Feature disparity (from Interesting Discoveries Thread)

[SEA Stinger]

From the sounds of your comments I get the feeling that if you had done your homework on the car prior to purchasing it you may have gone a different route with car ownership.
Always intrigues me that people go out spend a bucket load of cash on a car only to hate it because it does have this & doesn’t do that....only if I knew this before I purchased it...really are you angry at Kia or with your purchase that doesn’t fit your needs/requirements.
Sorry & generally speaking here, I just don’t get all the negativity towards YOUR choice to own this car.

If somebody thinks there are ways that their Stinger could be even better than it is, it does not necessarily mean they didn't do their homework, that they hate their Stinger or that they should have bought another car.

No car is perfect - even the best ones can be improved. Further, the best companies constantly seek to upgrade their products.

Loyalty is good, but blind loyalty (to a car !) is foolish. So is unwarranted criticism of others who see reasonable room for improvement in the Stinger.

 

[AV8R]

Im all for discussion on improvements but when it goes on for pages and pages and pages then breaks away from main thread and again goes in for pages and pages it does stretch on too much. Its a bit like hearing the same joke over and over, loses it punch. Has nothing to do with loyalty . Thats my opinion anyway.

 

[SEA Stinger]

Im all for discussion on improvements but when it goes on for pages and pages and pages then breaks away from main thread and again goes in for pages and pages it does stretch on too much. Its a bit like hearing the same joke over and over, loses it punch. Has nothing to do with loyalty . Thats my opinion anyway.

This thread was spun off by one of the mods. It is now approaching five pages, which is a small number compared to the length of many other threads.

As long as Stinger-related topics are being discussed and comments are reasonably civil, no one has any obligation to read, respond to or discourage threads that don't interest them, bore them or wear them out.

 

[AV8R]

This thread was spun off by one of the mods. It is now at five pages, which is a small number compared to the length of many other threads.

As long as threads relate to the Stinger, no one has any obligation to read, respond to or discourage posts that don't interest them, bore them or wear them out.

Agreed, but that was my opinion as a reader, the intention was not to discourage either. Unfortunately just like texting the intent will be misconstrued. I gave my opinion not as moderator but as a member. Im not saying dont, im saying it can get long in the tooth. In Australia we sometimes say people who go on for a long time about the same thing in the negative context are whingers. I cant expect to be perfect in what i say either but im sure to be succinct and to the point.

 

[SEA Stinger]

Okay, then. Maybe we can just use this thread as a space for "nattering nabobs of negativism" to share thoughts with each other about how the Stinger could be improved. Maybe that will enable more posts on the other threads to be succinct.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

If somebody thinks there are ways that their Stinger could be even better than it is, it does not necessarily mean they didn't do their homework, that they hate their Stinger or that they should have bought another car.

No car is perfect - even the best ones can be improved. Further, the best companies constantly seek to upgrade their products.

Loyalty is good, but blind loyalty (to a car !) is foolish. So is unwarranted criticism of others who see reasonable room for improvement in the Stinger.

I totally agree with your comments, but I think you missed the point I was trying to make.

By buying a car then complaining that it doesn’t have this or that compared to other brands is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted...my point is you look at all the features of the car has to offer prior to purchasing it & you make your purchase based on your wants & needs, that’s how I do it.
I love my Stinger for what it is & what it offers me & I literally cannot fault it.

I just don’t understand buying a car then complaining about its short comings, what they didn’t realise these issues before they purchased it, this is the point I’m eluding to.

So I don’t believe my comments were unwarranted criticism, it is just my opinion to how I interpreted someone who appears to be not happy with the car & I’m also not blindly loyal to a car...not anymore since GM shafted us Aussies.

 

[Marc Collins]

Im all for discussion on improvements but when it goes on for pages and pages and pages then breaks away from main thread and again goes in for pages and pages

That describes half the threads on this forum and the rest of the Internet.

 

[Coast GT]

I love my Stinger, can’t really fault it. Would it have been nice to have the ambient lighting the North American markets got or the large Stinger script on the rear & the E badges like the Korean version? Sure.

Does it impact the way the vehicle operates or my satisfaction with it? No, not at all. I didn’t even know about the ambient lighting until after I bought it and read it on this forum.

