Kia Stinger - The Good and The Bad

[Kia Stinger]

Acceleration and exhaust note
The Good: Boy, this 3.3-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 has some punch. A 3,800-pound car with 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque guarantees a good time. Accelerating from stoplight to stoplight is the Stinger's favorite pastime because that's where it can exploit its fat, juicy torque curve––peak twist is available from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm. Zero to 60 mph takes just 4.7 seconds. The Stinger GT is addicting in its quickness.

Transmission
The Good: The Stinger GT's 8-speed automatic is much better on public roads than on a track. Shifts aren't as quick or aggressive as the ZF-built 8-speed in the Dodge Charger (and a whole bunch of other stuff), but it never feels like the Stinger needs that kind of capability. It's a likable everyday transmission. Leave the Stinger GT in Normal mode with the shifter in Drive, and the 8-speed auto is an innocuous partner.

Looks
The Good: I love the way the Stinger looks, but to see how the general public would react, I parked it outside a bar on St. Patrick's Day where about 50 of my friends gathered to pretend we were Irish (and where the Kia sat until the next morning––don't drink and drive, friends). Who better than drunk 20- and 30-somethings to judge automotive design, right? My Micro Blue tester, with its big wheels, dark chrome trim, and sumptuous shape stood out. A friend who owns a Giulia ask to get a closer look. People who had no interest in cars stopped and gawked. The Stinger looks good enough to pull drunk people away from cheap green beer.

Cabin
The Good: Kia nailed the driving position. The low, supportive seat and D-shaped steering wheel are perfect for the business of driving. The rest of the cabin is also fittingly upscale. Materials quality felt good in my sub-$40,000 test model, though some of the hard plastics might be less tolerable for customers of a fully loaded Stinger GT2.

Price and buying process
The Good: The base Stinger GT is a bargain. With prices starting at $39,250 (including a mandatory $900 destination charge), the cheapest V-6 trim has everything I could possibly ask for: 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, LED headlights, heated leather seats, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That's in addition to the 365-hp engine, of course. For under $40,000, it's a stunning bargain. And in a move that we wish American brands would emulate, a whole host of active safety systems is available on every model. For $2,000, the usual alphabet soup of active safety systems comes in one package, regardless of engine.

Wanna read the bad? Click here.

 

[CaliSting]

Totally agree! Bad points are right on target.

 

[jaccfrost]

Well, if you GOTTA find some "bad", you gotta...I guess

 

[eljay]

Regarding bad points:

• One evidently jealous neighbor already mentioned that my un-modded exhaust sounds woke her up--at 11 a.m., for pity's sake!
• Hilariously fake hood vents? Have they seen the non-functional twin washboards down the hood of my '86 Z28? This is an improvement!

 

[CtheW0rld]

My vents are fake, but they don't look soooo fake.

 

[Eugene Onegin]

Acceleration and exhaust note
The Good: Boy, this 3.3-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 has some punch. A 3,800-pound car with 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque You have 50 friends guarantees a good time. Accelerating from stoplight to stoplight is the Stinger's favorite pastime because that's where it can exploit its fat, juicy torque curve––peak twist is available from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm. Zero to 60 mph takes just 4.7 seconds. The Stinger GT is addicting in its quickness.

Transmission
The Good: The Stinger GT's 8-speed automatic is much better on public roads than on a track. Shifts aren't as quick or aggressive as the ZF-built 8-speed in the Dodge Charger (and a whole bunch of other stuff), but it never feels like the Stinger needs that kind of capability. It's a likable everyday transmission. Leave the Stinger GT in Normal mode with the shifter in Drive, and the 8-speed auto is an innocuous partner.

Looks
The Good: I love the way the Stinger looks, but to see how the general public would react, I parked it outside a bar on St. Patrick's Day where about 50 of my friends gathered to pretend we were Irish (and where the Kia sat until the next morning––don't drink and drive, friends). Who better than drunk 20- and 30-somethings to judge automotive design, right? My Micro Blue tester, with its big wheels, dark chrome trim, and sumptuous shape stood out. A friend who owns a Giulia ask to get a closer look. People who had no interest in cars stopped and gawked. The Stinger looks good enough to pull drunk people away from cheap green beer.

