2018 Kia Stinger
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,300
Likes: 4
From: RightHere
Some of our big city CL members might be able to see if the Stinger's hype and hoopla holds up to the German competition auto writers are raving about. Kia's doing a driving experience which Lexus, BMW and others routinely do.
It's obviously a soft sell vs hard sales promo so there might be some hassles to do it, but Kia's doing the throw down in several US cities with a comparison of the Panamera, 640i Gran Coupe and Audi A5. I think the Panamera can easily outdo the Stinger on all fronts except price. The Gran Coupe and the A5 will have the edge for luxe and ride but will have a surprise on acceleration.
Somehow I get the impression that the German boys who outsourced themselves to Korea are really interested in showing up their former colleagues, lol.
It's obviously a soft sell vs hard sales promo so there might be some hassles to do it, but Kia's doing the throw down in several US cities with a comparison of the Panamera, 640i Gran Coupe and Audi A5. I think the Panamera can easily outdo the Stinger on all fronts except price. The Gran Coupe and the A5 will have the edge for luxe and ride but will have a surprise on acceleration.
The Stinger Experience tour schedule includes stops in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,488
Likes: 52
From: FL
After looking at your snowy photo in the driveway It sure looks like it might be difficult to handle the stinger in your snow and ice conditions of Canada. Being a rear drive high powered sport car with low profile tires is a recipe for finding a ditch in my day of living in upstate NY. How have you found it so far this winter?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,521
Likes: 261
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 52
From: AZ
I just had a chance to drive an Audi S5 Sportback to compare to the Stinger GT2. The cars are quite close in many respects. The KIA was a bit larger inside, had a better ride, was a bit quieter, and had ventilated seats. The Audi interior was nicer particularly the dash, it handled a bit better, and the engine sounded better. Acceleration from a stop was faster in the S5, but the Stinger felt stronger everywhere else. Overall, I would give a slight edge to the Stinger based on the roomier interior and better ride, but these are priorities for me. I could easily see the decision tip the other way for someone who values sport over comfort. Price, however, was not close. The AWD GT2 was $52,300, the S6 was $65,900. Lease price for 10,000 mi/yr with $5000 down was $511 for the GT2, and $735 for the S6.
The pursuit of F
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,296
Likes: 303
From: Toronto, Canada
And "B r e m b o" helps a tad more too. 
Car is very well balanced, better than the IS F Sport AWD which plowed a bit (understeered) in corners and felt less nimble overall. It's impressive considering its hefty 4150lb weight though as well as it handles, the RC F is even more planted though the Stinger (note, AWD) puts power down more effectively especially at launch and while turning.
Nope, I have the AWD version (Canada only sells the AWD GT). AWD grip is excellent on A/S tires, no issues, similar to the IS AWD.
Yeah, go figure especially for the Canadian market. But goes to show Kia is sticking to the Stinger being marketed as a performance car. I got tires swapped at delivery with Pilot A/S 3+ and these tires are impressively grippy in wet/dry and still decent in light-moderate snow.
Primarily agree with your analysis. For me it was between those two cars as they are indeed very similar in performance/handling/ride. But having had the '17 A4, I wasn't too impressed with the Audi's interior TBH as there are some cheap matte black hard plastic bits in the dash and center console no better or worse in this price range. Plus the 25K price premium (into perspective, that's a 50% premium!!!) in Canada makes the value proposition even more appealing in favor of the Stinger, but had the differential been under 10K, hmmm..... that might have been my tipping point to pay that extra for the badge. 
After looking at your snowy photo in the driveway It sure looks like it might be difficult to handle the stinger in your snow and ice conditions of Canada. Being a rear drive high powered sport car with low profile tires is a recipe for finding a ditch in my day of living in upstate NY. How have you found it so far this winter?
I just had a chance to drive an Audi S5 Sportback to compare to the Stinger GT2. The cars are quite close in many respects. The KIA was a bit larger inside, had a better ride, was a bit quieter, and had ventilated seats. The Audi interior was nicer particularly the dash, it handled a bit better, and the engine sounded better. Acceleration from a stop was faster in the S5, but the Stinger felt stronger everywhere else. Overall, I would give a slight edge to the Stinger based on the roomier interior and better ride, but these are priorities for me. I could easily see the decision tip the other way for someone who values sport over comfort. Price, however, was not close. The AWD GT2 was $52,300, the S6 was $65,900. Lease price for 10,000 mi/yr with $5000 down was $511 for the GT2, and $735 for the S6.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,477
Likes: 959
From: IL
Primarily agree with your analysis. For me it was between those two cars as they are indeed very similar in performance/handling/ride. But having had the '17 A4, I wasn't too impressed with the Audi's interior TBH as there are some cheap matte black hard plastic bits in the dash and center console no better or worse in this price range. Plus the 25K price premium (into perspective, that's a 50% premium!!!) in Canada makes the value proposition even more appealing in favor of the Stinger, but had the differential been under 10K, hmmm..... that might have been my tipping point to pay that extra for the badge.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 13,276
Likes: 1,889
From: WA
Finally saw my first one in the wild yesterday.
