Brand snobs

[westcoastGT]

It’s Vancouver, it’s the home of the rich. All the other drivers must be shocked to see anything besides their “higher brand” cruising around looking slick.

having owned several BMWs in the past it is completely refreshing to have a unique car and knowing its a fantastic car offering such excellent value , you kind of feel "sorry " for the guys in the "herd"

 

[KoreaDaBOMB]

Snobs? Well, yes, some of them. I would rather think of them as clueless.

I've always been a "car guy." I was a dealership service manager for about ten years back in the 80's before I went back to being a chemist. I kept up on cars since the days of my youth when cars got a total sheet metal update every two years -- the days of the old Pontiac Tri-Powers, the Corvette Rochester fuel injection, the "real" Chrysler hemis, and the original GTO and 442. For many years I kept up on new technology until job and family took over, finances were slim, and circumstances dictated practicality rather then enjoyment.

Then the kids left and I followed my fetish with U.S.-built cars and bought my '05 GTO and '08 G8. Love(d) both of them enough I was not in the market for a new car, and so I dropped off the radar and failed to renew my Car & Driver, Motor Trend and other enthusiast subscriptions -- a ten year lapse. With the venerable G8 turning 200,000 miles, my wife (for no discernible reason) started making noises about "reliability." Since the G8 (which was her DD) had never had a repair, much less a failure, I read that as "isn't it time for a new car?" Well, I love the G8, but OK, it's your DD.

Fortunately my wife is totally clueless about cars. And having come from a poor farm family in the Texas panhandle, she has no pretensions about brand identity. I am also fortunate that she leaves the car buying totally, 100%, up to me. So I jumped back into the literature, reviews and tech stuff and looked at the Accord, Subaru Legacy (boring..), Regal GT (couldn't find one anywhere to look at) and the Mercedes C-class. (No Lexus, Audi, Acura or BMW dealers anywhere within 100 miles round trip or more.) The Stinger popped up on my radar and I dropped by to look at one, read everything I could get my hands on, and ordered one without even a test drive. No regrets.

It is a lovely car for the wife because it defaults to Custom mode. I hope she never finds that little dial between the front seats and decides to twist it one notch to the right. Yes, it's a sleeper, even to my wife, so I have to wait until I'm in the car alone -- to twist the little silver knob.

lol, great story!
My wife is also clueless about cars and when I brought home the Stinger last weekend she said, really?? a Kia?? So instead of replying to her with words that she wouldn't really understand, I had her drive the car to my parents house which is about an hour away from our house.
A few hours later she comes back home and I see a big smile on her face and I knew right then, "Wife Approved" car.
She couldn't believe that the Stinger was made by Kia and if it wasn't for our 8-months old son, she would drive the Stinger instead of her 2015 Escalade.
I have a feeling if I keep letting her drive the Stinger, she will eventually find out about the little silver knob lol.

 

[JVsGT]

Just got back from a round trip Dallas to San Antonio Long weekend. The car was amazing on the interstate; I averaged 27.8 mpg going 75-85 most of the way (yes some roads have up to 85mph limit). So solid. So much reserve passing power. Sooooo many stares mainly from German and Infiniti drivers. I love having this Kia... it’s a sleeper and no one really seems to understand that it could be a Kia.

Hilarious that you mention your round trip. I too just came back from a weeks vacation with family and friends in SA. I was there for the entire fiesta week. Drove it mostly in comfort mode. I drove back home early Sunday morning and made it back to Ft. Worth in 3.5hours flat. My stepdad was still telling me how he has yet to see another Stinger in SA since I brought mine in February.

 

[Merkur720]

Hilarious that you mention your round trip. I too just came back from a weeks vacation with family and friends in SA. I was there for the entire fiesta week. Drove it mostly in comfort mode. I drove back home early Sunday morning and made it back to Ft. Worth in 3.5hours flat. My stepdad was still telling me how he has yet to see another Stinger in SA since I brought mine in February.

Wish we’d seen each other on 35!

 

[mldavis2]

Just got back from a round trip Dallas to San Antonio Long weekend. The car was amazing on the interstate; I averaged 27.8 mpg going 75-85 most of the way (yes some roads have up to 85mph limit).

I didn't believe this post - maybe the 2.0L?

But I just returned from a 350+ mile run down I-49 and I-40, 40 miles of twisty, hilly Ozark country roads and a few city stoplights, and back, running 75mph on the interstates and my readout was 28.3 mpg. Bone-stock 3.3T with 3K miles (carefully broken in) and 91 octane. That is nothing short of amazing. The car seems to be totally oblivious to speed effect on fuel consumption, although I am not about to drive that again at 55mph to test that theory. I have no idea how accurate that read-out is so you should really check with gallons and miles the old fashioned way, but I'll bet it's not too far off.

