For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Fusion have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Stinger doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the Fusion and the Stinger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available rear parking sensors.

The Fusion's 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Stinger runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fusion's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Fusion first among midsize cars in their 2019 Initial Quality Study. The Stinger was rated third in its category.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Fusion Titanium 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Stinger GT-Line 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Fusion gets better fuel mileage than the Stinger:

The Fusion AWD's standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Stinger (18 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The Fusion has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it's removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Stinger doesn't offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Fusion higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Kia Stinger (3). This means the Fusion produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stinger every 15,000 miles.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don't press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Fusion has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Stinger doesn't offer a brake assist feature.

The Fusion stops shorter than the Stinger:

For better traction, the Fusion SE's tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Stinger (235/50R17 vs. 225/40R19).

The Fusion's drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Stinger doesn't offer drift compensation steering.

The front grille of the Fusion uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Stinger doesn't offer active grille shutters.

The Fusion has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stinger (102.8 vs. 93.8).

The Fusion has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stinger.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Fusion easier. The Fusion's trunk lift-over height is 24.4 inches, while the Stinger's liftover is 27.5 inches.

The Fusion has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Stinger has no towing capacity.

The Fusion's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Stinger's parking brake has to released manually.

The Fusion's front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Stinger's rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Fusion the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Stinger can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The Stinger doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The Stinger doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Fusion'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 Stinger's standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Fusion's headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Stinger's headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Fusion (except S) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Stinger doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Fusion owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Fusion will cost $1175 less than the Stinger over a five-year period.

The Fusion will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Fusion will retain 39.28% to 42.37% of its original price after five years, while the Stinger only retains 36.32% to 37.7%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Fusion will be $13018 to $21482 less than for the Kia Stinger.

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

The Ford Fusion outsold the Kia Stinger by almost 12 to one during 2019.