2018 Stinger 2.0T AWD vs. New AWD Buick Regals

[jbweb7]

Welcome to Round 2 of Kia Stinger vs. The Competition....

A full comparison of pricing and options is attached for side by side consideration. The summary I've pasted below...

Base Stinger vs. Buick Regal Premium II
The Stinger offers a faster car, with drive modes, paddle shifters (poor ones from reviews) and leather. The Regal a very similar car with remote start for $2500 less. The Buick is still $400 cheaper after adding options like a Sunroof, Blind Spot Protection,LED lights. Kia could make this an easy decision for me by adding back the Aggressive Grill and LED Lights with Blind spot tech at the current price.

Base Stinger vs. Buick Essence
The Base Stinger is still more expensive than a very similarly equiped Essence. Add a sunroof or LED's w/ blindspot tech and you are still only over the Stinger by a few hundred dollars. This will be a battle ground for Kia in my opinion. Buick will give customer's a choice between Comfort (Sunroof) or Safety (Blind Spot/LED) vs the Stinger's standard Speed and Handling. Again this is an easy decision for me if the GT character is still with the Stinger and has the basic safety tech.

Stinger Premium vs. Buick Regal Essence
The Buick is over $3000 less even optioned with LED's, Safety Blind Spots/Cross traffic, remote start and a sunroof. The only win for the Stinger is the amazing sound system. Verdict Stinger's Premium is about $2000 over priced even with the great stero and sporting handling which can be had for less in the Buick GS.

Stinger Premium vs. Buick GS
The GS lacks standard sunroof, paddle shifters and fancy stereo, but has 9spd transmission, ventilated seats, mean grill, great rims, brembos and 310HP. A serious driver is taking this over the premium. Stinger Premium: Price needs to be $2000 less to avoid going head to head with Regal GS.

Overall:
I think Kia needs to shift pricing down $2000 to $3000 across the range. That opens up some room in the middle for another model or options such as a GT appearance package or sunroof. At the bottom save some money by moving to Synthetic leather or a cloth/leather trim on the seats.

 

[westcoastGT]

......................but a fully loaded Stinger GT is still $25,000 less than a similarly optioned BMW 440 GC , and I think that's the real opportunity . They're shooting higher , IMHO I think the Stingers are under priced , my $ .02.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Thank you very much for this comparison, @jbweb7! Yes, Kia IS aiming higher, @westcoastGT, and I believe the Stinger is the better deal if they're priced the same. Buick IS aiming high as well with the Regal. But I don't see anyone comparing the GS with anything top tier. It's going to favor luxury over sport too much in my opinion.

 

[jbweb7]

I agree no one is comparing the Regal GS to anything higher. I'm comparing it to the Stinger 2.0T Premium, which I think is really lower on the performance pecking order. Make sense? A BMW 3 Series M is what the GT is going for. The 2.0 is really something different in my eyes. Time will tell if I'm right.

 

[westcoastGT]

Luxury supports the basic Buick premise and will help provide that halo image for their whole portfolio , Kia are after serious driving dynamics , BMW are getting flamed for focusing too much attention to lux and tech and have seriously lost the crown they had in the days of the E39 M5 , I think Schreyer and Bierman have been tasked to grab some of this lost territory and that's where they are setting their targets

 

[westcoastGT]

I agree no one is comparing the Regal GS to anything higher. I'm comparing it to the Stinger 2.0T Premium, which I think is really lower on the performance pecking order. Make sense? A BMW 3 Series M is what the GT is going for. The 2.0 is really something different in my eyes. Time will tell if I'm right.

I really don't think the 2.0 is going to be that much less of a car ............the weight difference alone adds much more balance and nimbleness . I had a 530 i and traded it for a 550 i and the cars were virtually the same , just more low end grunt out of the V8 , and that beautiful sound !

 

[jbweb7]

I also happen to think the Stinger can be good enough to go lower too. The dynamics and style I think can be successful across a lot of price points. I see a lot of parallels between the Stinger's position at Kia and the Mustang at Ford. Mustang design is good enough to carry pricing from $25,000 to well over $50,000. Having that range can a lot of different economic profiles into Kia showrooms, just as Mustang does. What prevents the Stinger from covering every bit as much ground with packaging adjustments?

 

[westcoastGT]

I also happen to think the Stinger can be good enough to go lower too. The dynamics and style I think can be successful across a lot of price points. I see a lot of parallels between the Stinger's at Kia and the Mustang at Ford. Mustang design is good enough to carry pricing from $25,000 to well over $50,000. What prevents the Stinger from covering every bit as much ground with packaging adjustments?

