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[anV6]

I’m sure many of you have heard of the new Kia Stinger. What do you think of it?



It's RWD! What's not to like? 

Seriously, I think it’s impressive for what it is and shows Kia is really trying hard to be taken seriously.

I also think it’s a smart move from their part. RWD saloons are becoming a rare gem. But they definitely have their fans. There are only 2 in the U.S and 2 in Australia, both countries known to appreciate RWD. The U.S. is soon to be left with only 1 RWD 4 door saloon, when Holden stops production of the commodore.  Australia will be left with no RWD at all since the Ford Falcon is also EOL. I’m sure Kia is targeting both the U.S. and Australia’s market heavily. The question is, will the Stinger be taken seriously? I think it has a better chance in the U.S. than it does with Commodore and Falcon drivers. But maybe it’s just me.

It’s not a V8 but the top V6 makes 365bhp. We could only dream of that in an Omega. Although I’m sure the Stinger is heavier as any newer car is. Its 5.1 sec. 0-60mph time is a giveaway of its weight as the Steinmetz Omega is only a second slower but produces nearly 100bhp less. But it doesn’t seem that much heavier looking at these figures and  5.1 secs is quick for any car but a supercar IMO. So if it delivers elsewhere, like handling, braking etc, it doesn’t seem performance will be a problem. If it will be as fun to drive as the Giulia Quadrifoglio it’s something else. Most likely not, especially that it will be automatic only. The Quadrifoglio is available with a manual here and it’s a riot let me tell you. Very nice. But the Stinger definitely looks promising. It’s hard to say it’s not a good looking car too. I don’t like the fat back just like I don’t in the Audis. But overall the Stinger is a good looking car.

It seems it will also be released in mainland Europe. It will be interesting to see how it would do here. I’m sure it can do well in the U.S and even UK. But Europe never really warmed up to Japanese cars, let alone Koreans. Most people still see them as subpar or imitations. The cheaper ones are not a problem and Kia sells well. But Toyota has tried several times with Lexus here till they finally seem to have given up.  People will just not take expensive Japanese or Korean cars seriously. No matter how good or how quick they may be. It’s a niche here. Skylines and Supras have a good following with fans. But the general public couldn’t care less. It’s hard to blame them when Alfas, Maseratis, Mercs, Audis, Porsches and BMWs are so accessible. In the U.S. Lexus, Acura and Infinity are popular because these cars are not accessible.  I guess in the UK it's the easy of having the same hand drive as Japan. Models never available in LHD, normally the special ones, can be had with easy.

I think the Stinger is certainly a step in the right direction for Kia. I welcome any and all RWD 4 door saloons. And Kia seems to be thinking and really trying to do it right. They will offer it in RWD and AWD. The way it should be. None of that cheap and non-sense FWD. 

Now if they sell it with a manual they are on to a great start. If they ever drop a V8 in it they may even give some bigger badges some headaches. But let's see how it actually drives first.

So what do you think of the Stinger?

[Viral_Jim]

Personally I like it very much. Interior quality will be the big thing for me. It's fine looking at a nice steering wheel, gear lever etc, but if they feel like Poundland's cast-offs the. That's no good at all.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Looks like a poor copy of a modern Jag, and modern Jags are ugly as sin.

[Kevin Wood]

It does rather look like they've tried too hard on the styling front to me but then I say that of most modern cars.

Having driven 2400km in a Hyundai Accent 1.6 auto recently, and found that the experience wasn't terrible, I certainly wouldn't dismiss it for not being German built...

[TheBoy]

Likely to depreciate like, errr, well, an Omega...

...so could become a contender.

Though due to all the tree huggers, I doubt the powerful ones will be common.

[2boxerdogs]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

[TheBoy]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

Certainly could be an option, as if, like me, you won't have crap beemers, mercs or posh toyatas, you start running out of rwd options

[Nick W]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

I like it, but I bet the 11 they manage to sell with large engines throughout its model life become impossible to find.
It's a car intended for America, just like its Hyundai Genesis sister which is already on sale. But considering that starts at £50k, I doubt any of us will ever actually see one.


It's the V6 Talbot Tagora reincarnated: a company car for the Dealer Principal.

[anV6]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

I like it, but I bet the 11 they manage to sell with large engines throughout its model life become impossible to find.
It's a car intended for America, just like its Hyundai Genesis sister which is already on sale. But considering that starts at £50k, I doubt any of us will ever actually see one.


It's the V6 Talbot Tagora reincarnated: a company car for the Dealer Principal.

But the Genesis is as blend as it gets. It looks like any other run saloon out there. I think the Stinger has much more style. 

But I agree the V6 will probably not sell all that well. Not with a Kia badge.

[anV6]

Looks like a poor copy of a modern Jag, and modern Jags are ugly as sin.

I have to disagree on both accounts. The front reminds me more of a Fisker Karma than any Jag. The side profile is pure Audi A5 sportback. Actually the whole design is very Audi "inspired" (copied). This is one of the reasons Japanese and Korean cars don't get respect. All the copying. But to be fair, in the case of Audi lately, everybody seems to be copying them. So it's all fair game.

I also disagree the current Jags are ugly. I quite like them and also like that you can still get them with a manual transmission, unlike Mercedes. And they are also still RWD. I like the design. It's nice that Jaguar has finally come to the modern age and left behind the retro styling. Even Bentley and Rolls Royce are not as retro anymore. It is time to move on. Just my opinion of course. 

[anV6]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

Certainly could be an option, as if, like me, you won't have crap beemers, mercs or posh toyatas, you start running out of rwd options

I'm with you all the way, except Mercedes. I like the current C, E and S Class. The only reason I wouldn't buy one is because they are automatic only with any of the engines worth any salt. 

[Shackeng]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

Certainly could be an option, as if, like me, you won't have crap beemers, mercs or posh toyatas, you start running out of rwd options

I'm with you all the way, except Mercedes. I like the current C, E and S Class. The only reason I wouldn't buy one is because they are automatic only with any of the engines worth any salt. 

Excellent, whats not to like?

[anV6]

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

Certainly could be an option, as if, like me, you won't have crap beemers, mercs or posh toyatas, you start running out of rwd options

I'm with you all the way, except Mercedes. I like the current C, E and S Class. The only reason I wouldn't buy one is because they are automatic only with any of the engines worth any salt. 

Excellent, whats not to like?

That the car is doing 50% of my job. 

[Mr Gav]

The front end is quite nice but the rear end is as ugly as sin 

Kia as a brand actually look like an attractive alternative to the rest of the shite out there at the moment and the quality seems ok too.

I like it , especially the large engine a good second hand buy in a few years.

Certainly could be an option, as if, like me, you won't have crap beemers, mercs or posh toyatas Datsuns, you start running out of rwd options

Fixed that for you TB 

[TheBoy]

I was referring to Lexus, not Nissan. Though agree their blandness blends into each other