My question should probably be an entirely new post, but after thinking about it a bit, and only "some" automotive reviews mentioning this: Is there truly any car for like Stinger price that delivers as much?
When I say "much?" that might be poor wording, so let me elaborate on that a bit. What car, at the same price of a Stinger, can offer what that of the Stinger?
I keep coming away with nothing. Clearly, the German rigs are just priced way, way, north of the Stinger, so while Kia wants to market against them, if price isn't an object, then there are all sorts of vehicles we can look at... But again, I'm asking what in this exact price zone is out there that competes?
I started looking at other cars which Kia is rather quiet about comparing themselves too. Maybe - overall - we are missing some cars that truly stack up in the same price band, and Kia's STRONG marketing arm for the Stinger has pushed these off the automotive reviews and out of our "top of mind" competition?
I immediately thought of Acura: Yet the TLX comes with leatherette seating, no heated seats, and no performance for the base price of around $35,000. The 4-banger, or V6 just don't have close to the engine performance of the Stinger... Many now just question as to why not get a new Accord - if you can handle it's looks - for much less?
I took a look at Cadillac, and the ATS starts around $2k higher, but again, is missing a LOT of features, and while it has the raw horsepower stat, the 0-60mph times (5.7sec for 2.0T and 5.6sec for the V6) just don't stack up! You can move north with Cadillac's choice of options and engines, but the price quickly goes out of line. I would end on the ATS with pointing out the back seat is not too roomy, as Cadillac clearly markets this car as a US version of a BMW 3-series.
Volvo's S60 is an option starting at $35,095, yet it has a host of features, but lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Size-wise, it is worse than the ATS, as the back seat is incredibly tiny, mated with a small trunk... Yet another vehicle trying t compete with BMW's 3-series. Again, lots of features for the buck, but even the base engine with a 240hp engine can only manage 0-60mph in 6.2sec vs 5.1sec for the 2.0L Stinger. Moving north the pricing also follows. It's just in a class range smaller and with less power than the Stinger, yet costs more. I'm seeing a trend here...
I jumped back to the Japanese once more to see if Infiniti could muster up a solid Q50 alternative? The pricing starts, again, around $35,000 but it's well equipped, even though fake leather is thrown in. The 208hp engine, however, is overwhelmed, delivering a 0-60mph time of 7 seconds. Ouch! The back seat has room that bests the Stinger, and the trunk is as big as they've ever offered ? decent.
Okay, we "might" have a competitor here! Jumping to the V6, Sport, it comes in at $41,645, and is rear wheel drive. However, its 300hp Turbo engine can only muster 5.6sec 0-60. Start scratching a bit further in features and heated seats are still only an option, only 8-way power seats, and a 6 speaker sound system. It is clear Infiniti would like you to start upgrading many of these area's they have intentionally skimped don, buying into a package or going with al-a-carte upgrades. No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto either. It's a close competitor, but starts pricing itself out of the game with lacking performance.
Lastly, I held off on looking at Lexus, but it was pretty easy to discover they have nothing, repeat ? nothing ? even close to this class for the money. The best Lexus could do would be their GS series sedan which starts at $46,310 for a 4-cylinder. Their pricing band is narrow however, with a GS 350 AWD F Sport coming it at $59,000 having a 0-60mph of 5.8sec! Ouch...
I have driven some of the competition (not all) and have read review after review on all of them. You can go down into the nitty gritty on specs and overall the Japanese tend to provide the most technology mix that competes well with the Stinger.
Vernally speaking, the Japanese brands (Lexus, Infiniti, Acura) will provide much better gas mileage, but underwhelm in power. The Japanese vehicles, based mostly on their Nissan, Honda or Toyota sedans, have pretty decent interior room also. And while some may have auto-sensing wipers standard, they skimp in many other areas over the entire vehicle, with overall higher prices. And no, they do not compete in performance.
Kia was smart to aim directly at the German vehicles, which are the gold standard combinations of luxury and performance. Even the Japanese luxury brands target the Germans, so aim high. Thus, if people start putting Infiniti or Acura in the mix, some may come away with the idea that these vehicles meet a more practical side of them (roomier, better mileage, etc...), but not performance and power or style, nor the practice hatch of the Stinger, and yet for a bit more in cost. But again, some will probably lean this way if they start comparing Japanese offerings for various reasons.
Bottom Line: I've walked away finding nothing that fits Kia's Stinger band of performance and features for its price - nothing.
NOTE: There is only one vehicle - STILL not in the market yet - that will beat the Stinger in price and feature set, yet it's V6 cannot compete with that of the Stinger, and the GS model is aiming for a more luxury-level sedan that has Nascar seats thrown in... It does not mix well. The Regal does not have the handling characteristics of the Stinger, sport design, nor interior materials and fit and finish that compete well with a lot of other vehicles in the market. If the Japanese are slightly targeting above the Stinger in price with a mix of features and lack of performance, the Buick Regals GS will fall below in price with a decent mix of features while also lacking performance.
