Compare the2022 Kia StingerVS 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Stinger are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Stinger are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Giulia doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Stinger has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Giulia doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Stinger’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Giulia.

The Stinger GT2 has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Giulia only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Stinger has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Giulia’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Stinger has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Cross-path warning costs extra on the Giulia.

Both the Stinger and the Giulia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Stinger its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 68 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia has not been fully tested, yet.

The Stinger comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Giulia’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Stinger 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Giulia. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Giulia ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 5 times as many Kia dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Stinger’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Stinger’s reliability 33 points higher than the Giulia.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 57 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 99 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 32nd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 14 places higher in reliability than Alfa Romeo.

The Stinger GT-Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (300 vs. 280) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 306) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Stinger GT1/GT2’s standard 3.3 turbo V6 produces 88 more horsepower (368 vs. 280) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (376 vs. 306) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Stinger GT1/GT2 3.3 turbo V6 is faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia:

The Stinger GT1/GT2’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s at 2250 in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Giulia doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Stinger’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Giulia:

The Stinger GT1/GT2’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Giulia are solid, not vented.

The Stinger stops much shorter than the Giulia:

The Stinger GT-Line’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Giulia’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Stinger GT-Line has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Giulia.

The Stinger has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Giulia; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Stinger’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the Giulia (114.4 inches vs. 111 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Stinger is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Giulia.

The Stinger GT2 handles at .93 G’s, while the Giulia Ti Q4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Stinger executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Giulia Ti (24.8 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Stinger is quieter than the Giulia Ti (37 vs. 41 dB).

The Stinger has .2 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Giulia.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Stinger GT2’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Stinger’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Giulia doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

The Stinger GT2 has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Giulia doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Stinger’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Giulia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

When the Stinger GT2 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Giulia’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Stinger GT2 keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Giulia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Stinger has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Giulia.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Stinger, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Giulia isn't recommended.