My story and why I'm waiting for the 2019's.

[jraj7995]

There is a jump point under the hood but the battery itself is located in the boot under the spare tyre. Not sure about the US but the AU stinger windows can't be controlled through the fob

 

[MerlintheMad]

No to fob activation of the windows. That salesman was asleep on the job!

 

[EcLiMaX13]

Damn. The one thing this car doesn't have. Luckily something I can definitely live without. I just hope Uvo is coming to the 19's with the added features.

 

[AV8R]

It’s a OCD thing, black car but it shows up white on the screen.

Not a problem for me as my car is white but its the little things like this that Kia should notice as it makes sense and would be an easy fix as car is a CG picture. They have done it as its a mass produced media player and would take $$ if they delved into each into set to change the car colour.

 

[Ruturaj]

Damn. The one thing this car doesn't have. Luckily something I can definitely live without. I just hope Uvo is coming to the 19's with the added features.

Hope so too.

 

[nelson]

i like so many also thought I would never consider buying a kia. but after watching every available review on this car, i had to take it out for a test drive. So I did couple weeks ago after researching it for over 6 months. Now I have to have one, spring of 2019 for sure, white on red. I've been a long time Honda guy and still am, but this car really impressed me so much that I want one that bad now. lol

 

[Jimbeaux]

The Houston dealer speculated today that the Stinger was going to be discontinued. All the other 2019 Kia’s already on lot. Not a blip on the google search radar, besides some hokey Facebook posting.

 

[Turbotime]

The Houston dealer speculated today that the Stinger was going to be discontinued. All the other 2019 Kia’s already on lot. Not a blip on the google search radar, besides some hokey Facebook posting.

I’d be sooo disappointed since I’m waiting on the 2019’s to come out. Can anyone confirm or unconfirm this claim?

 

[westcoastGT]

nev

I’d be sooo disappointed since I’m waiting on the 2019’s to come out. Can anyone confirm or unconfirm this claim?

never going to happen ......................this car will be around aloooooong time and spawn a new generation of offshoots !

 

[Turbotime]

Jimbeaux.... stop freaking me out man!! Lol.

 

[Mark Pattison]

Cars aye who'd have them. I'm 6 months in with the Kia Stinger and still enjoying the drive and character of the car. I too spent a long time researching and wanted something a little special. Ordered untested and purchased after a spirited test drive.

MY19 etc can only get better, major thing for me would be suspension in terms of mid corner lateral movement. Have a few cars over the years that were much better here.

Couldn't be happier and enjoy every drive from autopilot morning commutes to the heavier footed drive home after a long day..I love the styling, comfort and balance of feel and capability, great choice for me.

Now strangely looking forward to winter driving with AWD for the true winter tire expereince!

 

[westcoastGT]

Hey Mark , update your signature with location and other relevent details ...................

 

[MerlintheMad]

i like so many also thought I would never consider buying a kia. but after watching every available review on this car, i had to take it out for a test drive. So I did couple weeks ago after researching it for over 6 months. Now I have to have one, spring of 2019 for sure, white on red. I've been a long time Honda guy and still am, but this car really impressed me so much that I want one that bad now. lol

And you can wait that long? Or you have to wait that long? You remind me of people who are engaged for a whole year or more (without sex). Inconceivable! (punny intended) When I decide that I must have something it consumes me until I get it; so, for my good health, I will move heaven and earth to get it NOW.

 

[Mike_TX]

The Houston dealer speculated today that the Stinger was going to be discontinued. All the other 2019 Kia’s already on lot. Not a blip on the google search radar, besides some hokey Facebook posting.

LOL! That dealer must not understand the tens of millions of R&D, advertising, prototyping, gearing up factories and manpower, and production and distribution costs involved in launching a new car model. It'll take Kia several years to recover those costs, and tanking a car after one year would be prohibitively expensive.

On the subject of the backup camera, I agree it's time to update ... my 2017 Optima's is fuzzy, too, and although it gets the job done, once you see a really good backup camera display you'll throw rocks at Kia's. And with those tiny imagers going for cheap at the wholesale level, I can't imagine why they haven't contracted for a better one.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I can't imagine why they haven't contracted for a better one.

Kia probably had a bunch of them in stock. They are adequate, even pretty darn good. I'm not watching a video ferpetesakes! All I want is to see what is back there so I don't get an owie. Even the "night vision" of my back up camera is good. No complaints from me if later people get a better one.

