4 vs. 6 test drive impressions

[culebracut]

Had a chance to test both back to back today, on some suburban landscape. My goal was to compare the GT2 with the Premium. I thought the GT2 leather would be a big deal but I was OK with the Premium's leather feel as its good. What I liked about the GT2 was the aluminum trim (even though the center console seems plastic) and the exterior detailing. The red interior on the GT2 is really well implemented, but I was fine with the black on black of the premium.

As soon as I took off in the 4 cylinder I thought 'This has plenty of horsepower', quickly followed by 'I want more'. Honestly, it may be more emotional than anything though. The heads up display went from a must have to a so-what, for me. I though media info would show up but that is not the case. Personally, I find the outline of the surround box annoying under bright sunlight.

The GT2 has a rush to it. Going up a hill and around a bend there was a big rig to pass (in Seattle's redneck suburb of Puyallup (jk) and I'm sure both could handle it find but I felt more confident with 6 instead of 4, although at the low end of the torque curve I just don't know what the difference is.

The sound system is good but not great to my baby boomer ears. I felt a shift into 2nd on both cars, and there is a slight turbo lag, but otherwise both are very smooth. The paddles, which I've never had in a car, were good for the twisty downhill portion.

In summary, I went in think GT2 vs. Premium. Now I wonder if just a GT1 or even GT would be sufficient. They got most of the mechanical features and with the money I could save I might get an old mdx for the winter driving.

The dealer are gambling a bit that Xmas to New Years will bring the buyers out as they are priced at a 2k premium. I think I'll roll the dice as well and shoot for a 2k discount from msrp.

 

[seanmccubb]

Welcome to the forum @culebracut!! It's great to hear that you got to test drive both the 4 and the 6 back to back, that sounds like the best way to do it! What did you think about the shift lever between the two models? That's my biggest take away between the GT2 and the GT1 and maybe the HUD, but you said it wasn't really worth it.

 

[culebracut]

Welcome to the forum @culebracut!! It's great to hear that you got to test drive both the 4 and the 6 back to back, that sounds like the best way to do it! What did you think about the shift lever between the two models? That's my biggest take away between the GT2 and the GT1 and maybe the HUD, but you said it wasn't really worth it.

The GT2's shift by wire is more high tech and ergonomic, but they both seem to drive the same. I liked the blind spot on the hud, that's a real safety benefit and I liked seeing the speed limit for an unfamiliar neighborhood. I think HUDs are the future, but its kind of like lane keep right now where if you really are a focused driver its might be overkill.

I wish it was sitting in my driveway right now but they quoted like 800/mo. for the GT2, which seems like too much, I'd like to be between 5 and 6.​

 

[seanmccubb]

The GT2's shift by wire is more high tech and ergonomic, but they both seem to drive the same. I liked the blind spot on the hud, that's a real safety benefit and I liked seeing the speed limit for an unfamiliar neighborhood. I think HUDs are the future, but its kind of like lane keep right now where if you really are a focused driver its might be overkill.

I wish it was sitting in my driveway right now but they quoted like 800/mo. for the GT2, which seems like too much, I'd like to be between 5 and 6.​

Oh nice that's awesome, do you know how they get the speed limit? I heard from the Aus forum that it is based on GPS and it can be outdated... I test drove an A5 and theirs was getting the data from the front camera, actually reading the signs in real time.

What kind of money factor were they giving you? Max should be around $750 with zero down, someone else on this forum got $582 which is amazing.

 

[culebracut]

Oh nice that's awesome, do you know how they get the speed limit? I heard from the Aus forum that it is based on GPS and it can be outdated... I test drove an A5 and theirs was getting the data from the front camera, actually reading the signs in real time.

What kind of money factor were they giving you? Max should be around $750 with zero down, someone else on this forum got $582 which is amazing.

The sales guy mentioned the speed limit was GPS based. I think he said Google Maps which would be relatively accurate but I might be wrong about that. The front camera he said was for lane assist. If there are few signs maybe using GPS data is an advantage. I'm sure accuracy will improve with time. The Nav feature was good and well presented in the HUD as well.

