2018 Kia Stinger Dealer and Mall Displays Full Listing (USA)

[ralzod]

...Dealer Installed Spare Tire...

Curious about this, since we're already pretty confident the US-spec will come with a spare. Did this appear to be a generic option for all of the models they sell, or was it specific to the Stinger?

 

[CHC]

Curious about this, since we're already pretty confident the US-spec will come with a spare. Did this appear to be a generic option for all of the models they sell, or was it specific to the Stinger?

I believe I saw a spare in the Korean Spec showroom car when I lifted the floorboard, but this is a generic program that they offer on all cars purchased from this particular dealership. I'm sure there will be disclaimers though lol.

 

[Mike_10]

I checked out the mall listed in the D.C. location(but actually in MD). The Stinger is one fine looking car. Videos and pictures don't do it justice at all.

I have a service appointment tomorrow for my wife's sportage and I'm hoping that they'll have one that I can sit/look around in .

 

[davebo]

Thanks for posting that. I keep driving right by Montgomery Mall but never when my schedule permits me to spend half an hour stopping to stare at the Stinger, but I was curious which color they had in there.

 

[ralzod]

I have a service appointment tomorrow for my wife's sportage and I'm hoping that they'll have one that I can sit/look around in .

There's definitely one in Dulles you can sit in, but you might want to call them first and confirm it's been charged for seat, hatch, and electronics to work (was on my first visit, but dead on second). I haven't called Woodbridge, but they are on the official list. (Note: The dealer website chat functions are pretty much useless; it's just a offsite call center person who will take your information to have a sales person call you later.)

 

[Charly]

I called Winn Kia in Dublin, CA. They said they don't have their showroom Stinger yet but they expect it by the end of the month.

So I went to Concord Kia in, of all places, Concord, CA. They have a 2 liter chroma blue/black leather that seems to be a mixed bag: GT2 wheels, upgraded audio, full seat controls and driver memory, passenger seat controls on the side facing the driver (nice touch), power hatch, non-perforated seats, no sunroof. The battery was charged so I got to play a little. I'm about 5' 11". I could sit in the back seat with the front adjusted for me but better to move the front forward a couple of inches. I think you could fit a six footer in the back seat comfortably.

The staff had some training on the car and seemed pretty knowledgeable. While they said they didn't know the pricing, they knew the first batch they were getting was 4 2.0s. I didn't ask the trim levels. They said they'd call me when they have a GT2 (second batch or later) that hasn't been sold so I could take it for a test drive. They said the chroma blue isn't coming to the US this year. Big bummer.

I didn't have long with the car but damn, that's a nice car. It didn't seem small to me coming from a 350Z but it didn't seem overly large either. It was Goldilocks sized in my opinion. As others have noted, it's even prettier in the flesh. Actually damn fine looking. Front and back seats were comfortable and that's without playing with all the drivers seat adjustments. If it drives as good as it looks...

Oh, and I fed the hamsters.

 

[ralzod]

I was just at the Texas state fair and saw a red-on-red GT. Nothing new to report, and, not unexpectedly, the Kia reps there didn't have any solid information. At least it had power, and they were willing to demo the hatch, but gaaaaahhhh...need another information release of some sort.

 

[LohungoDave]

Stopped by Kia of West Chester (PA) and they did indeed have one, dark blue with black interior front and center. Great looking exterior color, inside was black like every other manufacturer, nothing crazy. Unfortunately there was no power to it, so I couldn't adjust the seats at all. I'll need to go back once they get actual for-sale models. Reps seemed knowledgeable about the car, ordering process, and possible timeframe though I didn't press for an exact on sale date nor when exactly drivable US spec cars would be there. I can adapt to a lot of things but I have a very long torso (6'3", 30" inseam) and it makes it a royal pain to find cars I can sit upright in but not have my head scrape the headliner, especially with sunroofs.

