Blind Kia Hate?

[Paul32]

The Stinger promo book (published by Autoweek) is what sold me. Getting a new car was practically the furthest thing from my mind. I'm too conservative. When I got to the Nurburgring chapter my attitude was slapped awake silly. WTH!? Nurburgring, are you kidding me?! (My favorite old school F-1 track, hands down.) Then I really started to take notice of what has gone into this car. It impressed me that Biermann and Schreyer could be hired away from Europe to work with and for S. Koreans. I mean come ON! The implications started to look complex and subtle. I had never been interested in KIA (killed in action). But for years I had not been hearing anything negative about them (I am not a car guy, btw). Now suddenly here was a KIA in my face. Months passed and the idea grew from a kernel into a full-blown desire to really check this car out. Taking long, sweeping road trips at speed whenever I wanted to started to fill my imagination. The test drive did in the last vestiges of reluctance. And three days later I was driving my own Silky Silver.

Two months later, I bought out the lease (to save over $4K). If I want to, I can sell the car myself: I think that over $4K is a good "wage" for the hassle of selling a car! And now I have unlimited miles. That alone is a big plus over leasing, imho. Originally I was leasing because who knows what "they" will come up with during the next three years? I wanted to be freed up to lease brand new then. I still can - and buy out the new lease immediately, not wait for two months: now that I know the advantages of buyout.

I've always respected the "name brands". But the Stinger has all of them by the balls. It is appropriately named: it is stinging the competition on every level, design, development, quality to price ratio, and now (almost) reputation.

I've been a Kia owner for the past 5 years and they HAVE the reputation in my book in addition to your other comments.

 

[mldavis2]

They seem to have the attention of J.D. Powers as well.

 

[Paul32]

They seem to have the attention of J.D. Powers as well.

I helped with that one also. Filled out several surveys.

 

[Weareblondi]

Huh?

If anything the rear would be Maserati (Gregory Guillaume, the designer of the production version, stated that the Maserati Ghibli was an inspiration); btw, Audi followed Hyundai in adopting the hexagonal shaped grille.

Doesn't have a BMW-side; most resembles the prior gen Optima.

And the front-end doesn't look much like BMW or Infiniti.

So a Frenchman designed the production version and a German, Peter Schreyer, penned the original concept.




The Hofmeister kink has been used on everything from GM models to Toyota, Honda, VW, Subaru, etc.

And BMW didn't originate that design element; they just popularized it.

I knew I was spelling that wrong. And yes, it has been around forever, but, whenevernit is mentioned, BMW is always mentioned with it. And, isn't anybody getting the point, buy the car for the car, not the brand. It's a piece of machinery. Like marrying a woman because she has a great set of boobs and not the overall package.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I've been a Kia owner for the past 5 years and they HAVE the reputation in my book in addition to your other comments.

The only holdouts are the ego driven owners of the "prestigious" badges. And they are not currently at the top of the ratings. So, sour grapes. We can ignore that easily enough, imho.

 

[Waynerm002]

Don't have a Stinger yet but of all the cars I have test driven ahead of my lease being up on the Volvo, it is the top car I plan on getting. I am on my 3rd Optima Hybrid and have experienced the changes and improvements they have made with that car. They have continually made it quieter, while improving the ride and handling. Personally, I feel the Optima could be like an A6 if it had more power, some larger wheels/tires, lower ride height, more sound deadening, some wood trim (or other material), better seats and AWD.

The 2016 Sorento was also impressive and felt like an X5 my buddy had as far as ride quality and handling on road (nothing hard core), cabin is quiet at speed but it felt like it could use a bit more power. The 2016 Sportage was also a big improvement for them. The next in their line up that has caught my attention is the upcoming K900, more car than I need but the tech and discussed price point has caught my attention. That may change as KIA told the press the Stinger should be around $45K loaded and the actual price came in higher. K900 is said to be mid $50k to no more than $60k, we will see how true that is by the end of the year.

 

[Nedstand]

I'm in the club with the others who have owned "prestige brand autos" and have had enough.
My car history:

Chevy X-11 (owned)
VW Cabriolet (owned)
MB E320 (owned)
BMW X5 (Owned)
Audi A6 (leased)
Audi A6 (leased)
Audi Q7 (leased)

I used to think a well maintained car would last 10, 15, maybe even 20 years, but the X5 changed my mind. Now I enjoy leasing and turning it back in at 3 years. The parts on the X5 were so cheaply made... sometimes being replaced 2 or 3 times in the 12 years we owned it.

 

[Edwardb1]

Hey everyone,

Considering leasing a Kia Stinger GT2 and was wondering if any of you have experienced the same thing as I currently am. While this will certainly sound stupid, literally everyone I know is yelling "DON'T GET A KIA!" in my ear, without ever seeing the car in person, and it's making me question my decision. Generally, I kind of let this stuff slide, but in the back of my head, paying $24,564 over the course of 36 months on a lease with 15k miles had me questioning myself in the first place. Coming from an Audi, you definitely have some pride that you "drive an Audi", but at this point in my life, I couldn't care less about that.

I think the main problem is the severe negativity that this badge breeds. I truly don't believe you can buy a better car for the money (although on a lease, you can probably get a better bang for your buck with these terrible residuals / MF's). Everyone that physically sees the car in person likes it - everyone that looks up the car / hears that it's a Kia...yeah, they tell you to run as far away as you possibly can, and the fact that there's 10 people that hate it to every 1 person that loves it, along with the fact that these cars are sitting on dealer lots, as a "new" purchaser, you sit here questioning your every move.

Trying to block this out of my head, but I've had at least 10 people go out of their way to tell me not to do this, with a few others that say it's a great car for $450 a month (unattainable IMO). Would love to hear from some current owners.

I feel your angst in this--but after owning three Kia's(2013 base Soul, 2014 Forte Ex, 2018 Soul Turbo) I can say this company gets it. Experiencing bullet proof vehicles has forever changed the way I look at Kia. Not one thing has ever broken on any of these cars, and they never left me stranded. I will gladly pay for a Kia Stinger GT2 (Atlantica Ed.) if I can find one when they are available. I plan on keeping the car until it is paid for, therefore no worries about depreciation. I have owned the "badge cars" i.e. Mercedes and others, but they have not been as reliable as a "Kia!" Feel proud that you have discovered a trend in automotive ownership--cars that work as expected, with some personality and good looks, and best bang for the buck features. The naysayers are reflecting on old information from a Kia brand that has upped its game big time!

 

[Ahawk1968]

Ya know, I can remember when people would question why in the heck you bought a rebranded Honda - (Acura)or a Toyota - (Lexus) or even a Nissan - (Infiniti).
You got to start somewhere...
We've have two Hyundais and one Kia, the Hyundai went back to the dealer once, for a starter, under warranty. Done on a Saturday morning no less. Hard to find that kind of service.
How many BMW/Audi, ect. owners get stopped by folks just wanting to look at their car closer..
....Thats a Kia???