I know the guy was just doing his job with the quote. My tax will be 10% so 582 seems like a stretch. They gave me the standard MF which is not that great, but if the fed keeps raising interest rates like they did it will seem more inline as there are lots of great lease deals out there.

 

[Euljiro1ga]

Had a chance to test both back to back today, on some suburban landscape. My goal was to compare the GT2 with the Premium. I thought the GT2 leather would be a big deal but I was OK with the Premium's leather feel as its good. What I liked about the GT2 was the aluminum trim (even though the center console seems plastic) and the exterior detailing. The red interior on the GT2 is really well implemented, but I was fine with the black on black of the premium.

As soon as I took off in the 4 cylinder I thought 'This has plenty of horsepower', quickly followed by 'I want more'. Honestly, it may be more emotional than anything though. The heads up display went from a must have to a so-what, for me. I though media info would show up but that is not the case. Personally, I find the outline of the surround box annoying under bright sunlight.

The GT2 has a rush to it. Going up a hill and around a bend there was a big rig to pass (in Seattle's redneck suburb of Puyallup (jk) and I'm sure both could handle it find but I felt more confident with 6 instead of 4, although at the low end of the torque curve I just don't know what the difference is.

The sound system is good but not great to my baby boomer ears. I felt a shift into 2nd on both cars, and there is a slight turbo lag, but otherwise both are very smooth. The paddles, which I've never had in a car, were good for the twisty downhill portion.

In summary, I went in think GT2 vs. Premium. Now I wonder if just a GT1 or even GT would be sufficient. They got most of the mechanical features and with the money I could save I might get an old mdx for the winter driving.

The dealer are gambling a bit that Xmas to New Years will bring the buyers out as they are priced at a 2k premium. I think I'll roll the dice as well and shoot for a 2k discount from msrp.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the two trims.

I visited many showrooms in Seoul to see almost all the trim levels, albeit never test driven the 3.3TT engine, I share many of your impressions about the toys and features. Since you brought this up, I might as well add in my impressions of the different trim levels.

There are in fact 3 types of leathers for the seats, artificial leather (I believe it's the base 2.0, Korea only), 'normal' leather, and the nappa. They all feel and look high-quality, even the artificial ones. It may be due to all the leather products the dealers (or the factory) coat the leather with. I guess the difference will come down to how they age, I would assume the nappa will age better, smoother and softer, possible higher durability as well. So I echo @culebracut here, if you don't need/want the red interior, the standard black and brown would still feel and look good.

Despite the perceived 'lower' quality of the shiny black plastic pieces, I actually find them to look nicer than the aluminum trim. Of course, it'd attract more fingerprints and dust, may also more prone to scratches but I feel look-wise black plastic is more stylish and suits the car design more.

HUD is not bad compared to other cars, but again, I think it's just a gimmick at this point in terms of technology.

The upgraded infotainment system (speakers, screen size, and UVO) - while the additional speakers sound better than the standard, they still aren't that good to my ears. The larger 8" screen isn't that much bigger also, I wish the screen would be covered with glass, it feels flimsy as it is. Therefore, I couldn't justify the additional costs they were asking. I really like the 7" color screen in the instrument cluster though but not available with the 2.0T. Never use UVO, so I don't know how useful it is - but I've been driving for years without one, I guess I can live without for now. By the way, the infotainment upgrade costs about 2,000USD extra in Korea - just not worth it for me.

For me, the biggest reason tempting me to get the 3.3TT was actually the 19" wheels - I really like how they look. Design of the 18" doesn't come close - I figured that can be easily swapped out at a later date. In fact, the 3.3TT was never in my consideration since most of my driving will be in a city and fuel economy is more important than power. For the first 100km, I averaged ~11 km per liter, combined, slightly higher than the 10.4 km/l as advertised but I was very careful and was in Eco mode. Another trip, just around the city and heavy traffic in Comfort mode - averaged 4.8 km/l, damn. Kia is actually not known to have the best fuel economy anyway, so yeah.

