2023 Kia Stinger GT Tribute Review: Farewell to a Hidden Gem

When it came to the North American automotive market, Korean brands spent the first few decades primarily focusing on family-first, value-packed offerings. Sure, the brands dabbled with performance vehicles like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Veloster Turbo, and Kia Forte SX Koup, and with various levels of success, but it hadn’t changed the perception of the manufacturers.

Then the Kia Stinger arrived and changed everything. It, along with the closely related Genesis G70, proved that Korean brands could make great performance cars when fully committed. It laid the groundwork for Hyundai’s N cars, the Kia EV6 GT, and many subsequent Genesis products.

But all good things come to an end, and this is the final year for Kia’s sporty fastback. To honor the occasion, the brand has introduced a special Tribute edition of the car for this final run. Wanting to get one last go behind the wheel, and to see if we’re still enamoured with the car, we grabbed a 2023 Kia Stinger GT2 Tribute Edition for a week’s evaluation.

Despite being on sale for six years, the Kia Stinger still looks great, at least to our eyes. We always appreciate a good fastback design, and this car fits that bill. Finished in Matte Grey exterior paint, we especially like the Tribute edition with the contrasting black trim and wheels.

At the back, massive quad black exhaust tips show the Stinger’s sporty intentions, even if they are more exhaust-surrounds than the actual muffler. There’s more faux styling features like the vents on the hood and the behind the rear wheels.

Although there’s a choice of engines, the one to get has always been the 3.3-liter turbocharged V6. Officially it produces 368 horsepower and 376 pound feet of torque on premium fuel. But it’s one of those engines that fells more potent than the numbers might suggest. In a world of overpowered electric vehicles and twin-turbo V8s, 368 hp in a vehicle weighing 4,176 pounds (1,889 kg) may not sound impressive, but the Stinger never lacks for power.

Response is robust an any engine speed, providing immediate power. The situation doesn’t matter, the engine is always ready to hurl the Stinger forward, even at freeway speeds. The eight-speed automatic transmission is well suited to the engine. Shifts are abrupt but deliberate. Some may find gear transitions too gruff and direct, but I prefer a quick and blunt gear change in a vehicle like this rather than a transmission that's trying to smooth out the shifts, therefore delaying gear engagement.

The way the transmission and engine act can be altered through the car’s various drive modes, and it’s also possible to change the level of engine sound, even if the enhancement is coming through the speakers.

The Stinger’s chassis is a great partner to the drivetrain. Being a turbo V6 model, it wears staggered 225/40R19 front and 255/35R19 rear tires. The rear axle features a limited slip differential that works in harmony with the torque vectoring all-wheel drive system. The electronically controlled suspension has struts up front and a multilink set-up in the rear.

The car’s handling is well above average for a vehicle this size, as it’s quick to respond and predictable in its actions. The torque vectoring all-wheel drive helps rotate the car around corners with plenty of reassuring grip. Apply too much throttle mid corner and the car goes into a gentle, predictable slide.

Much like the exterior, the interior design still looks good. We like the center stack with the 10.25-inch infotainment screen above the three vents and climate control hard buttons. In front of the driver is a 7.0-inch digital sport gauge cluster and head-up display.

Our Stinger Tribute arrived finished with Terracota Brown Nappa leather seats that are heated and ventilated up front. The driver gets a 16-way power seat while the passenger still gets a 12-way power adjustable seat.

The car includes many features expected in a premium vehicle, such as a Harman Kardon 15-speaker audio system, a wireless phone charger, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a sunroof with a power shade. One technology the Stinger does lack is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both still require a hard cable.

Comfort inside the Stinger is all a matter of where one is sitting. Up front, the seats provide great support and include 38.3-inches (974 mm) of headroom as well as 42.6-inches (1,083 mm) of legroom. The rear seats are a bit less accommodating with 37.0-inches (939 mm) of headroom and 36.4-inches (925 mm) of legroom. Although adults will fit back there, the raked roof curves down at the sides, meaning tall passengers are looking more at the headliner than out the window. Claustrophobic riders need not apply.

Although the fastback shape may impede rear passengers, there is a practical benefit to it. The car has a large opening rear hatch that allows easy access to a generous 23.3 cubic feet (660 L) of cargo space that can expand to 40.9 cu ft (1,158 L) with the rear seats folded.

All 2023 Kia Stingers come stuffed full of standard safety features. Some of the included features are forward collision warning and avoidance, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning and avoidance, rear cross traffic alert, driver distraction alert, surround view monitor, as well front and rear parking sensors.

Pricing for the Stinger in the United States starts at $37,865 (all prices include destination charges). As test, the fully loaded Stinger Tribute comes in a $56,765. That puts it right on par with the Acura TLX Type-S and BMW 530i.

In Canada the Stinger Tribute is quite the bargain. As tested it only comes in at $59,044. That puts it around the same price as the Acura TLX with the standard engine as well as the smaller, less powerful BMW 330i xDrive.

But that didn’t happen enough for Kia to continue the car's existence existence. The Stinger was always fighting an uphill battle, trying to play with premium marques while wearing the Kia badge. One day we will either look back on the Stinger as the car that changed people’s perceptions of the brand, or just a blip that was an interesting novelty.

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