Stinger

Make
Kia
Segment
Sedan

There was a time when the idea of Kia taking on the likes of BMW and Audi was unthinkable. But that all changed when the Kia Stinger arrived. Two years on, the Stinger is still one of our favorite performance sedans on the market. Even so, sales of Kia's sports sedan have been less than ideal, so the Korean automaker is wasting no time giving the Stinger a refresh.

Earlier this month, we got our first look at the 2021 Kia Stinger facelift thanks to spy shots showing a covered-up model in a parking lot. It seems the Kia Stinger facelift will arrive sooner than we anticipated because a report by AutoPostKorea claims it will debut as early as July in South Korea, and go on sale for the 2021 model year. Judging from recent Kia model launches like the new Optima, which still hasn't been revealed in America, the US version will likely arrive at a later date.

This won't be a minor facelift either, as Kia is planning some comprehensive updates for the sports sedan after launching the new GT Line trim last year.

Spy shots have shown the 2021 Kia Stinger will feature a full-width light bar connecting the rear lights, while the 3.3-liter V6 model will have headlights that adjust in accordance to the steering wheel position and a new driver's bolster control system with the switch to Sport Mode just like in the Genesis G70. Like the Kia Optima, the new Stinger facelift is also expected to come equipped with Kia's Drive Wise suite of autonomous driving safety assists.

As for the interior, the Dark Red Pack will reportedly become available for the 2.0-liter turbo gasoline and 2.2-liter diesel platinum models after previously only being offered for the 3.3-liter turbo gasoline GT model.

It isn't clear yet, however, if the powertrains will get a power boost, so we'll have to wait for an official announcement from Kia in the next few months. In the current Stinger, power is provided by a 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder motor producing 255 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Beyond that, the range-topping Stinger GT packs a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque.