Kia Stinger Experience Tour

[Bigserver1]

Anyone else not get their email yet?

 

[CDv6]

Anyone else not get their email yet?

Check your spam folder. Mine came immediately, and straight to spam.

 

[Bigserver1]

Check your spam folder. Mine came immediately, and straight to spam.

Great call, that’s where mine was! Ty!

 

[Mike_TX]

Lol. I find it amusing they are going to make us do a breathalyzer before we can drive the cars.

 

[Luminary]

Just got a confirmation email from DC Stinger Experience Tour:

Your 2-hour test drive experience will be provided by a team of professional driving instructors on a closed course.

2 Hours!!! Awesome! I am sooo excited.

 

[davebo]

Just got a confirmation email from DC Stinger Experience Tour:

2 Hours!!! Awesome! I am sooo excited.

Thanks for mentioning this. The initial email came to my inbox but you got me curious and the confirmation of the appointment came five days ago and went right to the spam folder. I almost missed out!

 

[Luminary]

Thanks for mentioning this. The initial email came to my inbox but you got me curious and the confirmation of the appointment came five days ago and went right to the spam folder. I almost missed out!

What day/time did you sign up for? Just curious if others from the forums will be there about the same time I am. I am Saturday at 11AM.

 

[davebo]

I did Sunday at 11am.

 

[Rufus]

So jealous!!!!

 

[Mike_TX]

9am on Saturday at Lone Star Park.

 

[Darktrooper007]

After initially getting wait-listed, I managed to get a 4:30 pm spot Sunday at Lone Star Park.

Here's to meeting other Stinger enthusiasts.

 

[Merkur720]

2:30 Saturday Lone Star Park

 

[Iceman25c]

I got wait listed, then got the email and replied, but no time confirmed for me yet. Hope to get late morning Sunday at Lone Star Park. Hope to see other Stinger fans!

 

[Merkur720]

9am on Saturday at Lone Star Park.

How was it?!?

 

[Mike_TX]

How was it?!?

Well ... since you asked, it was okay. Not spectacular or anything, just okay.

The whole thing starts out with a talk interspersed with some video on a TV screen. Then we finally moved outside to listen to a "product expert" talk some more about the features of the car and answer questions. Then, about an hour and a quarter later we finally got in line to drive the cars.

The drive consists of you and a co-pilot decked out in a racing jumpsuit. i stood in line for about a half-hour before I could finally get behind the wheel. They first wanted us to drive a competitor car, and they had an Audi A5, a BMW 640i and a Posrche Panamera to drive. I got to drive the Audi, after which I was put directly into a Stinger GT-something AWD. I might have been able to drive the Beemer and/or the Panamera, but they seemed to want to get me in the Stinger ... it seemed like they were rushing things a little to stay on schedule.

Anyway, the drive consisted of a mile-long course, starting with an all-out 0-60 run, followed by chicanes and a slalom course, then more chicanes and a short straight. When I got through that in the Stinger, the co-pilot dude switched out with me and drove me through the course at absolute balls-out, take-no-prisoners speed. In addition to being terrified, it kicked in my tendency to motion sickness, and I still have a headache two hours later.

I wish there had been:

1. More opportunity to drive the Stinger at "normal" speeds and normal conditions, so most of my attention wasn't focused on the frantic left-rights of the course and the co-pilot telling me to gas it,
2. More opportunity to drive the competitor cars, to really compare them to the Stinger, and
3. Some of the 2.0-liters to drive to compare to the competitors and the V6 Stingers.

As it was, I can't really tell you anything about the way the Stinger rides or even how it handles or accelerates under normal road and driving conditions. Track conditions might be fun, but it ain't real life. Everything was focused on all-out performance, and you just don't drive like that in real life.

So, was it interesting? Yeah. But not as interesting as it could have been. And I was really impressed with that Audi and its 2.0-liter turbo engine. I thought the damn thing had a V8 in it until I saw the badge!