Am I slightly annoyed that the MY19 model released a month after I bought mine came with the ambient lighting? Little bit but I’ve already gotten over it. There was no mention of it on their website at the time I was buying, and naturally the dealer didn’t mention anything about it so I bought what I wanted which was all that was available at the time. It’s still one of the best cars I’ve driven.

Could Kia have marketed the Stinger a bit better in Australia? Maybe, the tv ads come in spurts usually when Kia is sponsoring a major sporting event like the Australian Open, but I’m happy that it hasn’t taken over as the highest selling car in the country. I like that my car is a bit unique and there’s not one on every corner.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Ucinn]

I bought mine knowing that it didn't default to my prior settings upon restart, but doesn't mean I can't say that it is something they should change. A software update could do that.Customer complaints is what drives further improvements. Without them, these companies would think they got everything right and then things would never change.

 

[Coast GT]

Do you like that Aussie's get an even more disabled manual mode than everyone else in the world? You get rewarded for having the car launched in Australia ahead of other markets by getting the worst configuration.

Just curious, can you explain why you think the manual mode in our cars is different from anywhere else? What makes you think we have the worst configuration of the Stinger?

Other than the ambient lighting,which we now have in MY19 models, UVO, which we don’t have in this country anyway, and heated steering wheel, which we have no use for in a country which only a couple of days ago was the hottest place on earth, our cars are the same as the Canadian model. We get the 360° camera that our American friends don’t, oh and we have the bi-modal exhaust as an option that no other country in the world has. Worst configuration, don’t think so.

 

[Marc Collins]

Just curious, can you explain why you think the manual mode in our cars is different from anywhere else? What makes you think we have the worst configuration of the Stinger?

Other than the ambient lighting,which we now have in MY19 models, UVO, which we don’t have in this country anyway, and heated steering wheel, which we have no use for in a country which only a couple of days ago was the hottest place on earth, our cars are the same as the Canadian model. We get the 360° camera that our American friends don’t, oh and we have the bi-modal exhaust as an option that no other country in the world has. Worst configuration, don’t think so.

I meant worst configuration for manual mode. According to all the threads on this forum, Aussie cars with drive-by-wire shifters do not stay in manual mode, but revert to "D" like my neighbour's minivan or econobox. True? As far as I can tell, that was an early oversight that got "corrected" for a premium/sport vehicle by the time the Stinger hit North America and Europe.

 

[Coast GT]

I meant worst configuration for manual mode. According to all the threads on this forum, Aussie cars with drive-by-wire shifters do not stay in manual mode, but revert to "D" like my neighbour's minivan or econobox. True? As far as I can tell, that was an early oversight that got "corrected" for a premium/sport vehicle by the time the Stinger hit North America and Europe.

Yeah using the paddles to shift up and down gears activates the manual mode if you want to call it that, and if after a period of time the car senses no input from the paddles it will revert back to D. Not sure if that’s still the same in the MY19 models here, but it’s how the MY18 models work.

 

[Marc Collins]

Yeah using the paddles to shift up and down gears activates the manual mode if you want to call it that, and if after a period of time the car senses no input from the paddles it will revert back to D. Not sure if that’s still the same in the MY19 models here, but it’s how the MY18 models work.

Right--all cars should do that--unless in Sport mode or similar in which case you would expect a vehicle to stay in manual mode when you direct it to be in manual mode. Manual/sport mode is a simple software programming issue--it can be designed either way, so no excuse to leave it disabled or badly configured for any model year or market.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Most drivers couldn't care less about how "manual mode" works. Most drivers don't use it. Those of us who do have different opinions on the level of annoyance when the trans "shifts" back into "D" on its own. This is one of literally dozens of features, attributes or quirks about the Stinger that never entered my mind when I was reading about it and buying it. All such discoveries came months later, many of them first brought to my awareness on this forum. This one, for instance: I had not even heard the term "drive by wire" before seeing it in print here. The GT1's shifter isn't DBW; and I still don't know the difference, aside from this complaint that DBW takes the manual mode out and reverts back to "D" when you don't play with your paddles often enough.

The important things that made me decide to buy the first brand new car I have ever owned are still the only things that made my decision the right one. All other features, attributes and quirks remain "interesting", and none of them are subsequent deal breakers. I had never experienced the tech the Stinger has, so I have no previous "conveniences" to compare the Stinger's to. Do I wish the maps were more up to date? Do I wish that the stereo did not insert breaks between seamless tracks on my USB sourced music? Do I want my paint to be tougher? Yes.

