I am beyond thrilled to have acquired a 2019 Kia Stinger Premium! I bought my first Kia just back in January, a 2019 Kia Optima EX, and really loved that car. I actually was really after a Stinger then, but the local Kia dealership wanted to severely gouge me on the price of a new one, so much so that it put it way out of reach financially. I opted for a pre-owned Optima instead, the car I had been eying for a couple of years.
Fast forward to September 2022…On a whim I decided to see if any local dealerships were selling any pre-owned Stingers. Kia decided to stop making Stingers this year as they are replacing it with the electric EV6, and as such, Stingers have developed kind of a cult following and are somewhat difficult to find (or so it seemed). But, right here in Apex, Apex Imports had a white 2019 Stinger Premium with less than 20,000 miles that fit into our budget. It seemed meant to be.
The next morning we went to the dealership to drive it and check it out. It really drives beautifully, and is a bit more sporty than the Optima and certainly has more power even with a 4 cylinder turbo engine. I was sold, and we put the deal together to trade Ozzy in and bring Stevie home. Yes, those are names for my cars…My oldest daughter, Emily, has been naming inanimate objects for as long as I remember. 🙂
Side note, sales associate Brandon Wells was awesome to work with. No car salesman vibe, no pressure, truly seemed to want to help us get into the car I loved. I would definitely buy from him again.
The Comparison
While comparing the Stinger to the Optima is interesting, I found it more interesting to compare it to rival vehicles in its class to see how Stevie stacks up. I know that car enthusiasts can be a bit “snobby” and might say that nothing Kia makes is in the same class as European sports sedans. But, that’s why there are publications like the Car Connection that help line these up side by side anyway. Car and Driver acknowledges the snobbery by pointing out one con of the Stinger is that it won’t inspire “badge envy.” I don’t care about that part though, and was curious how they compared.
Skipping ahead to the overall scores, they are 7.6 Stinger, 7.0 BMW, and 7.0 Audi. BMW and Audi are consistently top-rated European vehicles, and the Stinger scored higher.
Price Winner
This is an obvious win. While not cheap by any standard at $39,190 MSRP, it is significantly less expensive than the two European vehicles. Those are $53,400 (BMW) and $54,100 (Audi), so the Stinger saves ~$15,000. That’s huge.
Take a look through the side-by-side comparison. There are a lot of details in there, but the Stinger holds its own pretty much across the board.
Style
At the end of the day, comparing cars will come down to which one you love for its styling. I happen to think Kia has hit home runs with the Optima, the next generation Optima (the K5), the Stinger, and the Telluride SUV. They’re onto something at Kia and I trust they will keep up the good work. Stevie gives me the style I love, the solid feel of a more luxury sedan, the quickness of a sports sedan, at a price I could live with. It’s actually a treat to drive when I need to go somewhere.
Signed,
An Ecstatic Stinger Owner