San Francisco Chronicle

The 2019 Kia Stinger gets more standard equipment and a slightly higher price

- By Joseph Capparella

As it enters its second model year, the Kia Stinger is getting a slightly higher price across the board, but a few additional pieces of standard equipment help keep its value equation strong. The 2019 Stinger now starts $750 to $2000 higher than last year, depending on trim level, but nearly each model has added content to make up for those difference­s.

The base four-cylinder Stinger, priced at $33,895, now includes blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard, along with the nicer-looking 18inch wheels from the Stinger Premium. There’s a new Sun & Sound package offered for $3000 that adds a sunroof, LED headlights, a larger touchscree­n, and a premium audio system. The base Stinger’s V-6-powered equivalent, the 365-hp Stinger GT, now costs $40,095. It also adds those safety features as standard, and the rear-wheel-drive version now gets a standard limited-slip differenti­al, previously a $200 option.

The Stinger Premium, which uses the same 255-hp turbocharg­ed 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as the base car, rises to $40,095, a $2000 price increase. The Premium now comes standard with all of the active-safety features included in the previously optional $2000 Drive Wise package. Cooled front seats and a wireless phone charging pad are now standard, too. The V-6-powered GT1, for $45,100, adds all these features as standard, too.

For an all-in price of $50,985 for 2019, the fully loaded Stinger GT2 adds a 360-degree camera and heated rear seats. All trim levels still offer all-wheel drive as a $2200 option, meaning the most expensive version of a Stinger you can get from the factory is a GT2 AWD with extra-cost paint, which rings in at $53,680.

Kia had previously announced a limited-run special edition of the 2019 Stinger called the Atlantica, but Kia spokesman Neil Dunlop said that model has been “put on hold indefinite­ly.”

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PHOTOS BY KIA
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