I can't think of any complaints or disappointments beyond a short list of minor things.

 

[Coast GT]

Right--all cars should do that--unless in Sport mode or similar in which case you would expect a vehicle to stay in manual mode when you direct it to be in manual mode. Manual/sport mode is a simple software programming issue--it can be designed either way, so no excuse to leave it disabled or badly configured for any model year or market.

It doesn’t bother me I hardly use manual shifting in normal daily driving. Don’t forget though it’s an automatic car so the fact it has an ability to manually shift gears is an added bonus. If you want to shift gears manually and not be upset by the gear changes or driving mode then maybe buy a car that has manual transmission

 

[Ruturaj]

It doesn’t bother me I hardly use manual shifting in normal daily driving. Don’t forget though it’s an automatic car so the fact it has an ability to manually shift gears is an added bonus. If you want to shift gears manually and not be upset by the gear changes or driving mode then maybe buy a car that has manual transmission

That makes DSG and dual clutch gearbox useless. So many companies wasted so much money on R&D only if they had received your advice.

I will stop pulling the leg but I don't think your or my need/want defines everyone's need/want.

Also, I think the point of this thread is well spot on. I don't think it saves Kia significant money by providing features in particular market. If Kia listens and make changes in next generation, if there is any, then those who upgrade will be happy.

 

[Coast GT]

That makes DSG and dual clutch gearbox useless. So many companies wasted so much money on R&D only if they had received your advice.

How does it make them useless? My comment was buy a manual if you want to manually shift gears. I never said anything about not wanting or needing them or that they shouldn’t produce them. The point was if you don’t like auto buy a manual plain and simple rather than getting on here complaining about it.

I will stop pulling the leg but I don't think your or my need/want defines everyone's need/want.

Never said it did, wasn’t forcing my view on anyone or saying what I like/want is what everyone else should like/want.

Also, I think the point of this thread is well spot on. I don't think it saves Kia significant money by providing features in particular market. If Kia listens and make changes in next generation, if there is any, then those who upgrade will be happy.

Agree it doesn’t save Kia a great deal of money holding things back from certain markets as they could make it up in what they charge for the vehicles. They have listened and made changes, they’ve already included things in the MY19 in Australia that weren’t in the MY18 which if you’ve read the thread you’d see it’s already been mentioned. Not sure if they’ll add the 360° camera to the US versions but wouldn’t be surprised if they did.

As for the thread being spot on, can’t say I agree. It came across as a massive rant by someone who bought a Stinger and isn’t happy with the inclusions, and appears more upset about what the other markets have or don’t have, and seemed pretty negative about the car and Kia. It has evolved into an even bigger rant and automatic dismissal of anyone who wants to post an alternative opinion.

Whether you researched the car before you bought it or not, if you’ve got one and you’re not happy with it or Kia to the point it gives you the shits all the time then sell it and buy something else from another manufacturer rather than being bitter and twisted over it, otherwise just enjoy what you have. No point giving yourself an ulcer over a car.

I appreciate the OP posted somewhat tounge in cheek that he had nothing better to do in the frozen north of Canada, but despite trying to lighten the thread it keeps turning back. Perhaps the moderators should look at closing it off from further comments and everyone just move on to something else.

 

[eflyguy]

"nattering nabobs of negativism"

I can change the title again if everyone is in agreement?

The whole point of forums is to have a place where common interests can be discussed, the same topic is likely to be brought up many times over time. It's just helpful to new members looking for advice or opinions if those topics are kept on-topic, and all related information grouped/merged into a single thread where possible

 

[Ruturaj]

The point was if you don’t like auto buy a manual plain and simple rather than getting on here complaining about it.

You still didn't get my point, better (that stays in nanual, shifts quickly) auto transmission is important. Go get a manual is not solution to all.

Not sure if they’ll add the 360° camera to the US versions but wouldn’t be surprised if they did.

They have added it for MY19 with wireless charging and heated rear seats. Cup holder covers, stay in manual and remote start from app is still not available.

 

[SEA Stinger]

Okay, then. Maybe we can just use this thread as a space for "nattering nabobs of negativism" to share thoughts with each other about how the Stinger could be improved. Maybe that will enable more posts on the other threads to be succinct.

Geeze, it looks like there's also scarce appreciation of humor (humour) in this thread. Maybe we should invite @westcoastGT over to lighten things up.

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