Who is considering purchasing a KIA for the first time because of the Stinger?

[Bulllit]

I was sitting waiting for my paper work thinking if someone told me 6 months ago I'd own a Kia I'd have said your nuts

 

[SKStinger]

Interesting. I drove the S5 sport back and actually preferred the Stinger. I also prefer the looks of the Stinger to the S5 and this is coming from an Audi guy. I still own a B8 A4 Avant and love that car.

I just don?t like the look of the B9 platform S5. The front end ruins the car for me. The sculpting of the hood, the grille and the lower part of the bumper are poorly designed in that they don?t flow well for me with the rest of the car.

The Stinger is also roomier and performance wise is on par for $15,000 less, a better warranty, and cheaper aftermarket parts.

That?s what brought me to my first Kia.


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[sinrule]

It definitely comes for to personal taste. For me, the sportback grew on me and I've seen what it looks like with black optics package, I'm hoping they bring that to the states.

I prefer the sharp lines and creases on the S5, I like the more contemporary look. I also love the way the stinger looks. I felt as if I couldn't really lose with either one.

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[MachinesWithSouls]

I came from a 3 Series and still have a 5 and M3, but as a daily, the Stinger is awesome.


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[MarkyMark]

Have had my White Stinger w/Tinted Windows, GT, AWD, DriveWise, Red on Black interior for 8 days now. Over my Mazda6 it's night and day. Granted, the Mazda6 after 110k miles has NO rattles and is running amazingly well and smooth, etc... a problem-free car.

But as for driving dynamics, seat quality (remember my Mazda 6 is a 2014, not today's great Mazda6), how quiet the Stinger is over the Mazda, and the solid planted feeling and native driving feel of the Stinger and styling, and performance, etc... just no comparison. Amazing.

Drove my manger around this week. He is now considering a Stinger for his never work driver. He's not sure, but it's in the realm for sure. Just not sure if he is a badge guy or can live with everything the Stinger is, regardless of it having a KIA, Audi, BMW or Monkey from Mars logo on it...

 

[SaleenTom]

The Optima was the first car that made me consider Kia as a brand, the Stinger is what sold me on the brand.

 

[punchdrunkboost]

I came from a 3 Series and still have a 5 and M3, but as a daily, the Stinger is awesome.


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Glad to see more Bimmer converts.

 

[stingerdog18]

Who is considering purchasing a KIA for the first time because of the Stinger?

Hey! I owned a Stinger Gt for approximately 7 months now & I have to say that it is one of the best looking cars on the road, constantly get looks from other drivers & pedestrians... Really smooth engine & fun to drive!!!,,, BUT this is wear it goes down hill. Unfortunately from around 3000km my Stinger began to develop some creeks & rattles coming from the Sunroof. This issue was got worse if the car was left out in the hot sun for a period of time. I recorded the noise on my mobile phone & took it to the dealership they agreed there was an issue & that mine was not the only one. A few weeks later in went in to have this problem rectified, I was told they would need the car for at least up to 2 days. later that day I was told that this job was beyond the capabilities of the dealership & that the car would need to go to a specialist prestige bodyshop to continue Sunroof glass panel removal to fix rattle?. Now I was looking at a further 2 weeks without my car!. Lucky they gave me a drive car!..
Finally I get a call to say the car was back & ready to pick up.. "Thank God" I really missed my Stinger. So head down to dealership. When I got there it was out front looking Sexy as ever "if a car can be sexy." I began giving it a check over & this is where things went south!!. There was damage to the centre console, Rear seat was dented in 2 places, Both left and right rear door seals were cut or sliced, rubber seal between roof glass panel & car body was not straight & to make things even worse there was damage to the rubber seal around windscreen which meant it would have to come out in order to replace it!. What a joke!. I was so upset & disappointed. The car had to go back to panel shop again to replace windscreen.
I go back a again after a week & a half to get my car and I find further damage to the rear plastic behind front passenger seat, everything else was repaired. After being assured that the car was quiet inside now & Sunroof & windscreen were water tested for leaks. I would need to come back when to have the recent damage replaced..
Unfortunately after having the car back for 2 days I have begun hearing new creeks & vibration sounds coming from the roof maybe the Sunroof as well a lot noise from door jams seals.

