Compare the2023 Kia StingerVS 2021 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Stinger has a standard rear 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. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

Both the Stinger and the C-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Stinger is safer than the Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	Stinger	C-Class Sedan
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	18.3%	24%
Neck Stress	137 lbs.	203 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	97/355 lbs.	421/449 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	220	246
Neck Injury Risk	36.6%	60%
Neck Compression	32 lbs.	219 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/25 lbs.	311/161 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Stinger is safer than the Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	Stinger	C-Class Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	119	165
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	252 lbs.	304 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	571 lbs.	838 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	310	395
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	51 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Stinger, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 2.3% less likely to roll over than the C-Class Sedan, which received a four-star rating.

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, its standard 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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The C-Class Sedan is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

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 C-Class Sedan’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 Mercedes covers the C-Class Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the C-Class Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Stinger’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the Stinger is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Stinger’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The C-Class Sedan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

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 16 points higher than the C-Class Sedan.

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 Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 46 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 50 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 5 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The Stinger GT-Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (300 vs. 255) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 273) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Stinger GT2’s standard 3.3 turbo V6 produces 113 more horsepower (368 vs. 255) and 103 lbs.-ft. more torque (376 vs. 273) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Transmission

The Stinger 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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Stinger’s brake rotors are larger than those on the C-Class Sedan:

	Stinger GT-Line	Stinger GT2	C-Class Sedan
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13.8 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.4 inches	11.8 inches

The Stinger stops shorter than the C-Class Sedan:

	Stinger	C-Class Sedan
60 to 0 MPH	104 feet	108 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 C-Class Sedan’s 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 C-Class Sedan.

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 C-Class Sedan; 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. Some tire options on the C-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

The Stinger offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The C-Class Sedan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Stinger’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the C-Class Sedan (114.4 inches vs. 111.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Stinger is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the C-Class Sedan.

The Stinger GT2 handles at .91 G’s, while the C 300 Sedan 4MATIC pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Stinger executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the C 300 Sedan 4MATIC (24.8 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Stinger a Mid-size car, while the C-Class Sedan is rated a Compact.

The Stinger has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-Class Sedan (93.8 vs. 90).

The Stinger has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and 1.2 inches more rear legroom than the C-Class Sedan.

The front step up height for the Stinger is 1 inches lower than the C-Class Sedan (15.5” vs. 16.5”). The Stinger’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the C-Class Sedan’s (15” vs. 16.8”).

Ergonomics

Both the Stinger and the C-Class Sedan have standard heated front seats. The Stinger GT2 also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

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 C-Class Sedan.

Economic Advantages

The Stinger will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Stinger will retain 45.44% to 46.82% of its original price after five years, while the C-Class Sedan only retains 43.48% to 44.24%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Stinger, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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