Hyundai and Kia cars are known to set up the gear ratio to be very responsive at low speeds - giving a swifty feel around the city, but you will feel it's not as responsive in highway driving (2.0T) - I guess it depends on where you get to drive the car to fully appreciate the extra power.

Sometimes, I feel the transmission getting confused at very low-speed driving and around 1,500 - 2,000 rpm. Though I can feel the gear shifting back and forth at low rpm, the shift is smooth enough for me to ignore this.

Since the 3.3TT and 2.0T will look different in the US - the exterior design may matter more. In Korea, all trims look identical from the outside (except the wheels and small GT badge at the back), making the 2.0T a very viable choice for someone who does not need the extra power. Interestingly, an article wrote that initially, Kia expected 80% of the buyers in Korea to go for the 2.0 but as it turns out after 5-6 months of the Stinger being out 60% of the people bought the 3.3TT.

One more thing, the switches and buttons in the Stinger feels pretty bad. Everywhere - on the steering wheels, center console, climate controls, every button feel so mushy, gives absolutely no feedback at all. Just not satisfying to click any of the buttons and found myself having to double check if I actually pressed the button or not. Even the shifter feels pretty mushy, not clicky - just feel very uninspiring.

Also, I just to put it out there that my view and comparison of the Stinger is against Hyundais, other Kias, Camry, Accords - not BMWs and Audis. Therefore, in the end, I still feel overall the Stinger is worth pay "extra" for the added driving pleasure, styling, and higher overall builts.

 

[ralzod]

For me, the biggest reason tempting me to get the 3.3TT was actually the 19" wheels - I really like how they look. Design of the 18" doesn't come close

I realize you're in Korea, but the US website claims we can get the "GT style" wheels as either 19s (summer, default on GTs) or 18s (all-season, zero-cost option). I don't fully trust that, of course, given the inconsistencies between the option sheets and the build site, but I do at least believe the wheels exist. When you talk about the 18" design, I'm assuming you refer to the base/premium style with the straight-spokes?

 

[Euljiro1ga]

I realize you're in Korea, but the US website claims we can get the "GT style" wheels as either 19s (summer, default on GTs) or 18s (all-season, zero-cost option). I don't fully trust that, of course, given the inconsistencies between the option sheets and the build site, but I do at least believe the wheels exist. When you talk about the 18" design, I'm assuming you refer to the base/premium style with the straight-spokes?

Yes, 18" is the one that comes with the base and premium trims in the US, the straight-spokes. 19" is the GT styling you referred to, Y-spokes. As far as I know, all 18" comes with all season tire and all 19" are fitted with performance summer tire.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Had a chance to test both back to back today, on some suburban landscape. My goal was to compare the GT2 with the Premium. I thought the GT2 leather would be a big deal but I was OK with the Premium's leather feel as its good. What I liked about the GT2 was the aluminum trim (even though the center console seems plastic) and the exterior detailing. The red interior on the GT2 is really well implemented, but I was fine with the black on black of the premium.

As soon as I took off in the 4 cylinder I thought 'This has plenty of horsepower', quickly followed by 'I want more'. Honestly, it may be more emotional than anything though. The heads up display went from a must have to a so-what, for me. I though media info would show up but that is not the case. Personally, I find the outline of the surround box annoying under bright sunlight.

The GT2 has a rush to it. Going up a hill and around a bend there was a big rig to pass (in Seattle's redneck suburb of Puyallup (jk) and I'm sure both could handle it find but I felt more confident with 6 instead of 4, although at the low end of the torque curve I just don't know what the difference is.

The sound system is good but not great to my baby boomer ears. I felt a shift into 2nd on both cars, and there is a slight turbo lag, but otherwise both are very smooth. The paddles, which I've never had in a car, were good for the twisty downhill portion.

In summary, I went in think GT2 vs. Premium. Now I wonder if just a GT1 or even GT would be sufficient. They got most of the mechanical features and with the money I could save I might get an old mdx for the winter driving.

