Toys4RJill

mmarshall

What you're forgetting is that AWD adds weight and drag, with slows one down on the straightaways.

AWD is an ideal set-up for much of everyday driving, especially where maximum traction is needed. But it is not necessarily the best for high-performance....though, as you note, a good rear-biased AWD can be almost as good as RWD in some instances.

Toys4RJill

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

better balanced? how does rwd do that? most 'sporting-type drivers' probably prefer rwd because they believe they can control the car better in curves by applying throttle only to the rear wheels, plus they like burnouts.

other than that, awd is superior in every way.

drag is minuscule these days. yes, there's weight, but the ADVANTAGES of awd are numerous and a major overall win when you have a lot of hp. it's why a porsche 911 turbo is awd only and mercedes has gone awd on many high hp models.

mmarshall

Come on, bit. You yourself owned a RWD car with one of the best weight-distribution/balance on the road....a 50/50% Miata.

To spell it out, RWD vehicles (unless it is rear or mid-engined) usually have the heavy engine up front, the somewhat lighter transmission behind it (not off to the side like with transverse systems), and the drive shaft./differential/rear axle in the rear to round out the weight balance. Some Corvettes (and the early-1960s Pontiac Tempest) even carried that idea out further....keeping the engine up front and having both the transmission and final-drive (differential) in the rear.

To repeat for the third time......RWD is advantageous for that specific type of driving condition because it frees up the front tires from having to do double-duty as they do with FWD and AWD. Less of a load means the tire can do what it was designed to do.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

He still does. His Jeep is RWD.

mmarshall

Well, in FL, one can usually get by with RWD.

mmarshall

Anyhow, back to the Stinger. I've done the static-review, but the weather has been so awful here on the East Coast (Arctic cold, a snowstorm today....and more Arctic cold until Monday) that I'm going to wait till at least the middle of next week for the actual test-drive. Maybe they will also have some more in stock by then.

Toys4RJill

Toys4RJill

AWD4Mo

I think what you are wanting to say is that AWD is "safer" in handling, not "superior". Most of the worlds best sports cars are RWD. That isn't to say that you can't make an AWD handle well, but there are too many compromises to deal with to make this happen. Mid-engined RWD with a 50-50 weight distribution between front and back axles has always been the "sweet spot" for handling.

mmarshall

https://www.germanformula.com/benefi...vs-rear-wheel/

Toys4RJill

mmarshall

You won't complain that I'm becoming a Hyundai/Kia fanboy LOL?

All right, per your request....here you are. I'll save the rest for the test-drive.

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A (static) review of the all-new 2018 Kia Stinger.

https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/stinger/2018/overview


IN A NUTSHELL: The first serious Korean American-market entry into RWD sport-sedan territory.


CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: BMW 3-series, Audi A4/S4, Infiniti Q50, Lexus IS300/350, Dodge Charger, Nissan Maxima, Mercedes C300/350, Ford Fusion Sport, Ford Taurus SHO, Chevrolet SS, Volvo S60, Buick Regal GS.











OVERVIEW:

It's no secret that BMW dominated the sport-sedan ratings in the enthusiast-magazines for many years, although recently, other brands have been catching up. Not only that, but BMW itself, for several reasons, in general, except for the M-versions, has been producing generally less-aggressively tuned vehicles than in the past, with less-tactile and less-sensitive power steering. And, some BMW dealerships (fortunately, not all) also drove away a number of customers (and potential customers) with their typically German aristocratic and snooty attitudes...other shops were somewhat more friendly to those who walked into their showrooms. Audi, in particular, has taken over a significant portion of what once went to the BMW sport-sedan market.....as has Mercedes, although the Mercedes AMG models can often be prohibitively expensive, more so than the BMW Ms and the Audi S and RS models.

The Koreans, of course, though expanding enormously in the sedan, SUV, hybrid, and luxury-car areas (even creating an all-new Genesis luxury division last year), have generally stayed out of the truly high-performance arena, preferring instead, at least in the American market, to spend their resources on bread-and-butter vehicles and massive quality-improvements. That decision, IMO (and also in the opinions of many others) resulted in a huge increase in their market share. Hyundai did introduce a former Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which, to some extent, filled the sporting role (I go into that a little more just below)...but it did not sell in very high numbers, perhaps due to its unimpressive interior.

