Criticism on Tests and Reviews form Magazines and Shows

[Schpok]

I don't know if it's like that all over the world but here in Germany the Stinger loses every test, every Review and every comparrison. And to be honest that pisses me the F*** off.

When ever they campare the Stinger to an Audi/BMW/VW/Mercedes it's like:
the Stinger has powerfull engines, crazy good interior trim form stock, looking very good - every one turns there heads and all that for a very good Price.
The ride is good for a limusine bla bla bla you guys know what I'm talking about.
They have nothing to complain about.

and than they try to find stuff to make the car look bad, like:
they don't like the Interior quallity, or something like, the knobs and Buttons feel cheap and they are not were they suposed to be (da f*ck - where is a button supposed to be?) and we don't like the sat nav and shit.
Yes some things may be kinda true BUT the car costs 30K less than your avereage german 4-Door, with all the positive aspects you already named

and to finish it off, they do a f***ing laptime battle angainst an S5 or an M3.
Yes of course the Kia loses to that... because it's no race car!!

sorry I read and hear that every day and I could go on and on, but I had to get it out to a commuity that knows the pain

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Sorry to hear your bad reviews in Germany, it appears to be the complete opposite in other parts of the world, including OZ, nothing but positive reviews, tests & the car has even won awards. Maybe Audi/VW/Merc/BMW are afraid of what it is & their combined power can encourage German motoring experts to give poor reviews....conspiracy just like what VW has done with emissions results.

 

[StingerGT68]

Not surprising. Even the CarWow Youtube channel, which usually has good reviews, trashed the Stinger for no apparent reason. He is clearly an Audi fanboy. Even the comments section in his video were like, "Um, this reviews seems a little slanted..."

 

[Waynerm002]

I would take this as a positive! To even be spoken of in the same company of those level of cars is a good thing! It may not beat them but I bet it isn’t that far off and keep in mind it wasn’t designed to be a sports car but a GT car. M3 and S5 are pretty good company to be associated with, even though it trounces the 6 Series GC and can hang with the Panamera, cars that it matches in terms of space, they probably see the performance numbers as close to the S5/M3 so sure, why not compare it. I would be curious to see how it stacks up against the new 6 Series GT.

Don’t worry about it, the fact that they even place it against those cars says a lot for the Stinger. Now if KIA decides to go head to head with them we know that they probably will design something that can however, it will increase the price.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

I

I would take this as a positive! To even be spoken of in the same company of those level of cars is a good thing! It may not beat them but I bet it isn’t that far off and keep in mind it wasn’t designed to be a sports car but a GT car. M3 and S5 are pretty good company to be associated with, even though it trounces the 6 Series GC and can hang with the Panamera, cars that it matches in terms of space, they probably see the performance numbers as close to the S5/M3 so sure, why not compare it. I would be curious to see how it stacks up against the new 6 Series GT.

Don’t worry about it, the fact that they even place it against those cars says a lot for the Stinger. Now if KIA decides to go head to head with them we know that they probably will design something that can however, it will increase the price.

I agree with your comments & just to clarify did they use 3.3TT Stinger or 2.0T in the tests?

 

[Schpok]

they took the the 3.3 against the M3 and the S5 ...
and yes I totally agree @Waynerm002

but the 2.0 get's better Reviews than the 3.3...

 

[Stinger GT SS]

they took the the 3.3 against the M3 and the S5 ...
and yes I totally agree @Waynerm002

but the 2.0 get's better Reviews than the 3.3...

Thanks for claryfing, funny the 2.0 gets better reviews though.

 

[AndyGT]

I don‘t see it as negative as you said.

„Auto Motor und Sport“ is excited about the Stinger GT:

„Auto Bild“ compares the Stinger GT with the VW Arteon and the Stinger wins easily:

ADAC reviews the Stinger and is excited as well:

Please keep in mind that „Auto Motor und Sport“ and „Auto Bild“ are two of the most important (= most readers) german printed car magazines and the ADAC is the biggest german automobile club. All of them usually prefer german brands and watching/reading them rating the Stinger like that really shows how good this car is.

