Kelly Blue Book (KBB) Kia Stinger Review

[Kia Stinger]

 

[Euljiro1ga]

I'm with him on treating the Stinger like a main-stream car with upscale flairs, rather than a direct competition to the BMW and Audi - at least, not yet.

 

[iclicku]

I think it competes nicely with near luxury brands such as Acura and Infiniti.

 

[Bobr]

Where's that border between main-stream and luxury?

 

[Euljiro1ga]

Where's that border between main-stream and luxury?

That's actually a very good question. I don't think I can answer that myself.

It may also be market dependent - say in Germany VW would likely be considered mainstream by most, but in Korea, it's entry-level luxury.

Again, that may also depend on what you look for in a car like, price, feather, performance, etc.

 

[Waynerm002]

Well in Germany you can get your BMW with cloth interior, smaller engines actually a choice of more options (more as in a larger selection of interior trim s well as wheels) than we get here and they are used as taxis much like the Chevy and fords here, mind you, it's all of them Audi and Mercedes included. KIA is mainstream in it's home country much like here, I've seen european versions of the Optima specced out like the German brands with equipment we don't get here, yet.

 

[stinger1168]

Good review. As this is KBB, it would have been nice if they discussed potential resale values... Is that a 360 camera I see??? I'm guessing this is a pre-production car...

 

[Fergalis]

Where's that border between main-stream and luxury?

A friend who is a very down-to-earth service manager at a major German luxury dealership told me it comes down to the difference in what the punters are prepared to pay for servicing and repair charges, the depreciation, and tilt of the suckers (er client's) nose.

Which is philosophically why I'll not become an Audi/BMW/MB/Lexus owner, and my Stinger will retain it's Kia badges. It's a superb looking car inside and out, exceptional value and my local Kia dealer has fixed, pre-advertised service charges that are fair and reasonable, and the sticker prices are competitive with common garden Accords and Camrys (at least here in NZ). I've no doubt that in its price bracket, the Stinger will in time show its weaknesses and shortcomings commiserate with its class, which I don't see as being competitive with the luxury brands, but closer to what Accord and Camry have become in their new iterations. It is what it is, and it's set a new benchmark that the others will now aspire to exceed going forward.

The announcement at CES of a forthcoming Hyundai 2-seater supercar and the recent gorgeous KIA concept mules, tell that the Koreans have a strategy to take over the motoring world. Watch out.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Hyundai 2-seater supercar

Really?

 

[Fergalis]

Really?

Yeah (although it will never be an aspirational car for me, lol), but it gives the clear indication of where Hyundai (and I guess Kia) is heading:

Hyundai's hybrid two-seater 'serious' supercar plans revealed

 

[Kia Stinger]

Yeah (although it will never be an aspirational car for me), but it gives the clear indication of where Hyundai (and I guess Kia) is heading:

Hyundai's hybrid two-seater 'serious' supercar plans revealed

Thank you. I'll be reading that as soon as I can.

 

[Mhol]

Wow. Very cool stuff.

 

[Bobr]

which I don't see as being competitive with the luxury brands, but closer to what Accord and Camry have become in their new iterations.

So you compare Stinger to Accord and Camry? But I compare my current Mazda 6 to those atm and I like it much more, especially because of design: Camry looks weird, Accord is just horrible and that huge stupid grill, OMFG... Stinger looks much better to me. Yes, in comparison to Mazda 6 (which, in my opinion, has best exterior design on the market atm), Stinger's exterior has some controversial elements, but you're getting so much for such a money value, and fun to drive (as heard from people) — that's a progress, so I really compare it to A5 and even A7. Atm choosing between Stinger (which not yet arrived to our country), Mercedes E200 (will be 1.5x more expensive) and Audi A7 (2x expensive). And I think "cost of owning" for Stinger is twice less as well.

 

[voon]

Luxury is when you can have tiny leather patch options for 200 USD per piece covering whatever surface in your cockpit. When there's no hardplastic anywhere in it, when your navi lcd has more resolution than your 34" monitor at home and so on.

The Kia Stinger is no Audi etc that way. it doesn't have those options, it's not as refined in every corner. But it's where I want a car to be. Enough decent in the cockpit to feel really at home and without having to pay idiot premius for small upgrades. it's the 80/20 rule .... a Stinger gives me 80% luxury at 20% price. At Audi, you can pay 80% more for 20% more luxury.