The dealer are gambling a bit that Xmas to New Years will bring the buyers out as they are priced at a 2k premium. I think I'll roll the dice as well and shoot for a 2k discount from msrp.

Welcome aboard, @culebracut! Thank you for signing up! And thank you very much for this back to back comparison! Great read... As mentioned, Kia gears their four cylinder cars very well and that's what the 2.0T feels about the same as the 3.3TT around town. That's a great thing, really. Where the 3.3TT really impresses is at higher speeds on the highway. Passing power is noticeably better - I mean really overkill - but that's what you want in a high-powered car. But the 2.0T does a good job here as well - just not as impressively...

Like @Euljiro1ga, I prefer the black plastic trim over the aluminum. I just feel the shiny black better represents the car "the way I want it" - which is more for luxury than sport...

 

[Checkin]

I test drove the 4cyl Premium today. My impressions are based on having driven all of the midsize volume cars and a few compact/midsize luxury ones as well.

Exterior: I was looking at a black paint job. It was disappointing. I knew going into it that the neat chrome bits were reserved for the GT models, but even the plastic hood scoops and grill bits were difficult to appreciate with black paint. I’d never own that car in black. We looked at a Silver premium and it looked, to me, significantly better.

Interior: The seat has an identical amount of legroom as the Optima, which is nice, but the backseat is totally worthless if you’re over 6’3. You may as well throw out “practicality” if you’re a tall guy - it’s a coupe. Even the dealer was jammed in behind my 5’5 passenger. The infotainment screen stood out to me. Very crisp graphics, moderately fast interface, but not instant responses. It is one of the better “iPad on dash” screens I’ve seen thus far. The driver seat was very comfortable - soft, but supportive. The larger TFT screen in the instrument panel is a must. Beautiful.

Driving: I got mixed emotions from the driving. As you can imagine, the salesman put it in sport mode. Of course I opened up a few times to make sure I wasn’t crazy, but that “pushing power” just wasn’t there. Make no mistake, it’s a RWD, but I didn’t feel like it’s worth a 10K premium over an Optima. The turbo lag was staggering long, the longest I’ve seen. The transmission was slow to shift, so I felt like I was getting tumbled around between the harsh shifts and the turbo finally kicking in. The steering response isn’t very nimble, but it’s sharp enough to be enjoyable.

That said, one I put it in comfort mode and floored it, the ride was...well, comfortable. The shifts were nearly imperceptible, the turbo lag was reduced (maybe, that’s fuzzy), and it felt like a premium sedan.

Overall: I’m on the fence. It’s worth 35K for sure, but not 40K in my opinion. For only 2K more, you could get the lease price of a Lexus GS down and get better steering, no turbo lag, more interior space, and a far inferior infotainment system. The 2018 Mazda 6 turbo would be the better buy.

 

[ballistic]

I test drove the 4cyl Premium today. My impressions are based on having driven all of the midsize volume cars and a few compact/midsize luxury ones as well.

Exterior: I was looking at a black paint job. It was disappointing. I knew going into it that the neat chrome bits were reserved for the GT models, but even the plastic hood scoops and grill bits were difficult to appreciate with black paint. I’d never own that car in black. We looked at a Silver premium and it looked, to me, significantly better.

Interior: The seat has an identical amount of legroom as the Optima, which is nice, but the backseat is totally worthless if you’re over 6’3. You may as well throw out “practicality” if you’re a tall guy - it’s a coupe. Even the dealer was jammed in behind my 5’5 passenger. The infotainment screen stood out to me. Very crisp graphics, moderately fast interface, but not instant responses. It is one of the better “iPad on dash” screens I’ve seen thus far. The driver seat was very comfortable - soft, but supportive. The larger TFT screen in the instrument panel is a must. Beautiful.

Driving: I got mixed emotions from the driving. As you can imagine, the salesman put it in sport mode. Of course I opened up a few times to make sure I wasn’t crazy, but that “pushing power” just wasn’t there. Make no mistake, it’s a RWD, but I didn’t feel like it’s worth a 10K premium over an Optima. The turbo lag was staggering long, the longest I’ve seen. The transmission was slow to shift, so I felt like I was getting tumbled around between the harsh shifts and the turbo finally kicking in. The steering response isn’t very nimble, but it’s sharp enough to be enjoyable.