Cabin
The Good: Kia nailed the driving position. The low, supportive seat and D-shaped steering wheel are perfect for the business of driving. The rest of the cabin is also fittingly upscale. Materials quality felt good in my sub-$40,000 test model, though some of the hard plastics might be less tolerable for customers of a fully loaded Stinger GT2.

Price and buying process
The Good: The base Stinger GT is a bargain. With prices starting at $39,250 (including a mandatory $900 destination charge), the cheapest V-6 trim has everything I could possibly ask for: 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, LED headlights, heated leather seats, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That's in addition to the 365-hp engine, of course. For under $40,000, it's a stunning bargain. And in a move that we wish American brands would emulate, a whole host of active safety systems is available on every model. For $2,000, the usual alphabet soup of active safety systems comes in one package, regardless of engine.

Wanna read the bad? Click here.

Acceleration and exhaust note
The Good: Boy, this 3.3-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 has some punch. A 3,800-pound car with 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque guarantees a good time. Accelerating from stoplight to stoplight is the Stinger's favorite pastime because that's where it can exploit its fat, juicy torque curve––peak twist is available from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm. Zero to 60 mph takes just 4.7 seconds. The Stinger GT is addicting in its quickness.

Transmission
The Good: The Stinger GT's 8-speed automatic is much better on public roads than on a track. Shifts aren't as quick or aggressive as the ZF-built 8-speed in the Dodge Charger (and a whole bunch of other stuff), but it never feels like the Stinger needs that kind of capability. It's a likable everyday transmission. Leave the Stinger GT in Normal mode with the shifter in Drive, and the 8-speed auto is an innocuous partner.

Looks
The Good: I love the way the Stinger looks, but to see how the general public would react, I parked it outside a bar on St. Patrick's Day where about 50 of my friends gathered to pretend we were Irish (and where the Kia sat until the next morning––don't drink and drive, friends). Who better than drunk 20- and 30-somethings to judge automotive design, right? My Micro Blue tester, with its big wheels, dark chrome trim, and sumptuous shape stood out. A friend who owns a Giulia ask to get a closer look. People who had no interest in cars stopped and gawked. The Stinger looks good enough to pull drunk people away from cheap green beer.

Cabin
The Good: Kia nailed the driving position. The low, supportive seat and D-shaped steering wheel are perfect for the business of driving. The rest of the cabin is also fittingly upscale. Materials quality felt good in my sub-$40,000 test model, though some of the hard plastics might be less tolerable for customers of a fully loaded Stinger GT2.

Price and buying process
The Good: The base Stinger GT is a bargain. With prices starting at $39,250 (including a mandatory $900 destination charge), the cheapest V-6 trim has everything I could possibly ask for: 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, LED headlights, heated leather seats, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That's in addition to the 365-hp engine, of course. For under $40,000, it's a stunning bargain. And in a move that we wish American brands would emulate, a whole host of active safety systems is available on every model. For $2,000, the usual alphabet soup of active safety systems comes in one package, regardless of engine.

Wanna read the bad? Click here.

You Have 50 friends ?

 

[davebo]

I agree with most of the Bad points save for the exhaust. It's audible but not annoying. Leave the obnoxiously loud exhaust for performance vehicles that either deserve them like sports cars, or daily driver econoboxes that some 19 year old has modified to sound like a dirtbike. As for the fake hood vents, they are quite obviously fake, but I don't place any distinction between them and all the hood "Vents" out there that look real but are fake anyway. At least these don't create air drag on the hood. I like the contrast having some black on the hood, but I wish there was a less chintzy way to achieve it.

 

[Rango]

Hood vents ... fake or real ... I sorta like them. Exaust note is fine with me, even though I would more flow. Driving with the windows down and using paddle shifters, I can hear as much as I want. I bought this car as for excellent performance; but on the other hand, wanted relaxation while driving. Best of both worlds. I'm 55 years old. My car opinions have changed a bit ... but my lifestyle remains at the first time I made love!

 

[DoctaAquafresh]

I have nothing bad at all, I am honestly truly happy with the car. Maybe the only things I would like to have is: less air constriction under the hood (turbo spooling quicker and more breath-ability) also having the ability to play .mp4 on the touchscreen (although its illegal).