When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
That's unfortunate for you. What did you end up buying?
Lexus GS430. A delightful car that was amazing to drive but also had its drawbacks. Useless in winter even with winter tires. Ultimately it was rear ended by one of those idiot redneck kids texting and driving his mid-90s Dodge Ram.
Sounds like a Chevy SS to me.
Yes, could be. The SS was an attempt to capture an old name and that meant it only appealed to "oldsters". This car doesn't owe its heritage to anything so that means it only carries the Kia baggage, but that's about it. GM OTH has a lot of bad baggage and "old man's syndrome" on its big sedans. So sporting them up doesn't really work. People go to the retro-pony cars for that.
No doubt the auto press love it, but auto press accolades don't always correspond with buyer success....Cadillac comes to mind.
I will no doubt be more than surprised if KIA succeeds. Interesting to see the base US price is $7K less than an IS while the Canadian model has no base model and you have a $4K price premium vs the CAN IS model. We shall see how it goes. You are going to also have to put premium fuel in the KIA ( Lexus as well) but turbo models from Honda just need regular.
Something else that is interesting is that this new KIA does not have superior fuel economy compared to a Lexus IS, the Lexus is superior. where as the KIA also included stop and go (Just looking at the base models) Not sure about the V6 models.
V6 also gets Start/Stop tech and the fuel economy is about the same as the IS 300/350, on paper anyway, both not great. I will find out soon enough!
Agree, enthusiasm by the automotive press does not equate to sales. I think in the US, sales of the Stinger will be good but not great b/c the price is not as aggressive as it is in Canada. In Canada the loaded GT is priced several thousands cheaper than the German 4-cyl competition (similarly equipped) but in the US, they are about the same which makes it more difficult to justify the Kia badge at the same price for mainly the bigger engine.
For perspective, a Stinger GT AWD we get in Canada is 44K Cdn (equivalent to a GT1 in the US), while the Limited at @ $50K (the one I got, which has more equipment than the US' GT2) is priced the same as a "loaded" IS 300 AWD F Sport Series 2 (what I had). Look at the impressive list of performance and tech the Stinger gets that my IS could have only dreamed of:
)
HUD
Memory seating, Nappa leather, w/thigh extension and multi-way lumbar/power bolsters
Power tilt/telescoping steering
Power folding mirrors
Heated rear seats
Semi-pano roof
15-speaker Harmon Kardon premium sound
UVO Intelligence Connect
19-in rims with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport tires
Adaptive suspension
Torque vectoring
Brembo brakes
Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto
Wireless phone charger
Real aluminum trim
Adaptive headlights
360-camera
Originally Posted by EZZ
I got to sit in one for awhile and the interior was decent. Did not feel like a luxury car but definitely not bad. It was definitely a big car...doesn't really compete with a 3 series.
I also got to sit in the new RS3 and that thing fit like a glove. The new A/S4 also is very impressive. I love the interior. I think the question will be, is the lux brand and interior fit finish worth the 5-10k premium over the Stinger? I hope it succeeds as competition is always good but I wouldnt put my money in it.
I guess we have differing views on what defines a luxury interior. The '17 A4 S-Line I had was nice but not very luxurious-looking - perhaps the all-black interior with aluminum trim contributed but some of the plastics looked and felt cheap (door handle trim, NAV base, lower console trim) while the exterior door chrome trim and rubber were misaligned. I also had vibration in my tranny/powertrain and had a rattle in the lower door.
From my ownership experience with the A4 and IS, the Stinger's interior quality/fit/finish is 99% the A4's and actually edges out the IS's. Time will tell on how well it is put together, i.e. rattles, squeaks, tactile feel of buttons/***** over time, etc.
V6 also gets Start/Stop tech and the fuel economy is about the same as the IS 300/350, on paper anyway, both not great. I will find out soon enough!
Agree, enthusiasm by the automotive press does not equate to sales. I think in the US, sales of the Stinger will be good but not great b/c the price is not as aggressive as it is in Canada. In Canada the loaded GT is priced several thousands cheaper than the German 4-cyl competition (similarly equipped) but in the US, they are about the same which makes it more difficult to justify the Kia badge at the same price for mainly the bigger engine.
For perspective, a Stinger GT AWD we get in Canada is 44K Cdn (equivalent to a GT1 in the US), while the Limited at @ $50K (the one I got, which has more equipment than the US' GT2) is priced the same as a "loaded" IS 300 AWD F Sport Series 2 (what I had). Look at the impressive list of performance and tech the Stinger gets that my IS could have only dreamed of:
TTV6 0-60 in 4.6s (Alex on Autos)
HUD
Memory seating, Nappa leather, w/thigh extension and multi-way lumbar/power bolsters
Power tilt/telescoping steering
Power folding mirrors
Heated rear seats
Semi-pano roof
15-speaker Harmon Kardon premium sound
UVO Intelligence Connect
19-in rims with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport tires
Adaptive suspension
Torque vectoring
Brembo brakes
Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto
Wireless phone charger
Real aluminum trim
Adaptive headlights
360-camera
I guess we have differing views on what defines a luxury interior. The '17 A4 S-Line I had was nice but not very luxurious-looking - perhaps the all-black interior with aluminum trim contributed but some of the plastics looked and felt cheap (door handle trim, NAV base, lower console trim) while the exterior door chrome trim and rubber were misaligned. I also had vibration in my tranny/powertrain and had a rattle in the lower door.
From my ownership experience with the A4 and IS, the Stinger's interior quality/fit/finish is 99% the A4's and actually edges out the IS's. Time will tell on how well it is put together, i.e. rattles, squeaks, tactile feel of buttons/***** over time, etc.
I think the IS350 is 2MPG better combined. No start stop. But it is 60hp less
As for Audi, not a big fan of their new interiors. Not saying the interiors are no good, they just seem to built a little different compared to the past models. The Audi TT is pretty cool with no center screen, but there is something about them I am not liking
The feature content of the Stinger is indeed impressive.
I never understood the meaning of "if it was under the Genesis badge."
With the Genesis G70 compact coming out soon that would be a terrible idea. Also Kia and Genesis consider themselves direct competitors. Also if you don' like the Kia badge, remove it.
Many people badge delete their MBs and BMWs and there are 2 different badges you can get if you are such a badge person.
A knockoff Bugatti logo or a knockoff Lexus logo on top of your fake BMW grill on your fake Audi A7 bodied car.
Fitting I guess.
Having said that the Stinger is probably the only Hyundai/Kia product I'd consider buying.
I never in my wildest dreams thought I would consider a Kia, let alone buy one!
Just picked her up, in Thunder Gray/Red combo.
Congratulations, Corrado. Wise decision indeed. Like I've said numerous times, although they're not necessarily the cars for me, this company doesn't make junk.
I don't know how crow tastes but I stand behind what I said
stand behind it all you want, the C&D instrumented test demonstrates you were incorrect regarding each one of your assertions. instead of admitting your statements were premature, perhaps now is the time for you to once again whine & cry for a moderator to intervene, it's what you do best
congratulations corrado, look forward to hearing your driving impressions!
12-30-17, 06:03 PM
but you wouldn't really consider it. 