That said, one I put it in comfort mode and floored it, the ride was...well, comfortable. The shifts were nearly imperceptible, the turbo lag was reduced (maybe, that’s fuzzy), and it felt like a premium sedan.

Overall: I’m on the fence. It’s worth 35K for sure, but not 40K in my opinion. For only 2K more, you could get the lease price of a Lexus GS down and get better steering, no turbo lag, more interior space, and a far inferior infotainment system. The 2018 Mazda 6 turbo would be the better buy.

you expected pushing power out of the 2.0? it's the same engine as in the lighter optima. the advantages of the 2.0 stinger over the optima are mainly looks (subjective) and handling. maybe not worth the money over the optima which is already a very nice car. the longest turbo lag you've ever seen? this is contrary to every report i've read.

 

[Checkin]

you expected pushing power out of the 2.0? it's the same engine as in the lighter optima. the advantages of the 2.0 stinger over the optima are mainly looks (subjective) and handling. maybe not worth the money over the optima which is already a very nice car. the longest turbo lag you've ever seen? this is contrary to every report i've heard.

The additional weight doesn’t work well with the engine. The 3.3TT is probably the only way to go, because I felt the 2.0T was sluggish and lacked excitement.

As for the lag - I will say that maybe the transmission was shifting slowly, but after 4 different stops, there was a very obvious delay before the turbo kicked in. I hope you’ll drive the 2.0 and see if you detect it, but it seemed obvious to me. Check YouTube for Redline Reviews video on the stinger. He mentions the lag while the boost is building and that’s on the 3.3TT. Car and Driver does as well.

 

[Chris]

The additional weight doesn’t work well with the engine. The 3.3TT is probably the only way to go, because I felt the 2.0T was sluggish and lacked excitement.

As for the lag - I will say that maybe the transmission was shifting slowly, but after 4 different stops, there was a very obvious delay before the turbo kicked in. I hope you’ll drive the 2.0 and see if you detect it, but it seemed obvious to me. Check YouTube for Redline Reviews video on the stinger. He mentions the lag while the boost is building and that’s on the 3.3TT. Car and Driver does as well.

So if you are talking from a dead stop I believe it. 0-10 is painful in my optima. However if I'm on the gas I never feel lag when shifting gears. When it shifts the rpm's are still in the power curve and plenty high to keep the turbo spinning..

 

[ballistic]

The additional weight doesn’t work well with the engine. The 3.3TT is probably the only way to go, because I felt the 2.0T was sluggish and lacked excitement.

As for the lag - I will say that maybe the transmission was shifting slowly, but after 4 different stops, there was a very obvious delay before the turbo kicked in. I hope you’ll drive the 2.0 and see if you detect it, but it seemed obvious to me. Check YouTube for Redline Reviews video on the stinger. He mentions the lag while the boost is building and that’s on the 3.3TT. Car and Driver does as well.

yes, if you want the car to perform you're going to need the turbo v6. but the stinger drives very smoothly so you're thinking it's slower than it is. The 2.0 is faster than the optima. interesting about the turbo lag. maybe we'll all need tunes to get that lag out. the turbos are small enough so there really shouldn't be any lag. there's a lot of restriction between the intake and exhaust to keep things quiet and that's probably contributing to lag.

 

[culebracut]

Welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the two trims.

I visited many showrooms in Seoul to see almost all the trim levels, albeit never test driven the 3.3TT engine, I share many of your impressions about the toys and features. Since you brought this up, I might as well add in my impressions of the different trim levels.

There are in fact 3 types of leathers for the seats, artificial leather (I believe it's the base 2.0, Korea only), 'normal' leather, and the nappa. They all feel and look high-quality, even the artificial ones. It may be due to all the leather products the dealers (or the factory) coat the leather with. I guess the difference will come down to how they age, I would assume the nappa will age better, smoother and softer, possible higher durability as well. So I echo @culebracut here, if you don't need/want the red interior, the standard black and brown would still feel and look good.

