Kia just updated its flashiest sedan with more power and features to challenge BMW - see the $36,090 Stinger

• The 2022 Stinger has been updated with minor exterior styling changes.
• Most notably, there's a new base model that's more powerful and cheaper than the BMW 3 Series.
• The 2022 Kia Stinger starts at $36,090.

In 2017, Kia came out swinging. Not with an SUV but with the Stinger - a sleek sports sedan with a hatchback-style trunk. It was awesome.

Don't worry, though. I'm not here today to tell you that the Stinger is going away. I'm here to tell you about some updates.

On Tuesday, the automaker unveiled the much-updated 2022 Stinger. The car will wear Kia's new logo and have a new daytime-running-light design and new LED taillights as standard. Other redesigned features include new 18- and 19-inch wheels and more aggressive exhaust tips.

Inside, buyers will get ambient cabin lighting with a choice of colors and black and chrome detailing on the instrument panel. Some of the optional Nappa leather surfaces with a new "chain link" design meant to resemble wristbands on high-end watches.

The 2022 Stinger will be available in three trim levels: the GT-Line, GT1, and GT2. The GT-Line will have a 2.5-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Though it is the base-model Stinger, it'll have a claimed 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque sent to the rear wheels. All-wheel drive is an optional extra.

The 3.3-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 in the GT1 and GT2 trims produces a claimed 368 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. The higher two trims also come in either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard on all Stinger models, as is a 10.25-inch touchscreen display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

A special-edition Stinger, the Scorpion, will be launched later on. All we know for now is that it'll come in three colors - Snow White, Aurora Black, and Ceramic Silver - have a rear spoiler, unique black wheels, blacked-out exterior trim pieces, and an interior carbon-fiber pattern trim.

As a quick comparison, the base BMW 3 Series - the go-to "fancy" sedan in our society - starts at $41,250 and produces a claimed 255 horsepower. And it doesn't have a hatchback trunk.

The 2022 Kia Stinger starts at $36,090 before its destination and handling fee. With the exception of the Stinger Scorpion, you can expect the 2022 models to arrive at showrooms in the spring.