Motor Trend Best Driver's Car Week

Paul32 said:
Didn't notice any other car with 4 doors considered. But didn't look too close.
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Yes, there's the M5 and the Stelvio. But I'm just tickled to see my car in any competition that includes an Aston Martin.
 
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Its clear the Audi TTRS didnt win.
 
There are four 4-doors in the bunch, the Civic and Alpha are compacts, So its the M5 and the Stinger for full size sedans. It's definitely an odd group of cars to compare.
They really only featured the 5 high end rockets in all of the pictures.
 
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robz32 said:
@WildBill As expected.

Is it even a fair comparison to throw the Stinger in that bunch?
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Fair to the Stinger or the rest of the bunch? I think it isn't whether it's fair but the fact that the Stinger was considered with the rest. I'd like to see them listed by price also.
 
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/kia/stinger/2018/2018-kia-stinger-gt-review-long-term-update-3/
The last (July) review of the Stinger ended with this: "So far, the Stinger has proven to be a fun, comfortable sports sedan, and every bit a match for its more prestigious competitors. Just don't expect the same white-glove treatment you might get from a dedicated luxury marque."

I'd say that Motor Trend likes the Stinger. They included it in this photo op, after all. This selection only gave a nod to four door, luxury, high performance vehicles.
 
I think it speaks volumes that KIA doesn't even have a specially tuned race/track version of the Stinger to enter and it's still considered and going up against an M, RS, Performance Pack, Type R, Quadrifoglio, etc. As a driver's car IMHO the Stinger's suspension is a little too floaty and under damped to really compete with the other cars in the test. If KIA comes out with a special Stinger model with more aggressive suspension and a little more power then there will definitely be some real competition.
 
mandasol said:
I think it speaks volumes that KIA doesn't even have a specially tuned race/track version of the Stinger to enter and it's still considered and going up against an M, RS, Performance Pack, Type R, Quadrifoglio, etc. As a driver's car IMHO the Stinger's suspension is a little too floaty and under damped to really compete with the other cars in the test. If KIA comes out with a special Stinger model with more aggressive suspension and a little more power then there will definitely be some real competition.
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Yes, it could be better in the performance criteria. But for the same price difference?
 
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All the mods and upgrades for your Stinger you could ever ask for. CLICK HERE!
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Thats fierce competiton for what the Stinger is built for. I'd say it's a positive thing the Stinger was even invited to that showdown.
 
The fact that the Stinger is in so few pictures right now is not a bad thing. There is still another day of tests to publish with more photos. Also, the cars with the least photos tend to be ones that do exceedingly well in Motor Trend comparos. Having said that, the Stinger will probably not win, but I give it a solid 3rd or 4th place.
 
I wonder if their photographer liked the Lambo? Hmmm... :rolleyes::rofl:
 
All the mods and upgrades for your Stinger you could ever ask for. CLICK HERE!
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Brakes. Heh! Are they even describing the same car as the Alfa vs Stinger comparison? I know that the prototypes tested at the Ring had Brembo "vented and grooved rotors". Our production cars certainly don't. Is it possible that the Stinger supplied for the Motor Trend tests has better rotors and pads than an OEM Stinger GT?
 
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Maybe they are keeping the Stinger in the background so that people will be surprised when it's the winner. Or maybe not. WTF do I care? It's a great car, and honestly I hope it doesn't win. I like the fact that you don't see many Stingers out in the wild. I've had mine since January and to date I've only seen one other.
 
Here's the video (w/o having to go the article).


The GT didn't fare so well in C/D's lightening lap.

2018 Kia Stinger GT Lightning Lap Results for 2018

If Europeans were as bothered by brake noise and dust as Americans are, the Kia Stinger wouldn’t have completed Lightning Lap this year. The first Stinger that Kia delivered to VIR was a GT fitted with the standard domestic-market brake pads tucked inside its Brembo calipers. After a few warm-up laps, we went for it, fully opening the throttle through Hog Pen and hitting more than 130 mph on the front straight. But when we stomped the brake pedal, very little happened. Well, that’s not exactly true. A big something happened. Without sufficient stopping power, the Stinger sailed into the grass outside Horse Shoe at 58 mph. We got the hint: This wasn’t the setup for track work. So we stopped lapping and started calling and emailing Kia. On the final day, its PR team delivered a Stinger GT fitted with European-spec pads, which, according to the company, you’ll be able to get at dealerships for about $700. They worked, hauling the Stinger down from 133.8 mph on the front straight.
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Speaking of brakes, the i30N, which has been applauded for its braking power w/o fade on the track, doesn't have the fancy Brembo calipers and instead, has stock Euro H/K brakes (the kind one would find in a Euro-spec Optima).

Needless to say, both show that there is plenty of room for a more hard-core edition of the Stinger (GTS or GTR?).
 
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"But it’s certainly not a track machine."

Yes. That is what Albert Biermann et al. at Kia have been saying. The Ring was to test durability and performance for touring purposes, not to "track" the car.
 
The performance specs makes people want to do all sorts of thing to it.
 
All the mods and upgrades for your Stinger you could ever ask for. CLICK HERE!
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
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