Kia has just released the first teaser image of America’s refreshed Stinger, ahead of its official unveiling set for next week. The 2022 Stinger will be shown on March 16, at 1:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CET), and it will feature “more power, more technology and a refined design”, according to the Korean automaker.
As most of you already know, we’ve seen
the visual changes on the European and Korean market versions of the facelifted
Stinger (sold in both regions as a 2021 model), which include a mildly updated
front grille, tweaked LED headlights that feature integrated daytime running
lights and new LED taillights. The European market facelifted 2021 Kia Stinger
sports the same styling changes as North America’s 2022MY.
Inside, a new 10.25-inch touchscreen
infotainment system will be introduced as well, with better graphics and faster
response times, as well as improved voice control, smartphone integration and
Bluetooth multi-connection, and a 7-inch digital display in the instrument
cluster. As seen here on the Korean specification car, the updated model gains
new trim finishes such as the chrome bezels on the instrument panel and
contrast stitching. In all likelihood, these changes will be found on the North
American model as well.
The engine lineup should be revised over
here too, with Kia believed to drop the 2.0-liter power unit and replace it
with a new 2.5-liter turbo-four. The latter might develop 300 HP and 422 Nm of torque, a 45 HP and 69 Nm improvement over the outgoing
unit. The twin turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 isn’t going anywhere apparently,
though it is unclear yet whether it will be upgraded in any way. The current
variant produces 365 HP and 510 Nm of torque, allowing the sports
sedan to hit 96 km/h in 4.7 seconds, 1.2 seconds quicker than the
2.0-liter-powered model.
Because of these upgrades, the 2022 Kia
Stinger will reportedly become pricier, with the base GT-Line jumping to US$ 37,135, including the US$ 1,045 destination charge, a US$ 3,000 premium, while the
GT2 range-topping spec might cost US$ 54,535. A special edition version is
understood to further bump the price to almost US$ 56,000.