This summer I spent many weeks at a BMW dealership desperately trying to figure out how to get a sunroof delete on a bunch of models but came away empty handed as I didn't want to compromise on some other options. With how the seat was at the dealership, my actual skull was about 1/2" or less from the top, so my hair was actually touching the headliner. Hopefully the seat can get just a tad lower/farther back/tilted and I can fit. Having to "compromise" with the GT without the sunroof and thereby losing the the bigger screen & H&K upgraded audio system would be a bummer, and I'm guessing Kia doesn't have port installed/dealer installed options like BMW especially on a low volume, brand new car like this.

Front windshield was easy to see out of and mercifully for me the top of the windshield is actually pretty high up, so I didn't feel like I was at eye-level with the windshield/roof break. Interior felt very roomy and the seats felt comfortable from the moment I sat in them. Didn't sit in the back but looking back from the front gave me the same sense of space and cargo room I have in my gulf. The hatch and seats definitely help air it out over my previous CTS V-Sport.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Stopped by Kia of West Chester (PA) and they did indeed have one, dark blue with black interior front and center. Great looking exterior color, inside was black like every other manufacturer, nothing crazy. Unfortunately there was no power to it, so I couldn't adjust the seats at all. I'll need to go back once they get actual for-sale models. Reps seemed knowledgeable about the car, ordering process, and possible timeframe though I didn't press for an exact on sale date nor when exactly drivable US spec cars would be there. I can adapt to a lot of things but I have a very long torso (6'3", 30" inseam) and it makes it a royal pain to find cars I can sit upright in but not have my head scrape the headliner, especially with sunroofs.

This summer I spent many weeks at a BMW dealership desperately trying to figure out how to get a sunroof delete on a bunch of models but came away empty handed as I didn't want to compromise on some other options. With how the seat was at the dealership, my actual skull was about 1/2" or less from the top, so my hair was actually touching the headliner. Hopefully the seat can get just a tad lower/farther back/tilted and I can fit. Having to "compromise" with the GT without the sunroof and thereby losing the the bigger screen & H&K upgraded audio system would be a bummer, and I'm guessing Kia doesn't have port installed/dealer installed options like BMW especially on a low volume, brand new car like this.

Front windshield was easy to see out of and mercifully for me the top of the windshield is actually pretty high up, so I didn't feel like I was at eye-level with the windshield/roof break. Interior felt very roomy and the seats felt comfortable from the moment I sat in them. Didn't sit in the back but looking back from the front gave me the same sense of space and cargo room I have in my gulf. The hatch and seats definitely help air it out over my previous CTS V-Sport.

Welcome aboard, Dave! And thank you for signing up. I do hope that seat can get a little lower for you. Too bad there wasn't power to see that right then and there. How did it feel inside compared to your Cadillac CTS V-Sport?

 

[LohungoDave]

Welcome aboard, Dave! And thank you for signing up. I do hope that seat can get a little lower for you. Too bad there wasn't power to see that right then and there. How did it feel inside compared to your Cadillac CTS V-Sport?

I specifically got my CTS without the sunroof (i.e., without Premium package), but the interior felt about the same. It had a light interior vs the Stinger's black, but I'll probably never get a light tan interior again as the reflection of the dash on the windshield was maddening.

Headroom on the CTS is about 1.25" higher, so I definitely felt it there. Stinger had a much, much bigger back seat area, at least from the perspective of the footwell up - shoulder/body room. Just looking back into it it appeared much bigger. Upfront it felt about as same as the CTS, which is about 2" taller than the Stinger and a little roomier. However, I didn't feel cramped at all shoulder or hipwise when I sat in it, which is a good thing. It felt like it shrunk nicely - luckily, not like an Audi TT, which I sat it and had my head & eyes above the roof-line so I couldn't even see out.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I specifically got my CTS without the sunroof (i.e., without Premium package), but the interior felt about the same. It had a light interior vs the Stinger's black, but I'll probably never get a light tan interior again as the reflection of the dash on the windshield was maddening.

