New member from Germany

[German Stinger]

I have been following this forum for some time. Great contributions and so I decided to join.

A new car is due early next year. I spend quite some time in my car (40 000 km per year) and so I really want it to meet my requirements. Since I saw the first pictures of the Stinger I was excited. This is exactly the type of car I like. Attractive design, sporty but also practical (hatchback!) and with a comprehensive range of features. Brands do not mean much for me. I buy whatever suits my needs and is reasonably priced.

My current car is a Skoda Oktavia RS. Predecessors were Jaguar XF, VW Passat, BMW 320, BMW 523i, Audi A6... until back to 1979 when I started my car life with a VW 1200 Beetle with impressive 34 hp. The times they are a-changin'...

To confirm a popular cliché: For a German who spends some time on German Autobahn top speed is a topic. The typical German competitors (Audi, BMW, Mercedes) are limited at 250 km/h (155 mph) but the Stinger GT reaches 270 km/h (168 mph). No, it would not happen very often because there are so many speed limits as well as there is just too much traffic but the notion of passing a BMW cruising at top speed with a Kia - priceless

 

[Kia Stinger]

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. I'm getting ready for Hurricane Irma but I'll be back online soon. Enjoy the community!

 

[ballistic]

welcome to the site! what are people thinking about the stinger in germany? i'm really curious.

 

[German Stinger]

What are people thinking about the Stinger in Germany? Some thoughts:

I would think that until now only a minority of petrol heads is aware of the Stinger since it has not been officially released. But it seems there is a lot of interest once people know. At least my local dealer was impressed by the large number of requests he received.

The typical German car owner is very traditional, very conservative. Just have a look at 2017 registrations: Best selling car in Germany is the VW Golf (6.3%) leading by a wide margin followed by Mercedes C class (2.1%), VW Polo (2.1%), VW Passat (2.1%) and VW Tiguan (2.0%). Volkswagen everywhere. Anything exciting about these cars? Nope. And with Dieselgate these days people are really angry about VW´s behaviour because in Germany VW refuses to pay any compensation. Formally they did not violate the law - at least this is what they claim. So - many reasons to abandon VW. But the numbers tell a different story.

You will see the same behaviour in other segments. The Stinger´s key competitors in Germany are BMW 4 Grand Coupe and Audi A5/S5. It is a much smaller market. They don´t even appear in the top 50 of the registrations statistics. Most people will be astonished about Kia´s achievement, impressed by the design - and stay with the premium brands. I had a similar experience some years ago when I decided to buy a Jaguar XF. Also with sleek design, comparable performance and equipment but cheaper than the German rivals. My colleagues were impressed, overall feedback was very positive but nobody decided to switch. And Jaguar´s brand image cannot be compared to Kia´s.

And then there is a small group of people who think value is more important than brand loyalty or brand image. I am interested in the Stinger 3.3 which in Germany is only sold as AWD at a list price of 56,000 Euro (ridiculous compared to US prices but that is another discussion). Direct competitors are BMW 440xi (6 cyl in-line, 326 hp) and Audi S5 (V6, 354 hp). When I add the options I need to get a comparable configuration the list prices are 78,000 Euro for the BMW and 81,000 Euro for the Audi. Even if I calculate with a typical discount of 15% there is still a 18-19,000 Euro gap. At this point for me the choice is obvious. But in this regard I am not a typical German. The Stinger will for sure change how people perceive Kia but I do not expect to see many Stingers on the road.

 

[Kia Stinger]

First, that's really great to hear so many people asking about the Stinger at dealerships! Very great. As for Volkswagen being what appears to be pretty much the most purchased automobile brand in Germany - it makes sense. I imagine either Chevy or Ford is the most popular domestic brand purchased in America - mainly because of price...

It's going to take a while before Germans give Kia enough credibility to sway a meaningful amount of luxury buyers. Conquest sales aren't easy. Here in America, Genesis had the same problem in the beginning. Here in Florida I see these cars everywhere. They're as popular as anything else. However, in New York (my old home), they're fewer and further between. So even Genesis, after all the success with the Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe, are still having trouble selling vehicles in certain areas of America. But things are getting better and better. The more people SEE a G80 or G90, the more people buy them. It's just a matter of getting them on the roads as quickly as possible.

Lexus did great here in America in 1989 with the LS400 by undercutting the competition quite a bit. If I'm not mistaken the first LS rolled out of the showroom with a price tag under $40k. That was great for a car like that back then. I hope Kia doesn't price the Stinger too high for people on the fence to consider. Then again, they can't price it too low either. Perception is everything. If it costs too little, people on the fence may assume it's not worthy of their purchase. Price is a little bit of a slippery slope. Which is probably why we haven't heard anything yet.

So anyway... It'll take time before Kia gets any respect in Germany. But they have to start somewhere. Thank goodness for people who don't buy for badges! And thank goodness for people who don't mind taking risks and/or being the first to try something new. I'm confident that everyone who does will be very pleasantly surprised with the Kia Stinger.

 

[Jumpy]

Anything exciting about these cars? Nope.

Unless it's a Golf R. Then it's exciting.

 

[ScottyDangles]

Unless it's a Golf R. Then it's exciting.

Agree on the Golf R! I own a tuned Mk 7 Golf R and had the Mk 6 Golf R. I just hope the Stinger is as fun to drive, I just put my deposit and order in for a Ghost Grey Stinger GT Limited AWD!!

 

[Jumpy]

Agree on the Golf R! I own a tuned Mk 7 Golf R and had the Mk 6 Golf R. I just hope the Stinger is as fun to drive, I just put my deposit and order in for a Ghost Grey Stinger GT Limited AWD!!

Nice...what color is your R? I'm strongly considering buying the new Mk7.5 with the digital cockpit and 7-speed DSG...

 

[ScottyDangles]

Nice...what color is your R? I'm strongly considering buying the new Mk7.5 with the digital cockpit and 7-speed DSG...

Blue as it should be!! Great car and a blast to drive, it is incredibly quick after a stage 1 tune, a total sleeper of a car.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Blue as it should be!! Great car and a blast to drive, it is incredibly quick after a stage 1 tune, a total sleeper of a car.

Curious. What are typical quarter mile times after that stage 1 tune? Which tune do you have?

 

[Jumpy]

Blue as it should be!! Great car and a blast to drive, it is incredibly quick after a stage 1 tune, a total sleeper of a car.

Awesome. I love the R in Lapiz Blue. I tested one recently, and I also love the interior and the brakes. Hopefully my next car will be that or a Stinger.

 

[ralzod]

Unless it's a Golf R. Then it's exciting.

Damn VW for not offering the R SportWagens here in the states!