Oh, and you get a little gift at the end ... an insulated bottle for your drinks, a pair of sunglasses and some raspberry candy.

 

[Mike_TX]

By the way, I asked our product expert about some of the features missing on U. S. models that are present in other markets (specifically the 360-degree camera). He said his understanding was that these things will migrate to the Stinger, but first Kia wants to have some assurance that the Stinger will be a sales success. That strikes me as kind of cart before the horse, but that jibes with what I'm reading on the 'net.

So, if enough people buy the '18 Stinger, we might see more content on the '19.

 

[Iceman25c]

I just got back from my drive. I'd echo most of Mike's points. I would have loved to take it out on the city streets as well just to get a regular road feel. I enjoyed the pro driver tearing up the course. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my neck hurts from my head rolling around. I also thought he was a good coach while I was driving, constantly giving tips on speed and driving line. He said "no brake" a lot!

 

[Iceman25c]

I'd also add with an informal poll and a glance across the parking lot that 1/3 to 1/2 of the attendees were Kia owners. A lot of Optimas in the lot!

 

[Kazz]

Well ... since you asked, it was okay. Not spectacular or anything, just okay.

The whole thing starts out with a talk interspersed with some video on a TV screen. Then we finally moved outside to listen to a "product expert" talk some more about the features of the car and answer questions. Then, about an hour and a quarter later we finally got in line to drive the cars.

The drive consists of you and a co-pilot decked out in a racing jumpsuit. i stood in line for about a half-hour before I could finally get behind the wheel. They first wanted us to drive a competitor car, and they had an Audi A5, a BMW 640i and a Posrche Panamera to drive. I got to drive the Audi, after which I was put directly into a Stinger GT-something AWD. I might have been able to drive the Beemer and/or the Panamera, but they seemed to want to get me in the Stinger ... it seemed like they were rushing things a little to stay on schedule.

Anyway, the drive consisted of a mile-long course, starting with an all-out 0-60 run, followed by chicanes and a slalom course, then more chicanes and a short straight. When I got through that in the Stinger, the co-pilot dude switched out with me and drove me through the course at absolute balls-out, take-no-prisoners speed. In addition to being terrified, it kicked in my tendency to motion sickness, and I still have a headache two hours later.

I wish there had been:

1. More opportunity to drive the Stinger at "normal" speeds and normal conditions, so most of my attention wasn't focused on the frantic left-rights of the course and the co-pilot telling me to gas it,
2. More opportunity to drive the competitor cars, to really compare them to the Stinger, and
3. Some of the 2.0-liters to drive to compare to the competitors and the V6 Stingers.

As it was, I can't really tell you anything about the way the Stinger rides or even how it handles or accelerates under normal road and driving conditions. Track conditions might be fun, but it ain't real life. Everything was focused on all-out performance, and you just don't drive like that in real life.

So, was it interesting? Yeah. But not as interesting as it could have been. And I was really impressed with that Audi and its 2.0-liter turbo engine. I thought the damn thing had a V8 in it until I saw the badge!

Oh, and you get a little gift at the end ... an insulated bottle for your drinks, a pair of sunglasses and some raspberry candy.

That's about all they have time for with these 1.5-2hr sessions, I'm sure.

 

[Mike_TX]

That's about all they have time for with these 1.5-2hr sessions, I'm sure.

I've attended these things put on by Audi, Mercedes, Acura, Cadillac and others, and they're mostly about the same. But I will say Audi and M-B both let us drive on public streets, and I thought they were the most useful ones.

And if Kia had had more cars and "co-pilots" available, we could have had more wheel time. They had only about 4 or 5 Stingers along with the 3 competitor cars for the whole group (which consisted of 4 groups of about 5-6 people each).

Not just being critical, but having done a number of these things, I felt Kia cheaped out a little on theirs. And if they hadn't used up 3/4 of the time on non-driving stuff, we could have driven more.