Despite the perceived 'lower' quality of the shiny black plastic pieces, I actually find them to look nicer than the aluminum trim. Of course, it'd attract more fingerprints and dust, may also more prone to scratches but I feel look-wise black plastic is more stylish and suits the car design more.

HUD is not bad compared to other cars, but again, I think it's just a gimmick at this point in terms of technology.

The upgraded infotainment system (speakers, screen size, and UVO) - while the additional speakers sound better than the standard, they still aren't that good to my ears. The larger 8" screen isn't that much bigger also, I wish the screen would be covered with glass, it feels flimsy as it is. Therefore, I couldn't justify the additional costs they were asking. I really like the 7" color screen in the instrument cluster though but not available with the 2.0T. Never use UVO, so I don't know how useful it is - but I've been driving for years without one, I guess I can live without for now. By the way, the infotainment upgrade costs about 2,000USD extra in Korea - just not worth it for me.

For me, the biggest reason tempting me to get the 3.3TT was actually the 19" wheels - I really like how they look. Design of the 18" doesn't come close - I figured that can be easily swapped out at a later date. In fact, the 3.3TT was never in my consideration since most of my driving will be in a city and fuel economy is more important than power. For the first 100km, I averaged ~11 km per liter, combined, slightly higher than the 10.4 km/l as advertised but I was very careful and was in Eco mode. Another trip, just around the city and heavy traffic in Comfort mode - averaged 4.8 km/l, damn. Kia is actually not known to have the best fuel economy anyway, so yeah.

Hyundai and Kia cars are known to set up the gear ratio to be very responsive at low speeds - giving a swifty feel around the city, but you will feel it's not as responsive in highway driving (2.0T) - I guess it depends on where you get to drive the car to fully appreciate the extra power.

Sometimes, I feel the transmission getting confused at very low-speed driving and around 1,500 - 2,000 rpm. Though I can feel the gear shifting back and forth at low rpm, the shift is smooth enough for me to ignore this.

Since the 3.3TT and 2.0T will look different in the US - the exterior design may matter more. In Korea, all trims look identical from the outside (except the wheels and small GT badge at the back), making the 2.0T a very viable choice for someone who does not need the extra power. Interestingly, an article wrote that initially, Kia expected 80% of the buyers in Korea to go for the 2.0 but as it turns out after 5-6 months of the Stinger being out 60% of the people bought the 3.3TT.

One more thing, the switches and buttons in the Stinger feels pretty bad. Everywhere - on the steering wheels, center console, climate controls, every button feel so mushy, gives absolutely no feedback at all. Just not satisfying to click any of the buttons and found myself having to double check if I actually pressed the button or not. Even the shifter feels pretty mushy, not clicky - just feel very uninspiring.

Also, I just to put it out there that my view and comparison of the Stinger is against Hyundais, other Kias, Camry, Accords - not BMWs and Audis. Therefore, in the end, I still feel overall the Stinger is worth pay "extra" for the added driving pleasure, styling, and higher overall builts.

I wondered how KIA surmised the 60-40 split between the 2.0 and 3.3 prior to launching in the US. It appears the Korean markets early adoption of the 3.3 lead to this conclusion.

The button issue has been addressed in the US launch, although the turn indicator failed to deactivate a couple of times during my testing which was disconcerting.

I hear what you say about the piano black being more in character with the interior. I also agree about the TFT screen in the cluster being a nice feature.

Surprised me that all Korean trims look the same. I'm thinking the GT would look good with darker 19 rims and some tinted windows. Maybe a cultural thing as US car manufactures basically just tweaked the exterior for decades and called it good, so the market here expects it. Much smarter now to focus on the interior, comfort and tech.

The GT2 seem to be doing really well. I offered 49.5 today for the grey one with red interior but I knew they would not bite as it won't last thru the weekend. The GT loses the power adjust on the steering wheel which I would miss. By the time the Super Bowl rolls around in early February it should be easier to deal. I hope its a hit.