I had been a tad worried after looking at photos that it would look too similar to the Optima in real life, but it really doesn't. The one I saw was black. It had a low, wide appearance and a fantastic presence. I look forward to seeing more of them around.
I had been a tad worried after looking at photos that it would look too similar to the Optima in real life, but it really doesn't. The one I saw was black. It had a low, wide appearance and a fantastic presence. I look forward to seeing more of them around.
Kia Stinger GT Atlantica
Kia continues its massive marketing push for the brand-new Stinger fastback by announcing a limited-edition "Atlantica" model for 2019. It adds European and Korean badging and other features to the standard U.S. version of the sport sedan.
It's based on the Stinger GT2 AWD, which starts at $51,400 and features a 3.3-liter V6 that puts out 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. From there, the Atlantica will get a deep chroma blue metallic paint finish, plus 19-inch alloy wheels borrowed straight from the European version. And instead of the standard Kiabadge on the rear, there's a large-font Stinger logo, just like Korean buyers get.
Inside is where things get more luxurious, with an exclusive espresso-brown nappa leather and a black "suede-type" headliner. There's also a surround-view monitor, wireless phone charger and heated rear outboard seats. There's a Stinger Atlantica badge on the front center console, plus two flanking both front fenders.
Kia says it'll make just 500 examples of the Atlantica and will announce pricing closer to the on-sale date this summer.
It's the latest example of the Korean automaker's marketing push for the new Stinger, which it bills as its most performance-focused vehicle yet. In addition to its Super Bowl ad last month starring Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, it's also offering "Stinger Experience" events in nine U.S. cities. There, people can take a Stinger, accompanied by a professional driver, through paces including a 0-60 mph acceleration run, alongside competitors like the Audi A5 and Porsche Panamera. It's also opened non-sales Stinger "salons" in shopping malls in several states.
It's based on the Stinger GT2 AWD, which starts at $51,400 and features a 3.3-liter V6 that puts out 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. From there, the Atlantica will get a deep chroma blue metallic paint finish, plus 19-inch alloy wheels borrowed straight from the European version. And instead of the standard Kiabadge on the rear, there's a large-font Stinger logo, just like Korean buyers get.
Inside is where things get more luxurious, with an exclusive espresso-brown nappa leather and a black "suede-type" headliner. There's also a surround-view monitor, wireless phone charger and heated rear outboard seats. There's a Stinger Atlantica badge on the front center console, plus two flanking both front fenders.
Kia says it'll make just 500 examples of the Atlantica and will announce pricing closer to the on-sale date this summer.
It's the latest example of the Korean automaker's marketing push for the new Stinger, which it bills as its most performance-focused vehicle yet. In addition to its Super Bowl ad last month starring Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, it's also offering "Stinger Experience" events in nine U.S. cities. There, people can take a Stinger, accompanied by a professional driver, through paces including a 0-60 mph acceleration run, alongside competitors like the Audi A5 and Porsche Panamera. It's also opened non-sales Stinger "salons" in shopping malls in several states.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,487
Likes: 386
From: ON/NY
Just saw a pretty solid commercial while watching television together. KIA Stinger: 270KM per/hr, Brembo Brakes, All Wheel Drive. Looks like KIA Stinger: Dream On is the official slogan. Well done 👍
The pursuit of F
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,296
Likes: 303
From: Toronto, Canada
This "Atlantica" AWD GT version is the existing Limited model in Canada (faux suede headliner, 360 camera, heated rear seats, wireless charging, etc), all for 50K Cdn. I hope the price premium will not be over the top. Another reason to cross-border shop!
Despite this likely price hike inching it closer to an S5, Stinger sales have been pretty decent at 1300 units in the US in Feb although that includes the more affordable $33-38K 4cyl models too.
simple plugin now available adds 30% hp and torque!
https://stingerforum.org/kia-stinger...racechip-tune/
https://stingerforum.org/kia-stinger...racechip-tune/
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 52
From: AZ
These are not KIA add-ons, they are dealer stuff. This is a dealer to avoid like the plague! One of our local dealers pads the price, the other is straight. Guess which one gets my business.
