Have you seen a Kia Stinger on our roads since its launch three years ago?
The Kia Stinger was supposed to be Kia’s flagship when it was unveiled in 2017 to challenge Volkswagen Passat, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and even the Audi A5. It was engineered to deliver and entertaining drive.
It had a cabin to rival the quality that Jaguar and even Volvo would provide. It’s engineering was done to supersede Lexus and Infiniti with tough, rigorous tests done around the world.
However, after all that, it did not capture the imagination of car buyers around the world, including Malaysia due to one single fact. It was a Kia. If it had a Lexus or even an Infiniti badge on it, this Kia Stinger would have sold like Japanese ‘cream cheese puffs’.
Now there is news that a 2022 model Kia Stinger has been quietly unveiled and ready for another chance at the global automotive market.
Arriving in ASEAN soon, the 2022 Kia Stinger GT-Line may soon be seen as the most captivating Stinger. It flexes with more power to accelerate away from the traditional definition of “entry-level:”
- 5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
- 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
- 300 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque for an estimated 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds
- RWD or available torque vectoring AWD
- Estimated 22/32/25 mpg (RWD); 21/29/24 mpg (AWD)
The GT twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 continues to offer higher-performance upgrades including Brembo brakes and launch control, but hearts and pistons will pound a little harder with slightly more power on tap:
- 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
- 368 horsepower and 376 lb.-ft. of torque for estimated 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds
- New electronic variable exhaust system enhances Stinger’s audible “calling card” – especially as it leaves other performance cars far behind
- RWD or available AWD with torque vectoring
- Estimated 18/25/20 mpg (RWD); 17/24/20 mpg (AWD)
Following in the footsteps of the K5 and Sorento, the Kia Stinger pampers its passengers with the latest in infotainment and technology:
- Standard 10.25-inch touchscreen display with navigation and standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus multi-connection Bluetooth wireless connectivity and split-screen functionality
- Wireless charger for compatible smartphones
- Larger 4.2-inch color TFT center cluster is easier to read and offers a more vibrant exchange of information.
- Available 7-inch center cluster provides the safety of the available Blind Spot View Monitor with a live video view of adjacent lanes activated via the turn signal. This screen also projects the available Surround View Monitor, which utilizes four cameras to provide a 360-degree vehicle perspective
Kia Stinger’s suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has expanded and is now the class-leader in this luxury segment:
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Junction Turning: Assists the driver in braking to help prevent a collision or lessen the effects in certain conditions when turning left and an oncoming vehicle is approaching
- Safe Exit Warning: Can alert the driver or passengers opening their door not to exit the vehicle when the system detects approaching traffic. When detected, a chime sounds.
- Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist: Under certain conditions, can detect vehicles traveling in the next lane. When a vehicle is “seen” in the blind spot, the vehicle brakes the outer wheel under certain conditions to help return the vehicle to its intended lane
- Rear Cross Traffic Avoidance Assist: Helps detect most approaching cross traffic when in reverse. When approaching cross traffic is detected, the system alerts the driver and applies the brakes
- Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control: leverages the navigation system to lower the vehicle’s speed proactively before upcoming curves
- Lane Following Assist: Follows lane markings that the system detects and provides steering inputs to help maintain the vehicle in the center of the lane
- Highway Driving Assist: Uses federal highway speed limit information from the navigation system and, under certain conditions, will automatically adjust speed to be within the posted speed limit and maintain distance with the vehicle detected in front
The impressive Harman/Kardon premium audio system continues to be available, while UVO link telematics offers an array of advanced connected vehicle features, such as:
- Connected Routing: A new cloud-based route calculation system that uses UVO cloud to calculate the optimal route using real-time maps, predicted upcoming traffic info based on historical information and AI to learn the preferred routes of users
- Connected Weather: Provides weather information for more than 25,000 cities
- Enhanced UVO voice assist feature allows voice control of the vehicle’s climate, seat and steering-wheel heating, audio system, and other functions
- Connected User Profiles: Allows customers to add an additional driver to their vehicle. The drivers can have their individual UVO accounts linked to the vehicle and access to the remote features using the Kia Access App. The profile stores some select settings on the UVO cloud and can be shared with other compatible Kia vehicles.
- UVO & Smart Speaker Integration lets customers use Amazon-Alexa or Google-Assistant enabled smart speaker or device to remotely control some functions (such as remote start)
- Advanced notifications:
- Engine Idle Notification and Automatic Engine Shut Off notifies the driver via the UVO link app if the engine is left idling and, after a pre-selected time, turns off the engine
- Rear Occupancy Alert can send push notification alerts via the UVO link app if movement is detected inside the vehicle
- 911 Connect and Roadside Assistance will automatically attempt to call 911 via the built-in UVO modem if an airbag deploys. For non-emergencies, it can connect with 24/7 roadside assistance and share the vehicle’s location
- On-demand Find My Car with available Surround View Monitor uses the vehicle cameras to capture images of the vehicle’s surroundings and then share them via the Kia Access UVO app
- Last Mile Navigation provides walking directions to the driver’s final destination if the vehicle is parked between 0.1 and 1.2 miles away
- Calendar Integration syncs with owner’s cloud-based calendar and displays calendar events on touchscreen. Also provides navigation to event destination if address has been entered in calendar event
- Valet Mode locks Stinger’s touchscreen, keeping personal information such as call history, address book, and navigation destinations private when vehicle is left with valet or other unknown person
