Used 2021 Kia Stinger Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Stinger, so we've included reviews for other years of the Stinger since its last redesign.
Jack of all Trades, Master of One
Castillan, 09/04/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT2 4dr Sedan (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
47 of 49 people found this review helpful
I have the fully optioned GT2 RWD version. This car is fantastic. I'm not sure what can be said that hasn't already been said, but I'll try to put my ideas down. This car is a sum of all that it is, along with a sum of all that it is not, and in understanding this, it still comes out on top as a master of what it truly is. Is it sporty? Yes, but it's not a sports car, and it doesn't pretend to be. It gives you enough for a taste when the mood strikes, but it's not built to set any new lap records. It'll take off from a standstill (0-60mph in 4.7s) and roll-on fast enough with a strong smooth linear power delivery that will keep any true sports/muscle car honest in that they have to be serious about keeping the Stinger behind them, but it's no drag strip champion. It'll go around corners better than almost any family sedan you can name, but it's not setup for sports car scalpel-like corner carving. It doesn't have a manual transmission, but you can tell it you want to control shifts yourself, and it'll let you do that. The suspension, even in sport mode, leans more towards the comfort side of sport. The ride is almost never jarring. It's a highly capable sporty mile-eater, and if we accept that's what it actually is, then we can accept that the race-track and drag-strip is not what it was designed for. Is it a luxury sedan? Yes, but it's not top-shelf luxury, and it doesn't pretend to be. It gives you a good taste of quality leather trim, soft touch materials, brushed aluminium accents, quality controls, 3-zone automated climate control, a soft quality ceiling, plenty of room front and rear, stitched panels, with middling-firm but extremely comfortable ventilated/heated seats that makes it an enjoyable place to be for hours upon hours at a time, but it cheapens out at below knee height, and that's fine unless you spend all your time in the foot-wells. ie. it's luxury where it counts, and if you don't expect more than that, then all is well. Is it loaded with quality of life features? Yes, in this trim level. Tiltable/powered sun/moon roof, powered rear hatch, a sound system with crisp and clear sound quality reproduction that's capable of making your face vibrate with distortion free intensity. Parking assist, blind-spot monitoring, a clear reverse camera, lane keep warning/assist, frontal collision warning/auto-braking assist, 360 degree split-screen camera views, power ports front and rear, internal lighting everywhere, navigation and a fully featured infotainment system. It's all here. It may be missing a few of the very latest whizzbang sub-options (eg. no in-dash blind-spot camera view on lane-changes, physical dials instead of a fully digital configurable dash screen), but even if it doesn't have the absolute latest version of whatever feature, it will still offer a basic form of said feature. Is it a practical daily driver? Yes, amazingly so. With the 4 doors you can stick it in comfort drive mode and you're used to the throttle response, it'll perform family/commute duties all day, every day, in high comfort. We traded in our old Camry LE for this, and the Stinger is just as capable of the daily family runabout chores as the Camry was, just in better comfort. Can it carry much stuff? Can it or what?! Fold down the rear seats, and it's almost as roomy as a small pick-up truck with covered rear. I used a throw-down sheet to protect the upholstery, but I parked next to a guy in a pickup truck at Lowes, and it so happened that we were both buying stuff for flooring projects. I was able to fit underlay, the boards, tools, trim, the whole works for a 200sq.ft project in the one trip. The guy loading up next to me was pretty much the same thing, and the back of his pickup truck looked almost as full as my Stinger. Later I picked up a 55 gal aquarium for the wife with a flat pack cabinet. No problem. It still had plenty of room left over. This car truly is a jack of all trades, but a master of the one thing that matters most in a one-car family garage, versatility....and that's what this car is, a highly comfortable mile-eating sporty grand-tourer with a capital V on Versatile. Love it!
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Awesome Beast!
Keith Cruickshank, 03/15/2020
updated 09/20/2021
2020 Kia Stinger GT 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
24 of 25 people found this review helpful
The Kia Stinger GT with its 3.3 liter engine makes 376 lb feet of power. I've had admiring looks everywhere I go! Comfortable seating, lots of power, spacious rear storage and thousands cheaper than Audi S5 and BMW. It nor only best these competitors in power it excels in value. Providing a stellar value proposition . Get yours today! You will be amazed at how awesome this car is!
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Perfect!!
dmichael885, 04/29/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT-Line 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
30 of 32 people found this review helpful
I had no intention of buying a Kia when I started looking. I was looking into BMW 5 and Audi A6. The Kia was as fun to drive and the interior caught me off guard with how nice it was. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase and saved money in the process. Win-win
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Got myself a 2021 Stinger GT2!