 

[Schpok]

so true, I haven't seen the ADAC one will do later Today.
Auto Bild had the only Review where the Stinger won (deserved)
and I forgot about Auto Motor und Sport have to watch it again too

to say one more Thing, they are all hyped about the car but in the end they try to find something, so it doesn't win.
Idk, it's the german car Lobby, that is like that I guess. They want to push there "own" brands

 

[Ivansito]

Enjoy your car. Stop reading negative things that are deflating your joy. Criticism is forever a part of something that's good.

 

[AndyGT]

to say one more Thing, they are all hyped about the car but in the end they try to find something, so it doesn't win.
Idk, it's the german car Lobby, that is like that I guess. They want to push there "own" brands

Which reviews do you mean? I can remember the GRIP comparison between the AWD Stinger 3.3 and an Audi S5 where the circumstances where adjusted long enough to make an S5 win happen in the end. Beside that I don‘t remember reviews or comparisons where the Stinger looked old.

Honestly - if the Stinger wins a comparison against the Arteon in the german brands loving „Auto Bild“ it‘s like a german football player would get voted as MVP in a Super Bowl.

 

[Schpok]

can't recall many of them, GRIP was defenetly disapointing, ther where a few more tho.
I came accross this today, it's going back and forth
Kia Stinger mit 200-PS-Diesel im Test

the win against the arteon was huge indeed.

sorry guys for all this german Content

 

[MarkyMark]

Not surprising. Even the CarWow Youtube channel, which usually has good reviews, trashed the Stinger for no apparent reason. He is clearly an Audi fanboy. Even the comments section in his video were like, "Um, this reviews seems a little slanted..."

Slanted or paid for reviews?... sorry, but I get more skeptical all the time. Everyone is a critic, a review specialist now-a-days. Let me see their bank accounts and I’ll know whether they are objective or not.

Again, bias showing up in slant can be a big thing also. Early on there were some view reviewers who said “meh, nice for a first try, but it’s no German car.” I’d like to see if these guys drive an Audi or BMW, and are kinda jealous or it upset their egos that Kia can make such a car like this? A recent review from England said “It’s as I’d Kia’s been making cars like this forever.” I concur. It doesn’t seem like a first gen vehicle at all, and the Germans should be worried.

 

[MBro]

Strange - I’ve not looked at reviews for a while but I thought the Stinger and S5 were pretty much matched and that the best comparison car from BMW is the 440i. I’m not surprised an M3 out performs - I thought BMW M series is more in line with Audi RS - maybe I’m mistaken?

 

[Waynerm002]

Based on past experience with KIA and Hyundai vehicles, we know the Koreans make pretty much all of their components, down to the engine and transmissions. They have improved their technology with each generation. It was only a matter of time before they start making cars that compete with luxury brands. My experience with the first Genesis sedan was a mixed bag, the car I drove had sloppy handling when pushed in corners and I didn't like it. I decided to give it another try and looked at it as a large luxury car, along the lines of the Acura RL and Lexus GS, cars without a sport tuned suspension, instead of a true 5 series competition (sport package equipped). Taken that way it was quite competent and luxurious but I didn't get into one as I was more about the sporty driving and it didn't do that.

Now the G80 Sport is out and that car rides and handles well for a big sedan, it has the luxury and the sport in a pretty nice package but for me the Stinger GT pulls at my heart strings, it is the car that I wanted from KIA. It is the car a lot of us Optima owners can appreciate as we have been pining for a performance version of the Optima with AWD. KIA surprised us and made a RWD GT car with very good ride and handling to compete directly with the Germans and it does very well for a first attempt, while seeming like a car from a company that has been building this sort of performance vehicle for years! Hearing it's name being tossed around in the company of S5 and M3 is music to my ears! I'm sure the established brands are worried, some Audi sales folks tried putting it down when I went to drive the A5 to see how it compared. I told them they need to go drive it for comparison so they can know what it is about as not every buyer is buying based on the logo on the car. For the price of their 4 cylinder car, you can get a loaded V6 with similar performance to their S5, not 100% there but also not far off.

