Instead of the Axe, 2021 Kia Stinger Survives With a Refresh

 

Small changes make the sporty-GT a more handsome performance machine.

Recently we were arm-chair quarterbacking the theory that the Kia Stinger was not long for this world. Even though the Stinger itself is a great car, lackluster sales are a sign that potential buyers aren't as fired up as us critics. But we're happy to report that, for now at least, we've been proven wrong. Kia just announced a slew of updates to make the Stinger both more handsome and more upscale.

For starters, the exterior of the car gets some slight revisions. Up front the tiger nose grille gets wider—a trend Kia has been executing throughout its lineup these days—and the headlights get a slight redesign to give them a sharper look. There's a new tail light design at the back, and the rear-facing turn signals get a design that's meant to mimic a checkered flag. The rear bumper gets a slight redesign too, with larger exhaust ports that can now be finished in bright silver.

Kia is also introducing two new wheel options—one 18-inches in diameter, the other measuring 19-inches—that it says enhance the sporty, GT personality of the Stinger. There are also two new exterior packages. The Dark Package features a gloss back rear diffuser surround and blacked-out exhaust tips. The Black Package adds 19-inch matte black wheels, a spoiler for the rear liftgate, and blacked out mirror caps.

Inside, the cabin is more GT and less sports car than before. Buyers can now spec Nappa leather in either Saturn Black, Red or Beige—and that's on top of the colors that were already on offer. The instrument cluster ditches physical dials in favor of a fully digital driver's display, and the infotainment screen swells to 10.25 inches (up from 7.0 inches).

Kia says that there's even more in store for the Stinger, but it isn't ready to take the wraps off of the car's new powertrain and technology details just yet. We expect those to be unveiled sometime in the coming weeks. But what's in store for the U.S. market? A Kia spokesperson told us that the Stinger will be a carry-over for 2021, meaning it won't have any of these updates. We expect these changes to make it to U.S. cars for the 2022 model year.