Phil S. , 07/09/2021
2021 Kia Stinger GT2 4dr Sedan (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
I took a lot into consideration when deciding to buy a Stinger, but it ended up beating out other new Kia models, as well as the more expensive luxury sedans (I.e. Mercedes, audi, Lexus, etc.). The Stinger occupies a fairly niche class in the car market (Performance sedans from non-luxury brands), and actually shares the class with cars like the Dodge Charger. Despite being from a "non-luxury" brand, the quality of the Stinger easily rivals that of typical luxury brands. All in all, I love my car. It's a blast to drive, the ride is incredibly smooth, and it has great all around performance. I passed up the typical "luxury" brands because of the increased costs, and because I have no interest in being associated with the Uber-bougie reputation those brands are associated with. As for what I think about the vehicle, I would agree with the "cons" described by Edmunds' professional reviewers in that it has pretty poor rear visibility due to its fastback design. It sits rather low as well and with the sloping roofline, it can be difficult to get in and out of. There is some slight jitteriness at times, but I feel this is minimal and isn't worrisome to me. Beyond the aforementioned styling issues, etc., I absolutely love the look and feel of the vehicle. The interior and exterior quality is outstanding for the class of vehicle the Stinger falls in. The interior is incredibly comfortable. While I missed out on the larger 10'' infotainment screen of the 2022, I feel the 8'' screen of the 2021 is plenty large enough. The UI took some getting used to as the car has a lot of available tech, but was easy to use once I spent some time with it. My only other [slight] complaint is the gas mileage. Though, this is somewhat relative, as depending on the vehicle you are coming from, fuel economy may be better or worse. For me the drop to 17/25/20 was an adjustment. That said, I would like to point out that when driven on the Eco setting and driving mildly, my MPG has been consistently higher than the EPA ratings above. When driving on a Highway with 60-70 MPH, the inertia of the car is enough to carry it over hills easily and I was able to get 29 MPG. My combined MPG is usually 21-23. Even though I'm driving on Eco, I feel very loss of performance. All-in-all, I love my new car, and I definitely don't regret my purchase. I love driving my Stinger, and I love seeing other Stingers on the road. I feel like I'm part of an underappreciated car club; especially since the roads in my area are dominated by Lexus, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW. When I see someone driving one of the typical "luxury" brands, I can't help but think that they got duped into paying a lot more for an insignia rather than actual value.
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A well balanced high performance GT!
Armtek, 04/22/2021
updated 10/25/2023
2021 Kia Stinger GT2 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
UPDATE: No major issues approaching 40k miles. Had drivers side rear window die but covered under warranty. Still a hoot to drive! We had been looking at the Stinger since its release and finally got around to buying one. It was our sixth new Kia from Peak Kia in Littleton, CO and 8th overall, so it's safe to say we're Kia fans. I've always been a big fan of Kia's return on investment, and the 2021 Stinger GT2 AWD is the best example of that. It's very well designed, You can have a leisurely commute and then jump into a high performance bit and always be in control. It has enough power to get you into trouble, but enough features and tech to keep you out of it. This car is certainly a 'halo' car for the brand, and has been useful in shaking out some of the newer tech that's filtered down into the rest of the lineup this year. I take the head-up display HUD for granted a lot and really would like to see it standard on more cars because it really keeps your focus on the road and not looking down at the instrument panel. Especially useful on a commute as you can see the blind spot indicators on the HUD without even turning your head. The 360 camera is also great. Moving the ride mode to 'Sport' mode is really great as the driver seat bolsters move in to 'hug' you, just to let you know that you may be in for some g-forces (which you can call up on a gauge, by the way. The only 'complaint' is that the Apple CarPlay version in the 2021 requires a charging cable connected to it for communication, but the vehicle also has wireless charging and bluetooth which is inconvenient, and when you have a large phone like an iPhone 12 pro max it barely fits to begin with (once you trim the rubber pad on the charger. Wireless connections would be appreciated here. 17k miles later: We went on vacation from Colorado to Illinois/Michigan and back the summer of 2021 and long runs are definitely a pleasure in the Stinger. The 'tech' saved our butt when we had a torrential downpour and the radar speed control and lane detection still worked, keeping us alerted to anything ahead and making sue we stayed in the lane. Later through the winter, absolutely no problem in getting anywhere. We moved to Greeley, so my commute went from 20 minutes to 51 minutes, and wouldn't consider the longer commute with anything but the Stinger. It's not all perfect world, though. Intermittent issues with backup camera (blue screen), occasional interruption of downward pointing side mirrors when in reverse, and resetting HUD height occasionally back to default.