This car is never going to be the same again!, My whole experience of owning Stinger has been ruined.
My advice to anyone thinking about Stinger or any Kia should think about it seriously.. Clearly Kia's quality & refinement is not up to that of the Japanese nor of its parent company HYUNDAI. They may share parts but clearly put together at different factory's. I own 2 other cars which are Hyundai & no such problems.

A real shame I really loved the look & feel of the Stinger, the way it drives us effortless. I am now looking at getting rid of it as I have been turned off wanting to drive it any more. I will never buy a Kia again.

Peter

 

[stingerdog18]

Don't!.. I own a Stinger Gt, Nothing but problems after around 2 months of owning it. The Sunroof needed to be romoved & repaired. Now I have all sorts of new noise problems inside the cabin!. Rattling, vibrations from inside the roof lining & constant door jam seal creeks.. Very Disappointing..

 

[CKeeler]

In my 7th month. 15k miles. No problems at all. Sometimes something goes bad. Doesn’t mean every car built is bad

 

[CptNut]

The Stinger is responsible for me even considering a Kia. I've probably spent over 24 hours watching Stinger video's on youtube. I'm definitely not a brand snob but you could say I'm bit of a manual transmission snob. lol My first car was 00 Honda Accord V6 (4spd auto that was TERRIBLE), followed by a 02 BMW 330Ci (5spd manual without a sunroof), followed by a 06 Subaru STI (Sold the Accord to purchase this vehicle). Then kids happened. Doh! Sold the STI in 2011 and purchased an 03 BMW 530i (This was for my wife to drive). Sold the 330Ci in 2015 and bought my coworkers 2014 Honda Accord LX (with 6spd manual). The last 3 cars I've driven have all been manuals so I was a little sad when I saw Kia didn't offer the Stinger with a manual transmission. After watching the video's of what people have done with Stinger on YouTube I'm actually considering purchasing a vehicle without a manual.

The one thing that bummed me out is Kia stopped offering the white interior for the Micro Blue GT's in 2019. I really like that color since I live in dirty South and its get HAWT down here. I'm hoping to purchase a Stinger GT, GT1 or GT2 either late this year or in 2020.

Thank you to the Admins for hosting this forum. I used to moderate a Honda Accord forum many many moons ago, so I know what a pain it can be at times.

 

[CptNut]

I came from a 3 Series and still have a 5 and M3, but as a daily, the Stinger is awesome.

Too funny! I used to own an 02 330Ci and a 03 530i. I can't get over all the bells and whistles Kia offers for prices that are $10k less than a comparable BMW. Which M3 do you own? I've driven the e36 and e46 M3's and they were ton of fun to drive.

 

[spider55]

Welcome to the forums CptNut, the best way to get into a Stinger is a lease to own, that's what a lot of people do. Your payment is cheaper and there is lease money you can put down towards the car. When you do pick one up, you will be impressed with it but like any car you can make it better with a few aftermarket parks.

Being that I live in Arizona, it gets hot here an my car has red happa interior, its not bad at all for the heat. The seat are climate controlled.

I to grew up with a manual shifted cars. I still love to drive them, but the sequential gear box in the Kia, you have the best of both worlds. That's why I like the GT1 model because you can put the shifter in manual mode an shift with the paddle shifters. You don't have to be in sport mode to use them, you can be in Normal, Smart, Sport and Custom. What ever decision you make you will enjoy the car.

Again welcome to the forums and when you do pull the trigger on th car make sure you post some pictures.

 

[CptNut]

Thanks Spider! I noticed while researching the rebate an incentives for the Stingers online, they have some insane cash bonus offers for the 24 month lease. I want to say it was over $6k! I need to see if there are any posts that show how to calculate the total cost of a lease vs writing a check for the entire amount. In the past I've always paid for my vehicles up front so I've never dealt with the financing side of car buying.