 

[GNS]

Let me start this off by saying I never thought I'd be here on a Kia forum. I've often recommended Kia/Hyundai to those who want plenty of features for less money. But I'm a car guy. Not in the traditional sense of an enthusiast, but more super picky on what I want in a car. I purchased my last car two years ago as an in between car til I paid my house off...a 10 year goal that I achieved on Friday. It is a 2014 Lincoln mkz 2.0t that I picked up to get out of a 2010 Audi A5 with oil issues. I was burning a quart a week. It's been an alright car but certain things don't work correctly and there has been no resolution to these issues. Still, it's livable.

Knowing the payoff was coming, I started searching for a new car. I told myself that I would have everything I wanted in my next car with no compromise, like I've always done. Seat comfort and ride comfort as first and foremost my main concerns. It also must have a remote starter from factory, black headliner, and folding mirrors. Not the normal demands I know but this is what I want. I was convinced I would be getting a crossover so I started driving. Mkx, XT5, Rdx, Xc60 were all tested and all failed. The Xt5 was loaded with features but was so boring to drive and the features weren't implemented that well. The mkx 2.7t is a great ride but it has basically the same interior as my mkz and it's getting old. Plus finding one of those used with the features I want is next to impossible. The rdx was really impressive but the a spec is the only one offered with the black headliner. It doesn't offer adaptive suspension and the ride is much too jarring. The xc60 with the air suspension is actually very harsh in the r design. I was very surprised by this. Also their infotainment system is clunky and overall a horrendous design, regardless of what the reviews say. Plus no ventilated seats.

So being turned off by so many crossovers, I start thinking about cars again. I won't go over the ones I drove since they were all unremarkable. As with most of you, I heard about the stinger. Not sure where but probably through youtube while just browsing, but never gave it a second thought. So I stop by my local Kia dealership and take a look. I think it's nicely designed but still give it a cold shoulder. Then I sit in it and think, this is nice but I'll find something wrong with it. The seats are comfy and the layout is nice and clean but this is my first time inside and I'm not really giving it an eagle eye inspection since I'm not even close to interested in purchasing it. So I leave and continue my search for a vehicle.

Nothing. I find nothing out there that fits my needs. So just for fun I start watching reviews of the stinger. To my surprise, people are praising the sh*t out of this thing. I think, this can't be true. It's a Kia. I watch more reviews...Doug, Alex, Redline, Motoman, Straightpipes. Surely these guys are being paid heavily to convince me specifically that this is my next car. This is the one that has everything. With half of them saying that they would buy it themselves, I figured I better go test drive one and prove that it's all a gimmick. So off I go to knock it off my list.

Boy was I wrong. Taking it up a street I drive all the time, the suspension is very comfortable and handles bumps very well. The seats are already cooling me much better than the Lincoln. On the highway is where I start really smiling. I've owned heavily tuned Audi's for years but this is smashing those in the fun category. The power is effortless. The ride is still smooth and quiet. At this point I'm really impressed and think to myself that my search is over.

Back at the dealership I'm getting the typical sales technique that tests my patience. Just give me your price and I'll tell you what the deal is. Needless to say I walked out to my car and drove away. This is lucky for me as I do more research and see that in other areas of the world, the car gets more features. Features that I would really want. Mainly the surround view camera. So now thanks to this forum, I see that the 19's are coming with those missing features to the US market. Now hopefully there will be some incentives but I'm fully excited to get into one. Ceramic silver on red. I didn't intend for this to be such a long post but thanks for making it this far. My only concern is the mpg but I'm reading more that people are getting closer to the 30's in the gt2 with mild driving.

The typical Kia dealership experience is the product of Kia's own niche. They wholeheartedly took over the low/no credit car market and the salespeople have attitudes to match. Not ALL Kia dealerships are like this...but most of them aren't too different from the stereotype.

If Kia wants to succeed at pushing the Stinger, they need to pass down orders from above and let their dealerships know that they have to change. I don't see this happening anytime soon though.

As for your experience with the car...I'm also of the same opinion as you. I couldn't believe I was actually, seriously considering a Kia...yet here I am. Here in Canada, we already get the 360 camera system in the Limited trim and I can definitely tell you that it is awesome. You can see how close you are to the curb on the passenger side, or whether your car will fit in a parallel spot. Amazing system to be sure.

 

[Gordo]

Let me start this off by saying I never thought I'd be here on a Kia forum. I've often recommended Kia/Hyundai to those who want plenty of features for less money. But I'm a car guy. Not in the traditional sense of an enthusiast, but more super picky on what I want in a car. I purchased my last car two years ago as an in between car til I paid my house off...a 10 year goal that I achieved on Friday. It is a 2014 Lincoln mkz 2.0t that I picked up to get out of a 2010 Audi A5 with oil issues. I was burning a quart a week. It's been an alright car but certain things don't work correctly and there has been no resolution to these issues. Still, it's livable.