A lot of youtube car folks who have never driven a KIA are shocked when they drive it. You can tell by how the video starts out that they didn't think it would be good as they almost always go to "this is a copy of that brand" and end up loving the ride and handling and changing their tune by the end of the video. It's a great car and I am sad that I can't get into one yet but I am biding my time. Those of you who already have one, enjoy it and pay no attention to the naysayers, you have a great product, made by a great company. Enjoy it as much as you can!

 

[mldavis2]

Too many variables allow easy bias. If you look at the (what, 25 or so) YouTube reviews of the Stinger, virtually every one of them is positive from professional sources like Car & Driver, Motor Trend, Road & Track, MotorWeek, Edmunds, etc. Every car is a compromise. Formula 1 cars don't ride smoothly and they are noisy and have poor fuel economy. Where are your priorities, on a drag strip, on a race track, hauling groceries or pianos? Depends on what you consider important and what you are willing to give up (in most cases just money.)

Reminds me of the January 2005 issue of Car & Driver comparing my GTO with the new Mustang. The GTO beat the Mustang in every category except retro styling and trunk space, so they invented one more called "Gotta have it" and gave the 'Stang the win by one point. I sent them a letter and dropped my subscription over that all-too-obvious bias. So decide what matters and read between the lines.

 

[mev202]

Not surprising. Even the CarWow Youtube channel, which usually has good reviews, trashed the Stinger for no apparent reason. He is clearly an Audi fanboy. Even the comments section in his video were like, "Um, this reviews seems a little slanted..."

It was when he shook the centre console and then got out his ipad that just happened to have an audi on it. I have stopped watching carwow now because of it.

 

[gilthanis1]

I would take the Stinger GT2 AWD over an S5 or M3 any day of the week, hence the top line in my signature.

I test drove the hell out of all 3, much to the chagrin of my wife for a couple of weekends, but I wanted to be as informed as possible when comparing all 3. The S5 and M3 are great cars, of that there is no doubt, but they are great cars when you can drive them at 80-90% all the time. It's kind of like the Focus RS and Civic Type-R, which are so far removed from the 'daily driver' segment that I considered those for about half a second and immediately said no. I never got to test a Golf R, b/c the 2018s are still sitting in port, but that was almost an instant no also because I don't want ANOTHER turbo 4-banger, which was another reason the Focus and Civic were instant no's. The Stinger gave me more daily comfort, performance, and options than anything else at the $50-55k price point that I drove and seriously considered.

Yes I know I could've went used, but who wants Audi/BMW/MB repair bills once the warranty is over? That was another factor. How much will this car cost me long term? So the big German 3 were automatically out. The S5 STARTS $2300 higher than the GT2 AWD and the M3....lets just say BMW likes there cars more than I ever could. The M3 is also a VERY performance focused, balls out, sports car whereas the Stinger is meant to be a comfy GT car, who only lets it hang out when asked. The Stinger is also fun when tooling down the road at 50, as much as winding out to red line in the mountains.

The Stinger is the perfect balance of comfort, performance, and tech at a kick ass price. Diehard badge snobs are pissed off because we can keep up, have all the same toys, and don't have to take out a 2nd mortgage for maintenance. They can't stand to admit that 'THAT brand' just kicked their beloved Germans in the teeth, for less money.

 

[eflyguy]

This may have already been stated, but my thought is that journalists in the home market for the cars the Stinger is deliberately positioned against probably need to temper their praise in order to secure their ongoing relationships with their readers/viewers and those manufacturers.

Think about it this way - if KIA had another car coming to directly take on American muscle cars like the Mustang, Camaro, etc., how many American muscle-car fans would love to hear about a Korean competitor beating their beloved brands?

 

[MarkyMark]

This may have already been stated, but my thought is that journalists in the home market for the cars the Stinger is deliberately positioned against probably need to temper their praise in order to secure their ongoing relationships with their readers/viewers and those manufacturers.

Think about it this way - if KIA had another car coming to directly take on American muscle cars like the Mustang, Camaro, etc., how many American muscle-car fans would love to hear about a Korean competitor beating their beloved brands?

In other words - politics.