 

[HomeLAN]

I tend to do my research pretty carefully before I plunk down my money, and this is the most cash I've ever been able to plunk down on a car, so my research was even more detailed.

What it came down to for me was that I could get the same (or BETTER) experience than the majority of German sport vehicles for 10-20k less cash - with a better warranty to boot. Who gives a damn what emblem is on it? If you're willing to pay the premium for a brand name, more power to you, but it impresses me as stupid.

 

[Merkur720]

I didn't believe this post - maybe the 2.0L?

But I just returned from a 350+ mile run down I-49 and I-40, 40 miles of twisty, hilly Ozark country roads and a few city stoplights, and back, running 75mph on the interstates and my readout was 28.3 mpg. Bone-stock 3.3T with 3K miles (carefully broken in) and 91 octane. That is nothing short of amazing. The car seems to be totally oblivious to speed effect on fuel consumption, although I am not about to drive that again at 55mph to test that theory. I have no idea how accurate that read-out is so you should really check with gallons and miles the old fashioned way, but I'll bet it's not too far off.

It wasn't far off at all. Overall -- I'm very impressed with the 3.3 engine with 4500 miles on it....93 octane since purchase.

 

[KoreaDaBOMB]

Do any of you guys know if the Stinger has a break in period? Usually until ~1500 miles.
Only reason I ask is that my 2013 BMW 335is had a break-in period and after the break-in period, the car seemed to be more responsive and the boost lag reduced.

 

[Merkur720]

Do any of you guys know if the Stinger has a break in period? Usually until ~1500 miles.
Only reason I ask is that my 2013 BMW 335is had a break-in period and after the break-in period, the car seemed to be more responsive and the boost lag reduced.

First 600 miles or so.... I've seen gas mileage improvements since then and then again after the 3500 oil change I performed.

 

[mldavis2]

Most modern engines are manufactured to very close tolerances so break-in isn't quite the ritual it used to be a few decades ago. I drove mine below 3,000 rpm for 500 miles with constantly varying engine RPM using the paddle shifters to avoid a constant RPM. Oil change at 2,000 miles (dealer didn't have the right oil filter when I called for the appointment or it would have been at 1,000 or so.) Then routine driving from 2,000 with very few heavy throttle starts or bursts for another 1,000K with my own oil (Mobil 1.)

 

[KoreaDaBOMB]

First 600 miles or so.... I've seen gas mileage improvements since then and then again after the 3500 oil change I performed.

Cool! Thanks!
I'm at 416 miles now. 184 miles to go!

 

[Jonathan Lasich]

Snobs? Well, yes, some of them. I would rather think of them as clueless.

I've always been a "car guy." I was a dealership service manager for about ten years back in the 80's before I went back to being a chemist. I kept up on cars since the days of my youth when cars got a total sheet metal update every two years -- the days of the old Pontiac Tri-Powers, the Corvette Rochester fuel injection, the "real" Chrysler hemis, and the original GTO and 442. For many years I kept up on new technology until job and family took over, finances were slim, and circumstances dictated practicality rather then enjoyment.

Then the kids left and I followed my fetish with U.S.-built cars and bought my '05 GTO and '08 G8. Love(d) both of them enough I was not in the market for a new car, and so I dropped off the radar and failed to renew my Car & Driver, Motor Trend and other enthusiast subscriptions -- a ten year lapse. With the venerable G8 turning 200,000 miles, my wife (for no discernible reason) started making noises about "reliability." Since the G8 (which was her DD) had never had a repair, much less a failure, I read that as "isn't it time for a new car?" Well, I love the G8, but OK, it's your DD.

Fortunately my wife is totally clueless about cars. And having come from a poor farm family in the Texas panhandle, she has no pretensions about brand identity. I am also fortunate that she leaves the car buying totally, 100%, up to me. So I jumped back into the literature, reviews and tech stuff and looked at the Accord, Subaru Legacy (boring..), Regal GT (couldn't find one anywhere to look at) and the Mercedes C-class. (No Lexus, Audi, Acura or BMW dealers anywhere within 100 miles round trip or more.) The Stinger popped up on my radar and I dropped by to look at one, read everything I could get my hands on, and ordered one without even a test drive. No regrets.

It is a lovely car for the wife because it defaults to Custom mode. I hope she never finds that little dial between the front seats and decides to twist it one notch to the right. Yes, it's a sleeper, even to my wife, so I have to wait until I'm in the car alone -- to twist the little silver knob.

If I were you, I would let her, nay, encourage her to "twist the little silver knob"!!
Maybe that'll encourage her to "twist another little silver knob"!!

 

[voon]

Still better ask Kia. Who knows if they'll deny some warranty or goodwill later if the car logs show it had been revved too high initially.

 

[Ucinn]

It's in the owners manual. They recommend for the first 600 miles do not go over 4000 RPM and vary speeds. No oil change before the 6K interval noted in the manual.