Thanks for the info about the red interiors. That would probably be the way I go if they don't offer new interior color options for 2020. That's good point about the cooled seats too if you go with the GT1. I'm not a fan of the weird electronic gear selector in the GT2 but the heads up display seems like a fun thing to have. I've always wondered if the heads up display is something you actually use long term or if its just a neat gimmick that you don't even bother using after a few months go by.

Interesting about the manual mode for the shift paddles. Will the transmission let you up-shift to a higher gear if it would drop the RPM's below a certain amount? I'd probably always drive in manual mode just too see if I can get a higher MPG while putzing around in town. If you need to drop several gears quickly to accelerate, how quickly does it respond to a triple downshift for example? Do you have to wait for one downshift before you can do the next downshift, or can I pull the paddle 3 times quickly and it will downshift directly to that gear?

 

[Pchek]

In my 7th month. 15k miles. No problems at all. Sometimes something goes bad. Doesn’t mean every car built is bad

Yeah man slightly
Over 2 months and around 6k miles.
Absolutely love it !
Looks good cabin is good no issues so far
But hey best part is I’m not worried if something bad happens or it breaks down it’s a Kia and repairs should be covered or cheap hopefully lol


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[Pchek]

Thanks Spider! I noticed while researching the rebate an incentives for the Stingers online, they have some insane cash bonus offers for the 24 month lease. I want to say it was over $6k! I need to see if there are any posts that show how to calculate the total cost of a lease vs writing a check for the entire amount. In the past I've always paid for my vehicles up front so I've never dealt with the financing side of car buying.

Thanks for the info about the red interiors. That would probably be the way I go if they don't offer new interior color options for 2020. That's good point about the cooled seats too if you go with the GT1. I'm not a fan of the weird electronic gear selector in the GT2 but the heads up display seems like a fun thing to have. I've always wondered if the heads up display is something you actually use long term or if its just a neat gimmick that you don't even bother using after a few months go by.

Interesting about the manual mode for the shift paddles. Will the transmission let you up-shift to a higher gear if it would drop the RPM's below a certain amount? I'd probably always drive in manual mode just too see if I can get a higher MPG while putzing around in town. If you need to drop several gears quickly to accelerate, how quickly does it respond to a triple downshift for example? Do you have to wait for one downshift before you can do the next downshift, or can I pull the paddle 3 times quickly and it will downshift directly to that gear?

Didn’t think of trying out the downshift etc but will do so now and let you know.
However w gts RaceChip I’ve been getting around 27mpg . I drive anywhere from 50-100 miles a day lots of city and highway.
This car has been awesome for me !



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[CKeeler]

Thanks Spider! I noticed while researching the rebate an incentives for the Stingers online, they have some insane cash bonus offers for the 24 month lease. I want to say it was over $6k! I need to see if there are any posts that show how to calculate the total cost of a lease vs writing a check for the entire amount. In the past I've always paid for my vehicles up front so I've never dealt with the financing side of car buying.

Thanks for the info about the red interiors. That would probably be the way I go if they don't offer new interior color options for 2020. That's good point about the cooled seats too if you go with the GT1. I'm not a fan of the weird electronic gear selector in the GT2 but the heads up display seems like a fun thing to have. I've always wondered if the heads up display is something you actually use long term or if its just a neat gimmick that you don't even bother using after a few months go by.

Interesting about the manual mode for the shift paddles. Will the transmission let you up-shift to a higher gear if it would drop the RPM's below a certain amount? I'd probably always drive in manual mode just too see if I can get a higher MPG while putzing around in town. If you need to drop several gears quickly to accelerate, how quickly does it respond to a triple downshift for example? Do you have to wait for one downshift before you can do the next downshift, or can I pull the paddle 3 times quickly and it will downshift directly to that gear?