 

[Kia Stinger]

So you compare Stinger to Accord and Camry? But I compare my current Mazda 6 to those atm and I like it much more, especially because of design: Camry looks weird, Accord is just horrible and that huge stupid grill, OMFG... Stinger looks much better to me. Yes, in comparison to Mazda 6 (which, in my opinion, has best exterior design on the market atm), Stinger's exterior has some controversial elements, but you're getting so much for such a money value, and fun to drive (as heard from people) — that's a progress, so I really compare it to A5 and even A7. Atm choosing between Stinger (which not yet arrived to our country), Mercedes E200 (will be 1.5x more expensive) and Audi A7 (2x expensive). And I think "cost of owning" for Stinger is twice less as well.

I agree that the Stinger is a class above the Camry and Accord simply because of the way it drives. It's a very different driving experience. Then comes the rest. As for the new Accord, it's only you and I who feel this way. I have the 2016 and when that style appeared in late 2014, it was the first Accord I "had to have". The new one with that huge grille in the front (and I like big grilles) looks ridiculous. But it's only you, me, and some guy named Pico in Alabama who feel this way. Everyone else thinks the new Accord looks better than the Lamborghini Aventador.

 

[Fergalis]

So you compare Stinger to Accord and Camry?

Not for my personal preference - I rate the Stinger as a package, head and shoulders above both of them, especially in 3.3TT GT form, and while I don't particularly like the Accord exterior or say the Camry's spindle front end, the interiors are noticeably more upmarket than their previous respective models, especially the top spec Accords which I would rate equal to or better than the Stinger in perceived quality. And I agree with you wholeheartedly on Mazda, and the brand is quite popular here in NZ.

Mid-sized sedans are not big sellers here (unlike the US), Beleive it or not, last month the top slot went to the Ford Ranger 4x4 double-cab ute, and the rest of the top 15 slots filled by small, medium and large SUV's, and a couple of compacts (Swift, Yaris). The only mid-sized sedan that made it was Camry, and that was probably due to the discounted end-of-model fleet and taxi cab sales. Stinger will remain a niche seller.

 

[Kia Stinger]

perceived quality

The quality playing field has definitely been leveling out through the past few generations. Good enough is no longer good enough...

 

[Bigserver1]

I agree that the Stinger is a class above the Camry and Accord simply because of the way it drives. It's a very different driving experience. Then comes the rest. As for the new Accord, it's only you and I who feel this way. I have the 2016 and when that style appeared in late 2014, it was the first Accord I "had to have". The new one with that huge grille in the front (and I like big grilles) looks ridiculous. But it's only you, me, and some guy named Pico in Alabama who feel this way. Everyone else thinks the new Accord looks better than the Lamborghini Aventador.

The new Accord is an enigma for me. I think it looks fine, the touring trim is attractive IMO. But inside, I wasn’t blown away like everyone who reviewed it was. Their new infotainment is excellent. The head up display is great, and that car feels significantly more powerful than 252HP.

With that said, they did this stupid thing with the driver legroom that kills me, because my knee hits the dumb center stack and it’s hard plastic, so it’s super uncomfortable. The sound system doesn’t sound good at all, and you feel like you’re sitting in a 30k car. An Optima Limited feels WAY more luxurious than the new Accord, for a very similar sticker price.

The Camry is even worse. I drove one of those last night and couldn’t believe anyone would pay 37k for it. The Stinger GT 2 or Genesis G80 sport on the other hand...Swoon. 15-20k more though, and it shows haha.

 

[Fergalis]

I agree that the Stinger is a class above the Camry and Accord simply because of the way it drives. It's a very different driving experience. Then comes the rest. As for the new Accord, it's only you and I who feel this way. I have the 2016 and when that style appeared in late 2014, it was the first Accord I "had to have". The new one with that huge grille in the front (and I like big grilles) looks ridiculous. But it's only you, me, and some guy named Pico in Alabama who feel this way. Everyone else thinks the new Accord looks better than the Lamborghini Aventador.

'nout accounting for people's tastes eh chuck? Imagine if everyone liked the Stinger and had to have one. I'd probably go buy a Fiat Multipla just to be different...

 

[voon]

I like variety on roads. I like to see cars I find extremely ugly, so I have something to eville laugh about silently inside me. But also to just not be flooded with eversamegray VW Passats wherever I go. Unioformity is the death of joy.

This reviewer got it quite right: good car, while not a sportscar, good quality with a few things that don't work at all (like the cheap plastic knobs). It's a fairly neutral review.