Although the Genesis G70 sport-sedan is currently on the docket, and we will see it before very long (I hope to see it at the upcoming D.C. Auto Show in late January), the new Stinger, just starting to drive at dealerships, is the first serious Korean-designed, American-market entry into the rear-drive sport-sedan segment. The also-capable (former) rear-drive Hyundai Genesis Coupe was a true coupe, with two doors. I did a review on the 1Gen Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L Track model, and was amazed at how much it felt and drove like the BMW 3-series of that period.....that car, except for a slightly stiff ride, was a joy to drive with some gusto. But it was a coupe....not a four-door sports-sedan. According to Wiki, the new Stinger is derived from the same RWD platform as the former Hyundai Genesis sedan/Genesis G80, Kia K9/K900, and the upcoming Genesis G70. So, blame them if that info is wrong, not me LOL.

Five different versions of the Stinger are offered....Base 2.0L ($31,900), Premium ($37,100), GT ($38,350), GT1 ($43,250), and GT2 ($49,200)....so, you can see that it's a significant price-jump between all except the Premium-to-GT level. 2.0L and Premium versions (as the name suggests) get an in-line twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0L four of 255 HP and 260 ft-lbs. of torque. All of the GT versions get a twin-turbo 3.3L V6 of 365 HP and 376 ft-lbs. of torque. All versions get a 8-speed Sport-shift automatic....strange that there is no manual option on a car this heavily sport-oriented, even though true 3-pedal manuals get harder and harder to find each year. Top-line GT2 versions get a limited-slip differential for more aggressive cornering and better traction in the wet. All versions, regardless of engine, come with a choice of RWD or AWD.....IMO a good marketing plus.


PLUSSES:

Tank-like body/door construction by today's standards.

Bank-vault-like door closings.

Good underhood layout and access.

With the twin-turbo 3.3L V6, outperforms some more expensive competitors.

Excellent quality paint job, even in black, which is unusual.

(Mostly) rock-solid hardware and materials inside and out.

The usual excellent Hyundai/Kia 10/100 drivetrain and 5/60 bumper-to-bumper warranty, though the full 10/100 part is
transferable only to subsequent owners in the immediate family.





MINUSES:

No manual transmission option in a heavily-sport-oriented vehicle.

Economy-car plainness in the dash-trim and general interior decor.

Stingy paint color choices, especially on base models.

Only one interior color on base models.

Low stance to the ground makes entry/exit difficult for large or tall persons.

Interior space efficiency, headroom, and rear legroom not the best.

Loaded GT2 versions can be pricey, especially by Kia standards.



EXTERIOR:

The Stinger, of course, is immediately recognized as a member of the Kia family by the slant-back headlights and "Tiger" grille scheme....which has become Kia's trademark look. Up front, and as far as the back doors, it is somewhat reminiscent of the Optima family-sedan (it is done on a different, RWD platform to the Optima's FWD)....but the roofline, lower-stance, and trunk-lid are distinctly different. The classic low-stance of the Stinger (though not quite as low as a roadster or pure sports-car) makes it not an ideal car for large, tall, or aging people to easily get in or out. Neither does the headroom inside.....but we'll get to that later. Workmanship and hardware outside, even with some vinyl and plastic trim-parts, are first-rate....it is astounding how far Kia has come from the junk they built 20 years ago, when Kia and Hyundai were the butt-jokes of the industry. In the rear, on the lower end of the rear bumper, are smart-looking quad-exhaust-tips....from real, not fake, dual exhausts.

Not all outside, however, is a silk purse. The exterior paint-color choice, IMO, is awful, especially in the base version...only white/black/silver. Premiums also get a blue. GT versions add red and gray. Heck, my brother's Kia Sportage, a bread-and-butter small SUV, offers a better color choice than that...he has a nice copper, with tan leather inside with gold striping. So, if the company can do that in the 25-35K range, why not on a (potentially) 50K sport-sedan? Bean-counters in the auto industry ever cease to amaze me....though with Kia, at least they don't seem to skimp on material-quality like some manufacturers do. The quality of the paint job itself, however, borders on superb...even the (often) hard-to-do Black has almost no orange peel.


