Compare the2023 Kia StingerVS 2023 Lexus IS

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
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 IS 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 IS doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Stinger’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The IS doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Stinger and the IS 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, 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 Lexus IS:

	Stinger	IS
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	161	220
Neck Injury Risk	18.3%	35%
Neck Stress	137 lbs.	429 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	97/355 lbs.	599/675 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	220	282
Neck Injury Risk	36.6%	41%
Neck Compression	32 lbs.	81 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/25 lbs.	399/459 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 Lexus IS:

	Stinger	IS
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	119	142
Abdominal Force	197 lbs.	203 lbs.
Hip Force	252 lbs.	406 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches

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

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 IS’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Stinger 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the IS. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the IS ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus 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 IS’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

Engine

The Stinger has more powerful engines than the IS:

	Horsepower	Torque
Stinger GT-Line 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	300 HP	311 lbs.-ft.
Stinger GT2 3.3 turbo V6	368 HP	376 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	241 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	260 HP	236 lbs.-ft.
IS 350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	311 HP	280 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Stinger GT2 3.3 turbo V6 is faster than the Lexus IS:

	Stinger	IS 300 AWD	IS 350 F Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	4.6 sec	5.7 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	13.1 sec	14.3 sec	14.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	106.9 MPH	97.6 MPH	100.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Stinger gets better mileage than the IS:

			MPG
Stinger
	RWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/32 hwy
		3.3 turbo V6	18 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
IS
	RWD	5.0 V8	17 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Stinger’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The IS doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 IS doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Stinger	IS
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13.1 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.7 inches

The Stinger stops much shorter than the IS:

	Stinger	IS
70 to 0 MPH	156 feet	159 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	104 feet	117 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Stinger’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the IS (114.4 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Stinger is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the IS.

The Stinger GT2 handles at .93 G’s, while the IS 500 Performance pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Stinger executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the IS 300 AWD (24.8 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 25.9 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 IS is rated a Compact.

The Stinger has 3.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the IS (93.8 vs. 90.2).

The Stinger has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 4.2 inches more rear legroom, 2.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS.

Cargo Capacity

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 IS doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Ergonomics

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 IS doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Stinger and the IS have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Stinger is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The IS prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Stinger’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The IS’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Stinger’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The IS’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Stinger has standard extendable sun visors. The IS doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Stinger has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the IS. 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 IS.

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. The IS doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

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