I just think they have other models that will cover that strategy , the Stingers job is to push the higher tiers of quality , performance , driving dynamics and Luxury ..............and the key issue is whether the Kia branding has the capability to carry it there .

 

[hej]

I wouldn't even consider a Regal to be Stinger competition. Hardly anything in common beyond them both being sedans.

 

[jbweb7]

I just think they

I just think they have other models that will cover that strategy , the Stingers job is to push the higher tiers of quality , performance , driving dynamics and Luxury ..............and the key issue is whether the Kia branding has the capability to carry it there .

I think placing the emphasis on Kia is a mistake on their part. Emphasizing the "Stinger" branding would make the task much easier in my opinion. Not as a wholly different brand ala Genisis, but as Halo product with the power to surprise

 

[jbweb7]

I wouldn't even consider a Regal to be Stinger competition. Hardly anything in common beyond them both being sedans.

Hmm they also are hatchs with 250ish horses, awd, very similar proportions and german(opel grand sport insignia)roots...The Buick simply had some of its athletic looks and handling smoothed out on the trip across the pond in order to fall in line with Buick image. This also has me bummed since the pricing for it is more budget friendly.

 

[westcoastGT]

I think placing the emphasis on Kia is a mistake on their part. Emphasizing the "Stinger" branding would make the task much easier in my opinion. Not as a wholly different brand ala Genisis, but as Halo product with the power to surprise

Given they have done just that for their domestic market suggests they are concerned too , I think the sale of E badges for the International Market will be substantial , I know what I'm going to do ! haha

 

[Kia Stinger]

I think placing the emphasis on Kia is a mistake on their part. Emphasizing the "Stinger" branding would make the task much easier in my opinion. Not as a wholly different brand ala Genisis, but as Halo product with the power to surprise

Yes, that's what Buick did with it's Riviera years ago. There wasn't a Buick logo on the outside of the car - just a script "Riviera" and a roundish "R" badge front and back...

Given they have done just that for their domestic market suggests they are concerned too , I think the sale of E badges for the International will be substantial , I know what I'm going to do ! haha

I'm hoping the sale of badges will pay for running the site so that really would be great. Members will never see network ads here like other sites so I'll need to support it somehow. Perhaps I'll find some direct advertisers like Stinger tuners. Direct ads don't having tracking code and that seems to be what bothers people the most...

 

[STNGRNV]

The Buick Regal Sportback is indeed competition. It may not be the same category of car per se, but the people looking at the Stinger are considering the Regal. Everyone isn't a car guy. Some people just want a sedan that isn't boring.

 

[MarkyMark]

I actually built a spreadsheet between the Regal Sportback Essence and Kia Stinger Base model.

Regal is $32,655 w/Designation
Stinger is $32,800 w/Destination

THE BIG DEAL: Stinger is a drivers car first and foremost. It's rear wheel drive vs front (you'll know the difference if you've ever driven both).

As far as amenities they both mix and match items at this price point but are pretty even. Stinger has heated auto folding side mirrors, while the Regal does not. The Regal has more LED exterior lighting systems, while the Stinger does not. Kia has 5 drive modes, Regal does not...

I have not driven either - yet - but overall the Buick delivers a few more goodies (heated steering wheel, etc...) that the Kia for nearly the identical price does not.

That said, I have sat in the Stinger. The seats are fantastic, high quality leather. GM likes to play leather quality games until the highest end vehicle (stupid IMO).

Overall, I am guessing the Stinger performs like it looks and the Regal will perform like it looks. Stinger looks much more euro with higher-end materials on the interior than the Regal. IMO Regal's dash look wide and boring/old style...

Stinger just looks like a car that stayed focused on the Gran Turismo target and didn't veer from that goal throughout the process. Regal seems like another upgraded, refined sedan from Buick. Both are fine for their markets, but Stinger is for me.

 

[Skyguy]

I actually built a spreadsheet between the Regal Sportback Essence and Kia Stinger Base model.

Regal is $32,655 w/Designation
Stinger is $32,800 w/Destination

They both mix and match items at this price point. Stinger has heated auto folding side mirrors, Regal does not. Regal has more LED exterior lighting systems, the Kia does not. Kia has 5 drive modes, Regal does not...

I have not driven either - yet - but overall the Buick delivers a few more goodies (heated steering wheel, etc...) that the Kia for nearly the identical price does not.

That said, I have sat in the Stinger. The seats are fantastic, high quality leather. GM likes to play leather quality games until the highest end vehicle (stupid IMO).