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And It’s a GT Too!
JP, 06/05/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT2 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
Car rocks!! AWD, Fast, all the creature comforts, better warranty, great looking! Who gives a hoot it doesn’t have a German label? Cheaper to maintain, insure, and to buy. I like jeans with no designer labels. They wear & look better and last longer. See ya in the rear view mirror!
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best car I have ever owned
Marty, 08/30/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT1 4dr Sedan AWD (3.3L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
I spent a lot of time looking for a replacement car for my 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8. I was looking at Audi, BMW, Mercedes, The new Mid engine corvette was a strong front runner. While on a road trip to Arizona I saw two Kia stingers. When I got home, I researched the vehicle. I read nothing but praises for the stinger. I watched every U Tube video that I could find. In all but one video the reviewers said WOW, or had huge grins on acceleration. I ordered a Blue GT 1, with a sun roof, upgraded stereo system and a few other options through a broker, he got several thousand dollars off of the sticker price. Upon first looks, WOW. On the interior layout, and quality WOW. On first drive WOW. I did not race the the motor, or heavy break for the first 600 miles. Initial driving, was with great caution. The car is smooth, accelerates effortlessly and the steering is crisp, and accurate. This is the best car I have ever owned. I am pleased with my choice. I do get a lot of positive comments in the parking lots, and thumbs up from other drivers. We Took it on a road trip recently, and got 29 mpg on the fuel trip computer, and verified with calculating milage, divided by gallons purchased. Post break in period, the car is an animal. Dusted Mustangs, Infinities, BMW's, and a few other vehicles at a much higher price point. You will not be disapointed if you buy this car.
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Beautiful but dangerous! Dangerously beautiful?
G-man, 07/28/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT-Line 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
17 of 20 people found this review helpful
I recently purchased a 2020 GT-line; I actually had a 2018 GT1 when it first came out, but the extra power was fun but not practical and I didn't like spending so much on gas and insurance. The GT-Line is perfect-it has the looks of the GT but doesn't have the screaming engine. The base engine is plenty peppy. And I'm not missing anything really from the GT regarding the interior, except for the ambient lighting at night. One thing remains, though-this car gets attention. People will hover around it in traffic, be it on side streets or on the highway, to get a better look at it. I think it's dangerous because these cars hover in my blind spot or are in my way when I'm trying to maneuver. Also, you need to make sure people wear their masks and keep their social distance when they come up to you in the parking lot to ask you questions or comment about the car. Overall, it drives perfect (I also have AWD), looks good, and the Harmon Kardon stereo (I got the Sun and Sound package) rivals the Bang and Olufsen stereo I had in my Audi from a few years ago-simply awesome. This is such a honey of a car.
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Almost Perfect
Kyle H., 01/17/2021
2021 Kia Stinger GT-Line 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
The overall appeal and feel of this vehicle is great! I went with the 2021 Kia stinger GT line. It's the 2 l turbo, now this thing absolutely does not have a bunch of power initially but it's got a bunch of potential. The overall feeling and handling of it is almost perfect I believe the sway bar is definitely need upgraded to give it a little bit more less of a flex around turns but the overall strength of the structure is perfect. It's very long and there's plenty of space in it for a sports sedan. The aesthetics of it are absolutely amazing although the headlights come with halogen bulbs in them compared to the upgraded model that has amazing LEDs so I had to swap those bulbs out immediately after buying it. I believe there should be some more safety features that come stock in it no matter what but I do give the car four out of five stars.
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Senior Old Fart Sports car.
Archie, 11/13/2020
2020 Kia Stinger GT-Line 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Being in the early 70's was looking for a sedan that is comfortable with enough room to fit a wheel chair in and does not look like every other medium sedan or small suv and does not break the bank. I researched everything from the Sonata, Camry, Accord to name a few. The Stinger caught my eye with the specs of cargo space that we really needed to fit a wheelchair in comfortably as well as having enough left over room to shop a big box store by folding the rear seats down. The ride, looks and power to get up and go is wonderful, let alone the price compared to a BMW or Audi. Do not ignore the great warranty you get. FYI I purchased this car sight unseen on the internet and could not be more pleased.
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