UNDERHOOD:

Open the hood, and you are greeted with nice gas struts to hold up the hood instead of a cheap manual prop-rod. The 2.0L turbo in-line four, mounted longitudinally, fits in very well, with plenty of room to spare in front of the engine, due to the car's relatively long nose, which gives a lot of fore-aft space in the engine compartment.As with other classic sport-oriented vehicles, two very solid, brushed-metal (light gray), cross-chassis braces, in an inverted "V shape", provide added frame-stiffness in the front end for suspension/handling responsiveness. There is plenty of room to work on a number of engine components, though one must remove the large plastic engine cover to reach some of the top-components. All of the dipsticks, fluid-reservoirs, and filler-caps are generally easily to get to, though, for shorter persons, it might require a little stretch back down the relatively long nose if you want to reach something in back near the firewall.



INTERIOR:

Inside, the hardware and trim quality, except for some shiny black-plastic trim around the console-shifter, is as good, if not better, than that found outside....Kia likes to use solid materials. The overall look/style on the dash, though, is somewhat of an entry-level car, though...the Audi A3, in particular, comes to mind, with the plain-looking panel, round air-vents, and tacked-on housing for the video-screen. This is not surprising, though, whence remembers that Kia hired Peter Schrayer away from Audi as Chief Stylist. But, if one can get past the entry-level look of the trim and decor, one will be rewarded with some excellent materials. First, ALL versions, even the base model, come with leather (yes, true leather, not vinyl or leatherette) on the seats, and the 2.0 Premium version I first looked at also had leather covering much of the interior door panels. The sharply-bolstered seats (as with a number of sport-oriented vehicles), at first, looked to me like they would be too narrow for my not-so-narrow frame and butt. Pleasantly, though, that was not the case. The seat-padding itself, in the Kia/Hyundai tradition (and that of some Japanese makes) was a little firm for my tastes (remember, I'm used to soft Buick seats), but the contour of the seat itself fit my somewhat portly frame just fine. Not to get too far off-topic, but that's one reason I didn't test-drive the Alfa Romeo 4C...for me, the 4C's seats were like an interrogation chamber down at Guantanamo's prisoner-facility. The buttons/controls, in the usual Kia/Hyundai style, were well-laid out, easy to operate, and felt and operated like they were installed by Swiss watch-makers. The gauges were like those in older BMWs....analog, simple, clear, and uncluttered. One thing I particularly liked (and, for some odd reason, you don't see much anymore) is, on the non-Metric U.S. versions, the Stinger's speedometer is marked in 10-MPH increments (10, 20, 30, 40, etc...) instead of the usual 20, 40, 60, etc....., which, IMO, makes it easier to read at a glance. Of course, digital readouts can also often be programmed in, if desired, on today's cars.

Of course, there are also a few problems inside....no vehicle is perfect. The car's low stance, as stated earlier, is not the best for aging legs, arms, and backs to get in or out of. The shiny black-piano-plastic around the shifter on the console could be improved. The base 2.0L version comes in only one interior color...Black (I'm not a fan of all-black interiors....if I wanted an atmosphere like that, I'd have worked in a coal mine LOL). The low roofline is also not very good for interior headroom, particularly wth the sunroof housing. Legroom in the rear seat is also somewhat compromised by the car's RWD layout and generally lower level of interior space efficiency compared to FWD vehicles.....so, in most cases, don't ask LeBron James or Shaq O'Neill to ride back there. And, typical of vehicles wth rooflines and trunk-lids like this, outward visibility to the rear is not particularly good....which is, at least, to some extent, compensated for by the standard back-up cameras in today's cars.



CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:

Open the solid-feeling hatch lid, and the cargo area is reasonably well-trimmed, though the black fuzz-material on the walls and floor does not feel particularly nice or soft. The car's low stance and low, steeply-raked roofline take away some of the vertical cargo space, but it is generally roomy from a side-to-side and front-to-back direction for this size car. A nice, well-made cargo pull-shade (some of them, such as in the Prius, can be quite flimsy) hides the cargo from prying eyes. The usual cargo net and all-weather vinyl floor mat are available as options....most of the cars in stock will probably have them. Under the trunk floor are the jacking tools and a full-size temporary spare tire. (I used to complain about not having a real spare tire/wheel any more in most of today's vehicles, but it's done little or no good...the auto companies seem determined to force temporaries, donuts, run-flats, and compressed-air bottles on us, so, it looks like we're just stuck with them, except for dedicated off-road vehicles).

And, as always.....Happy Car Shopping.

MM

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Maxima?? Seriously??? If you put that then you gotta include Avalon, Lacrosse, and just about every other sedan

4-Series Gran Coupe, A5/S5 Sportback, would be some of the closest competitors for that RWD/AWD fastback styling of the Stinger.