The downshifts aren’t very quick even in sport mode. It’s quick, just not sports car quick. I’ve tried to do multiple downshifts in a row, it doesn’t always work. I’ve realized it takes a quick pause between shifting and it will be ok. By the way, I wouldn’t try to keep the rpms too low, turbo combined with direct injection doesn’t take kindly to low rpm chugging like V8s do.

I imagine the HUD is something you get used to because it’s always on in front of you.

 

[CptNut]

Ckeeler, Thanks for the info about the downshifts.

Pchek, That's impressive you are getting 27MPG! I have a 7 or 8 mile work commute and right now in my 2015 2.4L Accord, I get b/w 28 to 33mpg depending on how long I have to sit at traffic lights for. The same commute in my STI was 15 to 18MPG and in the 330Ci was 18 to 20MPG. If I can get over 25MPG on my commute with a Stinger GT (when my right foot is behaving) I'd be pumped!

Its taking all my self control to not go for a test drive at my local Kia dealer. Must... resist... a little... longer...

 

[Pchek]

Ckeeler, Thanks for the info about the downshifts.

Pchek, That's impressive you are getting 27MPG! I have a 7 or 8 mile work commute and right now in my 2015 2.4L Accord, I get b/w 28 to 33mpg depending on how long I have to sit at traffic lights for. The same commute in my STI was 15 to 18MPG and in the 330Ci was 18 to 20MPG. If I can get over 25MPG on my commute with a Stinger GT (when my right foot is behaving) I'd be pumped!

Its taking all my self control to not go for a test drive at my local Kia dealer. Must... resist... a little... longer...

Damn bud I’m surprised with the low numbers on the sti and 330i but I have a feeling ur RPMs are high during those numbers lol.
To clarify that is after a tune and sometimes I’ll have a heavy foot sometimes relaxed foot ha! But average is 27 on those long drives.
Earlier without a tune it was around 20 or 22 I think.
But if it’s just city driving then it’s around 20/21 average which is also an improvement as i was getting around 17/18 before the tune .
Previously I owned a cla45 and after my tune I was getting easily between 27-30mpg on the same commute and that thing was running almost 450hp with tons of fun mods haha
I miss it every time I think of it mainly the crazy beast it was and the brrrp and handling and have to remind myself that the stinger trade off makes my life way smoother nicer on the inside , easier on the back and feel more like an adult lol ohh can’t forget to mention how much money I’m saving on repairs now lol



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[spider55]

Thanks Spider! I noticed while researching the rebate an incentives for the Stingers online, they have some insane cash bonus offers for the 24 month lease. I want to say it was over $6k! I need to see if there are any posts that show how to calculate the total cost of a lease vs writing a check for the entire amount. In the past I've always paid for my vehicles up front so I've never dealt with the financing side of car buying.

Thanks for the info about the red interiors. That would probably be the way I go if they don't offer new interior color options for 2020. That's good point about the cooled seats too if you go with the GT1. I'm not a fan of the weird electronic gear selector in the GT2 but the heads up display seems like a fun thing to have. I've always wondered if the heads up display is something you actually use long term or if its just a neat gimmick that you don't even bother using after a few months go by.

Interesting about the manual mode for the shift paddles. Will the transmission let you up-shift to a higher gear if it would drop the RPM's below a certain amount? I'd probably always drive in manual mode just too see if I can get a higher MPG while putzing around in town. If you need to drop several gears quickly to accelerate, how quickly does it respond to a triple downshift for example? Do you have to wait for one downshift before you can do the next downshift, or can I pull the paddle 3 times quickly and it will downshift directly to that gear?

The paddle shifters will allow you to shift anytime you want just like a manual. Ckeeler is right about the down shifting, It's quick but it's not supercar quick.

If you drive on the freeway and you put the car in ECO mode your gas mileage will be in the low 30mpg. I've gotten as high as 35mpg on the freeway but in the city I'm getting around 23 to 25mpg.

With the lease incentive's, with a 24 month lease its around 9100.00 and a 36 month its around 7100.00.