9 cu.-ft. of cargo space with the rear seats folded. More importantly, it has the cargo floor length of a midsize crossover, meaning if you don’t need a ton of height, the Stinger GT makes an immensely practical everyday family car capable of swallowing a stroller whole. Rear seat space is also excellent, but the best seats in the house are up front.
Yep, this is a cockpit that makes a great first impression. From splashes of satin metallic trim to a jaunty trio of round air vents to an abundance of soft-touch finishes, the Stinger GT’s interior punches above its weight class. Find the right spec, and you’ll even be able to savor such available amenities as a 15-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, front and rear park assist, a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, and adjustable driver’s seat bolsters. We’re talking real luxury car stuff, and real luxury car comfort. I’ve been lucky enough to put hundreds of miles on Stinger GTs and loved every minute of it. As a supple, brawny mile-muncher, it’s one of the best out there for the money, and that’s when it was new. Now that they’re getting on in age a bit, the value is simply spectacular.
Take this 2018 Stinger GT2 for example, up for sale in Pennsylvania for $21,988. That’s $1,322 less than a base-model 2025 Toyota Corolla L, for context. Sure, this example might have a minor hit on its Carfax, but it also has a reasonable 77,576 miles on the clock, two owners from new, and for the most part, it looks like a sensible used car, not an obvious money pit waiting for an optimistic sucker.
Oh, and if that has too many miles and too few driven wheels for you, here’s a 2018 Stinger GT2 AWD up for sale in New Jersey with 58,037 miles on the clock. The asking price? $22,990, which is still less than a new Corolla. Plus, it’s in an actual color, which is just so nice to see. The Hichroma Red paint Kia offered on these things is a great shade, and there’s something cool about driving a car specced in its launch color.
However, it’s worth noting that you probably won’t be able to take advantage of Kia’s ten-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, because it’s only transferrable within five years or 60,000 miles of the vehicle’s in-service date. Mind you, the Stinger GT has proven to be fairly reliable, with the most common issues being the odd cracked spark plug, and the occasional failed coil pack. Considering factory-fit Denso spark plugs are fairly cheap at just a few dollars apiece, that’s not bad for something with this sort of performance.
Not only is the Kia Stinger GT a fast, practical, well-appointed used car, it also seems like one you’d actually want to own. Even though the majority of the hype around these cars has died down, they’re still great, and for new Corolla money, represent a tremendous bargain. Sure, they might be a bit thirsty, but 365 horsepower under your right foot is 365 reasons to smile.
(Photo credits: Kia, Autotrader Sellers)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The Kia Stinger Never Had A Future. But I’m Still Sad To See It Go
-
The Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec Is A Luxurious V8 Sleeper That Can Keep Up With A Camaro SS
-
For Five Short Years, You Could Buy A Demure Volvo S80 With A 4.4-Liter V8
-
The Acura TL SH-AWD Manual Is The Stick-Shift All-Weather Sports Sedan You Forgot Existed
-
The Cadillac STS-V Is The 469-HP Supercharged V8 Cadillac You Forgot About
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
I was interested in the GT when it came out because it seemed a relatively affordable enthusiast sedan. I like the look and sound of one on my daughter’s street. If I did any real roadtripping, I would certainly consider one
I can’t be the only one that always thought this thing was hideous looking right?
right??
My buddy has one that he keeps saying he wants to move on from. Says stuff like it’s too low, not practical, burns too much gas, blah blah blah. Wants to swap it for a crossover. Gross.
I loved these when they launched. I love them still. Future classics in my book.
Dude should never have bought it. He is clearly not a sports car person.
I really wanted to love these but just never really found my way to seriously considering one. They just feel like they’re so close in so many ways but just short of the mark in others. They look…good, but I’ve personally liked them less and less over time. The overall shape is just about perfect but they’re very busy and some of the fine details are a little overwrought.
The interiors also aren’t all that great. No one is going to get in one and mistake it for a BMW or Audi. Hyundai/Kia really didn’t figure out how to make a nice interior until very recently. For what it’s worth they do seem fairly reliable because high mileage ones show up in listings all the time…but with my issues with the Kona N color me skeptical of forced induction Korean motors.
The other kicker with these is the fuel economy is horrendous. Like, V8 fuel economy with a 6 cylinder horrendous. They’re rated at 17 city but in practice I’ve heard of people struggling to crack 15 in them. If I’m going to put up with mileage that bad I’d rather have an extra two cylinders. They’re also way more luxobarge than sports sedan dynamically speaking. Whether that’s a plus or minus is for the buyer to decide.
So…yeah. They’re cool but for me personally they come up a little short of compelling….especially when you can get a Genesis G70 for not much more. Those still have the dynamic pitfalls and miserable fuel economy, but they’re a lot more cohesive from a design perspective and have nicer interiors. And as much as it pains me to say it, I actually think the 2.5 liter 4 popper is the best way to have one.
It won’t sound as good but it’s still 300 horsepower and something like 23 or 24 MPG combined. There’s also the Genesis G80, which is a better barge and the 3.5 liter turbo 6 is more competitive than the old 3.3 liter one. It’s still a generation behind the Germans but it’s more powerful and better on gas than the 3.3.
The Stinger here was extremely unpopular, but I didn’t know it “wasn’t a sports saloon (liftback)”. One would’ve guessed that to compete with the Germans you’d try to match them dynamically.
Unfortunately there was only so much they were going to budget for this car and they pretty much put all of it into the styling as far as I can tell. The Koreans still have a long way to go when it comes to figuring out driving dynamics. They’ve gotten better, as evidenced by the N products, but guess how they managed to do it?
….they hired Germans, lol
So would I of course, but to be fair there isn’t much other than dynamically soft luxury sedans, various Chargers or very old and very risky German iron that can be had in the same price range.
You can buy two Stingers for the price of a manual Holden/SS.
Valid point. I’m still saving my money for an IS500.
Or stick with six cylinders, put them all in a straight line as CarLord intended and get an F30 340i with a clutch pedal. As a bonus you get a substantial improvement in fuel economy.
I like them, I do, even with the lift back since it is hidden pretty well. But it would be hard to go for one of those when the Genesis G70 exists and is often tested faster, while offing more luxury to boot. Used 2023 with 12K miles was purchased by my wife for $37k(3.3 T with AWD and top of line interior package). I have seen 2019’s with the first gen front fascia with 30K mile in the low 20’s All seem like genuine steals to me.