Knowing the payoff was coming, I started searching for a new car. I told myself that I would have everything I wanted in my next car with no compromise, like I've always done. Seat comfort and ride comfort as first and foremost my main concerns. It also must have a remote starter from factory, black headliner, and folding mirrors. Not the normal demands I know but this is what I want. I was convinced I would be getting a crossover so I started driving. Mkx, XT5, Rdx, Xc60 were all tested and all failed. The Xt5 was loaded with features but was so boring to drive and the features weren't implemented that well. The mkx 2.7t is a great ride but it has basically the same interior as my mkz and it's getting old. Plus finding one of those used with the features I want is next to impossible. The rdx was really impressive but the a spec is the only one offered with the black headliner. It doesn't offer adaptive suspension and the ride is much too jarring. The xc60 with the air suspension is actually very harsh in the r design. I was very surprised by this. Also their infotainment system is clunky and overall a horrendous design, regardless of what the reviews say. Plus no ventilated seats.

So being turned off by so many crossovers, I start thinking about cars again. I won't go over the ones I drove since they were all unremarkable. As with most of you, I heard about the stinger. Not sure where but probably through youtube while just browsing, but never gave it a second thought. So I stop by my local Kia dealership and take a look. I think it's nicely designed but still give it a cold shoulder. Then I sit in it and think, this is nice but I'll find something wrong with it. The seats are comfy and the layout is nice and clean but this is my first time inside and I'm not really giving it an eagle eye inspection since I'm not even close to interested in purchasing it. So I leave and continue my search for a vehicle.

Nothing. I find nothing out there that fits my needs. So just for fun I start watching reviews of the stinger. To my surprise, people are praising the sh*t out of this thing. I think, this can't be true. It's a Kia. I watch more reviews...Doug, Alex, Redline, Motoman, Straightpipes. Surely these guys are being paid heavily to convince me specifically that this is my next car. This is the one that has everything. With half of them saying that they would buy it themselves, I figured I better go test drive one and prove that it's all a gimmick. So off I go to knock it off my list.

Boy was I wrong. Taking it up a street I drive all the time, the suspension is very comfortable and handles bumps very well. The seats are already cooling me much better than the Lincoln. On the highway is where I start really smiling. I've owned heavily tuned Audi's for years but this is smashing those in the fun category. The power is effortless. The ride is still smooth and quiet. At this point I'm really impressed and think to myself that my search is over.

Back at the dealership I'm getting the typical sales technique that tests my patience. Just give me your price and I'll tell you what the deal is. Needless to say I walked out to my car and drove away. This is lucky for me as I do more research and see that in other areas of the world, the car gets more features. Features that I would really want. Mainly the surround view camera. So now thanks to this forum, I see that the 19's are coming with those missing features to the US market. Now hopefully there will be some incentives but I'm fully excited to get into one. Ceramic silver on red. I didn't intend for this to be such a long post but thanks for making it this far. My only concern is the mpg but I'm reading more that people are getting closer to the 30's in the gt2 with mild driving.

I think it’s hard to go wrong with this car. I’ve had mine 10 months now and 10k miles. I absolutely love and I can confirm the mileage. I got 29.4 mpg on a 90 mile trip. 3.3TT RWD. Took a feather touch on the gas and speeds below 75 most of the time but it can be done. I think the RPMs hover around 1900 at 75 mph. Such a comfortable car for road trips.

 

[Gordo]

And you can wait that long? Or you have to wait that long? You remind me of people who are engaged for a whole year or more (without sex). Inconceivable! (punny intended) When I decide that I must have something it consumes me until I get it; so, for my good health, I will move heaven and earth to get it NOW.

Have to agree heavily with @MerlintheMad on this one. That’s why I bought my GT1 RWD with summer tires in the dead middle of winter in Utah. My thinking was.. I grew up driving RWD in the snow and it’s only a few days a year.... I can’t wait for an AWD in the color I want. I need this one now!! Kind of glad I went that route after discovering the AWD are electronically limited to a slower speed. Just a mental thing I guess. LOL. But I know when I see the 2019’s I’ll probably be a little envious.

 

[Turbotime]

I can’t hold out anymore. I was going to wait for the 19’s but I don’t think the changes are that great. I’ll manage without the 360 degree camera and the charging pad. I’m making my way to the dealership tomorrow.

 

[Turbotime]

Kia just updated their website. The 2019 stinger is now available to select on the website!!! Does this mean dealerships can order them now???