Overall, I am guessing the Stinger performs like it looks and the Regal will perform like it looks. Stinger looks much more euro and higher-end materials on the interior than the Regal.

Stinger just looks like a car that stayed focused on the Gran Turismo target. Regal seems like another sedan...

Get rid of you gay spreadsheets. They don’t mean shit. Drive both cars and make a decision based on that. Don’t overthink it.

 

[westcoastGT]

Get rid of you gay spreadsheets. They don’t mean shit. Drive both cars and make a decision based on that. Don’t overthink it.

OK , now I'm out of the dog house !! Bawaaaa !!

 

[Euljiro1ga]

I actually built a spreadsheet between the Regal Sportback Essence and Kia Stinger Base model.

Regal is $32,655 w/Designation
Stinger is $32,800 w/Destination

They both mix and match items at this price point. Stinger has heated auto folding side mirrors, Regal does not. Regal has more LED exterior lighting systems, the Kia does not. Kia has 5 drive modes, Regal does not...

I have not driven either - yet - but overall the Buick delivers a few more goodies (heated steering wheel, etc...) that the Kia for nearly the identical price does not.

That said, I have sat in the Stinger. The seats are fantastic, high quality leather. GM likes to play leather quality games until the highest end vehicle (stupid IMO).

Overall, I am guessing the Stinger performs like it looks and the Regal will perform like it looks. Stinger looks much more euro and higher-end materials on the interior than the Regal.

Stinger just looks like a car that stayed focused on the Gran Turismo target. Regal seems like another sedan...

I think you left out the most important factor between the two (at least for me) - rear wheel drive in the Stinger vs. Front wheel drive in the Regal.

 

[Merkur720]

I just can’t help but remember how unreliable the Opel/Cadillac Catera was. Another US car by way of GM Europe out of the same factory in Germany. The previous regal hasn’t been an all star by any means either. Now Peugeot owns the division which makes me even more Leery. The regal Sportback is a rebadged Opel. I trust first year reliability with Kia much more based on their recent track record over last ten years.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I actually built a spreadsheet between the Regal Sportback Essence and Kia Stinger Base model.

Regal is $32,655 w/Designation
Stinger is $32,800 w/Destination

They both mix and match items at this price point. Stinger has heated auto folding side mirrors, Regal does not. Regal has more LED exterior lighting systems, the Kia does not. Kia has 5 drive modes, Regal does not...

I have not driven either - yet - but overall the Buick delivers a few more goodies (heated steering wheel, etc...) that the Kia for nearly the identical price does not.

That said, I have sat in the Stinger. The seats are fantastic, high quality leather. GM likes to play leather quality games until the highest end vehicle (stupid IMO).

Overall, I am guessing the Stinger performs like it looks and the Regal will perform like it looks. Stinger looks much more euro and higher-end materials on the interior than the Regal.

Stinger just looks like a car that stayed focused on the Gran Turismo target. Regal seems like another sedan...

Welcome aboard, @MarkyMark! Thank you for signing up! I wouldn't mind seeing the spreadsheet. But I think your assessment is correct in the Stinger being more of a sports car and the Regal being more of a luxury car. They're going to give very different experiences. As for leathers, well - that's pretty standard in the industry - how GM offers the best leather in the highest priced model. BMW has something called "Individual" - and the leather is so soft your brain slips out when you touch it. It's really THAT soft. Your brain slips out. But pretty much all the brands reserve their best leather for the top model.

And, yes - you're right - Kia has a different customer in mind for the Stinger than Buick has for the Regal... The Regal is a very nice car but it's really not anything like a Stinger outside of the rear hatch...

Get rid of you gay spreadsheets. They don’t mean shit. Drive both cars and make a decision based on that. Don’t overthink it.

Translation: Go drive one, damn it! You just might love it!

I think you left out the most important factor between the two (at least for me) - rear wheel drive in the Stinger vs. Front wheel drive in the Regal.

True. Definitely something that should not be forgotten...

I just can’t help but remember how unreliable the Opel/Cadillac Catera was. Another US car by way of GM Europe out of the same factory in Germany. The previous regal hasn’t been an all star by any means either. Now Peugeot owns the division which makes me even more Leery. The regal Sportback is a rebadged Opel. I trust first year reliability with Kia much more based on their recent track record over last ten years.

Well, I guess the first generation (most-recent) Buick Regal had some issues - but the car has a tree-men-dous fan base. Owners love it. Sure, there are a few who hate it - that happens with all cars. But Buick owners are very happy with their Regals. I think the second generation "new" Regal will make customers even happier. I'm sure it's going to be a great car. But it's for a different type of customer than the Stinger buyer...