Sport car showdown: Ford Mustang GT versus Kia Stinger GT

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• How much does the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger cost? 
• How safe are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger?
• What are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger like inside?
• What's under the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger bonnets?
• How efficient are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger?
• What are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger like to drive?
• Should I buy one?

How much do the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger cost?

Buying a Kia Stinger GT costs the average Melburnian $69,890 driveaway; the Ford Mustang GT fastback with an automatic transmission is $73, 958. 

The flipside is the Kia costs $2550 to service over five years or 50,000km. The Mustang can go 15,000km or a year between services and the first five trips will cost $1585.

There are 10 colours in the Mustang’s palette and eight of them will add $650 to the bottom line. White, not surprisingly, is a no-cost colour, but the “Race red” hue is also free.

Stinger buyers can choose from eight colours, with five of them free. Blue, black and pearlescent white, add $695.

How safe are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger?

Bad news first. The Ford Mustang is three-star car, according to ANCAP’s 2017 assessment programme. 

Adult occupant protection was rated at 72 per cent, dragged down by poor or weak ratings for the rear passenger’s head, chest and pelvis in the full-frontal crash test. Whiplash was also an issue for front and rear occupants. 

Child safety was a dismal 32 per cent, attributable to the 10-year-old dummy’s head “bottoming out” through the airbag and hitting the side of the rear door during the side crash test. 

Vulnerable road user protection was rated at 78 per cent, while safety assist features scored 61 per cent, largely due to the absence of a speed limiter and the fact there were no rear passenger seatbelt alerts (issue Ford fixed in vehicles built from January 2021). 

The Kia Stinger is a five-star vehicle. 

Adult occupant protection is officially 91 per cent, based on EuroNCAP testing. ANCAP re-tested the car in March 2018 and found the rear passenger had poor protection in the head, chest and pelvis regions during the full-width frontal test. That lowered the overall adult score to 85.2 per cent. 

Child occupant protection earned an 81 per cent rating, with ANCAP noting marginal protection of the chest and neck of the 10-year-old dummy during the frontal offset crash test. 

Pedestrian protection was deemed to be 78 per cent, while safety assist features scored 70 per cent, with the Stinger, like the Mustang, missing out on a speed limiter. 

What are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger like inside?

Standard gear on the Ford Mustang includes an 8.0-inch infotainment display with satellite navigation, a 12-speaker sound system and a customisable 12.0-inch digital driver’s display.

Unlike many sports cars, the Mustang has a reasonable 408-litre boot and a decent glovebox. It's a good thing, because you’re not going to fit much in the cabin itself. The door pockets will take a small bottle and the centre bin is just as compact.

The rear seats are redundant unless you can adopt the lotus position. Legroom is practically non-existent, even with the front seat racked right up to the dash. Throw your bags in the pair of scalloped buckets and be done with it.

The Stinger packs a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, 15-speaker sound system and wireless phone charging, along with a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display.

The boot space is actually two litres less than the Mustang, but the Stinger has no shortage of storage inside, be the door pockets or centre console bin.

Rear seat space is also large-car largesse and there are isofix anchorages and top tethers on the outboard seats.

What’s under the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger bonnets?

A “Coyote” 5.0-litre V8 propels the Ford Mustang GT. There is an option for a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine that, while entertaining in its own right, is about as popular as a flatulent passenger with the windows up.  

Put simply, people buy the Mustang for the V8 burble. The purists then insist on the six-speed manual gearbox but Ford also caters for those with a preference for two-pedal vehicles by fitting a 10-speed automatic transmission.  

Trivia fans should note the transmission is also used in the Mustang’s direct rival in the USA, the Chevrolet Camaro. 

The engine cranks out 339kW and 556Nm, enough for a 0-100km/h dash in well under five seconds. 

The Stinger follows a more modern path, with a twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 engine. Like the Mustang, it is sending power to the rear wheels, but in this case, using an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

The straight-line sprint to 100km/h trails the ’Stang by tenths of a second. 

How efficient are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger?

Efficiency tends not to be a priority for these types of vehicles. Owners are buying it for the fun, not the frugality (though the Kia is a practical family car if you can afford it).

The Mustang’s V8 slurps 12.7 litres every 100km on the combined cycle when fitted with the auto transmission (the manual does 0.3 litres/100km more), according to the official government website, or 19.3 litres/100km around town.

No Mustang owner cares.

Kia’s V6 Stinger consumes 10.2 litres/100km on the combined cycle and 14.9 litres/100km in the urban environment.

What are the Ford Mustang and Kia Stinger like to drive?

Here’s where it gets interesting. The Ford is faster in a straight sprint; the Kia is more capable through the turns.

That comes down to suspension and chassis. 

The Mustang does have adaptive dampers but only as an option. Tick the box.

Its default ride is fairly firm and can leave the sports car unsettled on typically broken Australian back roads. That’s not a good thing in a car this quick. 

The steering has a real heft to it, which reinforces the classic “pony car” feel without being unduly tiring on long runs. 

The Michelin Pilot Sport rubber has more than enough grip to cope with the power and feedback through the wheel is holistic … you know where the Mustang is pointed and you know when it’s about to get tail-happy. 

There are also various modes for the active exhaust to modulate the sonic emissions to cater for the neighbours if you’re coming home late at night or leaving early in the morning. I doubt whether that menu has seen the light of day in 95 per cent of Mustangs bought.

Kia’s take on the driving dynamics is more refined … and better suited to our B-roads. While both cars have drive modes, only the Stinger’s suspension changes according to which level you’ve selected. 

It means you can press on with far more confidence on corrugated surfaces.

Around town, the Mustang rules. The looks you’ll get (despite there being a lot on the road these days) and the V8 burble it emits reinforce the fact you’re riding in a sports car. 

The Stinger is much more discreet. The aural accompaniment is low-key, just like the car. That’s great for civility but doesn’t announce to the world that you’ve bought a grand-touring based sports car.

Should I buy one?

If you win the lottery, buy both. The Kia Stinger will be an awesome daily driver and weekend family courier. The Mustang is going to turn heads no matter where you go and stoke the ego in a way the Kia just can’t.

From any objective measure, the Kia is the better car. It’s more luxurious, can carry four people in comfort, and more than match the Mustang on a back road.

Subjectively, the Mustang is a length ahead. That V8 snarl, the iconic looks, and the fact you are driving a legendary vehicle that has been in continuous production since 1964 make it a clear winner. 

Sometimes the heart does rule over the head.