The color my wife liked was the dark blue from the tester being shipped back to Korea. Oh well. I like the sparkly flakes in the blue and black, as the grey seemed tough but dull. White is nice, but I've got a white car now.

Its neat to think that the Stinger has a beast-mode just waiting to be unleased.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I wondered how KIA surmised the 60-40 split between the 2.0 and 3.3 prior to launching in the US. It appears the Korean markets early adoption of the 3.3 lead to this conclusion.

The button issue has been addressed in the US launch, although the turn indicator failed to deactivate a couple of times during my testing which was disconcerting.

I hear what you say about the piano black being more in character with the interior. I also agree about the TFT screen in the cluster being a nice feature.

Surprised me that all Korean trims look the same. I'm thinking the GT would look good with darker 19 rims and some tinted windows. Maybe a cultural thing as US car manufactures basically just tweaked the exterior for decades and called it good, so the market here expects it. Much smarter now to focus on the interior, comfort and tech.

The GT2 seem to be doing really well. I offered 49.5 today for the grey one with red interior but I knew they would not bite as it won't last thru the weekend. The GT loses the power adjust on the steering wheel which I would miss. By the time the Super Bowl rolls around in early February it should be easier to deal. I hope its a hit.

The color my wife liked was the dark blue from the tester being shipped back to Korea. Oh well. I like the sparkly flakes in the blue and black, as the grey seemed tough but dull. White is nice, but I've got a white car now.

Its neat to think that the Stinger has a beast-mode just waiting to be unleased.

I'm sure there will be a lot of wheeling and dealing going on in a few months. Plus, I'm pretty sure this first year is going to go by really quickly with the 2019 model being introduced a little early next year. So that would mean there will be LOTS of wheeling and dealing to move out 2018 models...

 

[Checkin]

So if you are talking from a dead stop I believe it. 0-10 is painful in my optima. However if I'm on the gas I never feel lag when shifting gears. When it shifts the rpm's are still in the power curve and plenty high to keep the turbo spinning..

Agreed. Once the boost is there, it’s fine, but going from a dead stop was disappointing.

I liked the car and I know that being negative here is not the right place to express disappointment. There were aspects of the driving dynamic that are better than anything else Kia has, but it’s competitors are already doing better...for cheaper lease prices

 

[Kia Stinger]

Agreed. Once the boost is there, it’s fine, but going from a dead stop was disappointing.

I liked the car and I know that being negative here is not the right place to express disappointment. There were aspects of the driving dynamic that are better than anything else Kia has, but it’s competitors are already doing better...for cheaper lease prices

Actually, while I don't like to hear people complain about the Stinger - it's fair game for topic of discussion. Kia won't fix problems if we don't address them and talk about them. So dissent is welcome.

 

[culebracut]

I'm sure there will be a lot of wheeling and dealing going on in a few months. Plus, I'm pretty sure this first year is going to go by really quickly with the 2019 model being introduced a little early next year. So that would mean there will be LOTS of wheeling and dealing to move out 2018 models...

I'm hoping there is a warehouse somewhere filled with the things... In which case the deals may be weeks or days away instead of months, but who knows. Most people just want SUVs these days so that will help put pressure on the price as well. If it proves to be a quality built product with low maintenance I might just keep the car for the 6 year warranty in which case the price will be well worth it.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I'm hoping there is a warehouse somewhere filled with the things... In which case the deals may be weeks or days away instead of months, but who knows. Most people just want SUVs these days so that will help put pressure on the price as well. If it proves to be a quality built product with low maintenance I might just keep the car for the 6 year warranty in which case the price will be well worth it.

That's a good point. The Stinger is a great car but it's not going to sell like it would have 10 or 15 years ago. The CUV craze is in full affect and the Stinger will have a limited set of buyers compared to years ago. The first step is done and the Stinger is here in America. The next step is seeing where the pieces fall to figure out what we'll need to pay to get into one...