Headroom on the CTS is about 1.25" higher, so I definitely felt it there. Stinger had a much, much bigger back seat area, at least from the perspective of the footwell up - shoulder/body room. Just looking back into it it appeared much bigger. Upfront it felt about as same as the CTS, which is about 2" taller than the Stinger and a little roomier. However, I didn't feel cramped at all shoulder or hipwise when I sat in it, which is a good thing. It felt like it shrunk nicely - luckily, not like an Audi TT, which I sat it and had my head & eyes above the roof-line so I couldn't even see out.

Thank you. I'm very impressed to hear the Stinger's interior felt as good as the Cadillac CTS V-Sport's. The Cadillac is a pretty nice car and I'm not quite sure why it's not a bigger bit. Perhaps they raised the price on the CTS too quickly for it's third generation. And then there's some seriously strong competition in the midsize luxury class...

 

[ralzod]

...I have a very long torso (6'3", 30" inseam) and it makes it a royal pain to find cars I can sit upright in but not have my head scrape the headliner...

<rant> This is exactly why I think it's absurd (and I've posted on this before) when car reviews only reference the driver's overall height. I'm 1" shorter overall, yet have a 4" longer inseam. The measurement for legroom has almost nothing to do with headroom, so the lack of separate metrics for leg and torso means any reviewer who bases vehicle fit simply on their overall height is just blowing hot air. </rant>

@LohungoDave, for the record, my issues have always been with legroom, and it's impossible to evaluate without actually sitting in the vehicle. I'd call that dealer and ask them to charge the battery. They don't need the key to let you adjust the seat, so there's really no excuse for them not to let you evaluate fit.

 

[davebo]

Welp, I stopped by my local Herson's Kia in Rockville, MD, which I thought wouldn't carry the Stinger because a month ago they were unsure, then we found out only k900 dealers would get it so I figured that's a no. Well it turns out that's not the rule because they are getting them in. No date yet, just "by the end of the year" but it's walking distance from my job so I was really hoping they'd be able to sell them, and it makes having one on display 15 minutes away at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda make a lot more sense.

 

[jbweb7]

Went to Fuccillo Kia today in Syracuse, NY. They have the Chroma Blue 2.0T. It is a beautiful car, photos don't do it justice! The tiny showroom sadly made getting any decent photos impossible. Of course, now that I have seen it... I want the Chroma Blue, Kia has made a terrible mistake showing cars you can't actually get.

Sadly the experience was really a mixed bag. That car got me really excited, but Kia dealers like Fuccillo just aren't equipped to sell this level of car. This is the second Kia dealer I have been in and I'm not impressed with the facility or staff. The first literally googled the Stinger in front of me to find out what it was. Then today at Fuccillo I found the Stinger tucked into a room the size of my bedroom. The dealer layout cut that room off from foot traffic, so not many people probably are even aware it is there. This was kind of nice for me since I spent a solid ten minutes in the car without any salesman even noticing me. Of course the battery was dead, which presented some problems. The biggest being no way to open the trunk or adjust the seats. Eventually I waved down a salesman with the hope of somehow popping the trunk. I was appalled at what came next... The salesman gruffly said he had no clue how to open the trunk or why Kia even had the car in the dealership. He stated I couldn't drive it, it wouldn't be available until the Spring and as far as he was concerned it was basically just a big paperweight collecting dust. I said it was an awfully good looking paperweight and that I thought it was going on sale in December. His sarcastic response was, yeah it was pretty but take whatever the company says and add three months.

At that point I figured any further questions were a waste of time. This is likely be a great car, but the dealer experience is not going to do it any favors. This is yet another reason I think the car's price needs to be adjusted downwards. Kia can't compete with BMW with a Mitsubishi dealer experience.

 

[Merkur720]

the dealer experience is not going to do it any favors. This is yet another reason I think the car's price needs to be adjusted downwards. Kia can't compete with BMW with a Mitsubishi dealer experience.

Ahh yes.... through reflections I can see the dealer has painted pumpkins on the building windows with “fall savings” to be had! That’s something you won’t see cross shopping the Audi A5 Sportback.... I’m hoping this goes well, but it may sell as poorly as the K900 and Cadenza thanks 100% to marketing/training efforts of the staff at a historically low end Kia dealer network. Your experience sums it up like many others have seen elsewhere.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems to me that only Chevrolet has been able to pull off “successfully” selling mainstream cars ranging from $10,000 (Aveo-Sonic) to $70,000+(Corvette-Suburban) on the same showroom floor with a WIDE variety of clientele.

Most others (think VW Phaeton, Subaru SVX, Genesis, even Dodge Viper) have/had limited success. Great cars trapped at a dealer who is unable to properly market/support them or the targeted consumer.

There have been plenty of examples to learn from.

 

[eljay]

Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems to me that only Chevrolet has been able to pull off “successfully” selling mainstream cars ranging from $10,000 (Aveo-Sonic) to $70,000+(Corvette-Suburban) on the same showroom floor with a WIDE variety of clientele.

Most others (think VW Phaeton, Subaru SVX, Genesis, even Dodge Viper) have/had limited success. Great cars trapped at a dealer who is unable to properly market/support them or the targeted consumer.

There have been plenty of examples to learn from.

Part of the problem here is that Chevy pulled this off at least in part because they were a long-established company with decades of reputation for reliability and popularity by the time they marketed Vettes and Suburbans. Kia, while growing in reputation at an amazing rate, frankly isn't a known quantity to lots of people who would love the Stinger. They don't have the advantage of huge numbers of upscale buyers of all ages lovingly remembering the Kia beater that they drove when they were in school, or the Kia their mom drove them to school in when they were kids. The Corvette and the Suburban, unless I'm not remembering well (after all, I was a mere child at the time), also didn't really have much competition in the market. And Chevy also had the advantage of being GM, and therefore closely related to the luxury and near-luxury cars of their day, Cadillac and Buick. When I mention Genesis to my friends, admittedly not car enthusiasts, they don't even know what I'm talking about.

So Kia really needs to make a bigger--and different kind of--effort than Chevy did. I've only met one salesperson who seemed knowlegeable and sincerely excited by the Stinger. But that makes total sense to me, because in sales, if you can't make a commission off it yet, it is, as jbweb7's Syracuse salesman said, "just a big paperweight."

 

[david norman]

Visited Horne Kia in Gilbert, AZ. I took some pics. My wife who is 5'7" said she barely has 1" of head room in the rear. She did not like it, lol. View attachment 542 View attachment 532 View attachment 534 View attachment 535 View attachment 536 View attachment 537 View attachment 538 View attachment 539

That is the color options I want. Will your wife sit in the black. Lol

 

[Bamm1]

Here is a list of every dealer in the US that will be showing the Stinger between Oct. 14th and Dec. 31st:

https://www.kia.com/us/k3/content/m...17-STNG-T5-X-OW_HR-EM&customerID=900015251020

 

[davebo]

That's the old list that popped up a few weeks back and kia just got around to sending out via e-mail right? It doesn't list any for Maryland but I've since spoken to my local dealer and confirmed they will be getting Stingers in by years' end, so I guess it's not a definitive list? Or maybe that's the list of places that currently have the Korean spec model dedicated as a showroom unit?

 

[Charly]

That's the old list that popped up a few weeks back and kia just got around to sending out via e-mail right? It doesn't list any for Maryland but I've since spoken to my local dealer and confirmed they will be getting Stingers in by years' end, so I guess it's not a definitive list? Or maybe that's the list of places that currently have the Korean spec model dedicated as a showroom unit?

It's odd, there's at least three California dealers not on the list. I went and looked at a Stinger at one dealership, another said they'd have one in by the end of the month (guess that's today), and I just called my local dealership and they said they have one on the floor and that they'll be rolling out in December.