Merkur720
Active Member
That's the phrase I've heard the most in the last 48 hours of ownership. So much fun!
"NO WAY THAT'S A KIA!!!"
- Thread starter Merkur720
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mldavis2
1000 Posts Club!
It appears that Kia is segregating their performance image from their econobox cars rather like Hyundai is separating Genesis. While the Kia badge doesn't illicit fear in the Mustang/Camaro kids yet, there may well be a time when that round Kia badge is to be respected rather than replaced by the "E". Hide and watch ....
Kia Stinger
Staff member
I bet! It's really impressive how great the Stinger is - as well as how people are so impressed by it. Enjoy Stinger ownership!
It appears that Kia is segregating their performance image from their econobox cars rather like Hyundai is separating Genesis. While the Kia badge doesn't illicit fear in the Mustang/Camaro kids yet, there may well be a time when that round Kia badge is to be respected rather than replaced by the "E". Hide and watch ....
Very well could happen. It's funny, actually. I do wish Kia would bring us a more classy-looking badge. There are better ways to say "Kia" and still say it. There's nothing wrong with a brand updating it's logo. Cadillac has done it often over the decades...
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EchoesMyron
Member
I have had people at stoplights roll down their windows and go on about how beautiful my car is. It seems like someone comes up to me every time I get gas to ask about the car and I get thumbs up daily from people driving by on the freeway.
I wear the KIA badge loud and proud. Arrogance and snobbery is not my thing, especially when it comes to cars. If other folks don't get it, that's their loss.
I could see a badge redesign at some point, both Mazda and Toyota did it not that long ago. Redesigning the badge is a risk for brand recognition and since Kia is selling lots of cars, that may not be a risk they want or need to take.
I wear the KIA badge loud and proud. Arrogance and snobbery is not my thing, especially when it comes to cars. If other folks don't get it, that's their loss.
I could see a badge redesign at some point, both Mazda and Toyota did it not that long ago. Redesigning the badge is a risk for brand recognition and since Kia is selling lots of cars, that may not be a risk they want or need to take.
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
eljay
1000 Posts Club!
I've been telling my friends that my Stinger is a shameless flirt. She's been getting a lot of long looks and thumbs up in my neighborhood, but rather than guys not believing it's a Kia, they know it's a Stinger, and most who've flocked around her are current Kia owners. They go on and on about "Schreyer" and "Biermann" and their favorite features. But then, around my neighborhood, Kias are one of the most popular cars. So far, on my frequent trips to Pasadena, the "Valley of the Ghiblis and Panameras," no one even seems to notice my Stinger.
jwhollan
Active Member
It's not always about embarrassment or being arrogant about the make of our cars. I'll happily tell anyone who is curious that this amazing machine is a Kia. But the badge itself is old, tired and boring looking to me and to many others. This elegant and beautiful car deserves better than 3 giant, blocky letters stuffed inside of an oval on the car. The fact that there is another Kia designed OEM badge available for this car makes it an even easier choice to switch them out.
Kia Stinger
Staff member
Exactly. If the badge wasn't so boring, nobody would change it. We could just use times new roman font for all our text here, along with logos and everything else - but it's a tired, old, boring font that "most" people do not like. We have something of an outdoor mall here in Palm Beach County, Florida. Before the Hyundai Genesis Sedan became the Genesis G80 - the Hyundai was always there - wearing the winged Genesis badges. People flocked to the car and you could tell they admired it very much. Every time I spoke to somebody and told them it was a Hyundai, they hurried away and never looked back.
It probably would have been better had I let the car continue to sink in for however long it may have taken for them to become so comfortable with the idea of it that once they learned it was a Hyundai - it was too late - they were already in love with it. It used to happen with Lexus as well. The unique badge allows this to happen for the Kia. Let all the non-enthusiasts fall in love with the Stinger not knowing it's a Kia until it's too late to be convinced it's not something they love.
mldavis2
1000 Posts Club!
And why not? Happened to me.
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Corey @ K8 Stinger Store
Authorized Vendor
It is definitely a neck-breaker.
Bear
Active Member
I think I have a new employee coming up to me each day saying they heard I had a Stinger. Lots of questions and huddling around the car. Definitely a head turner and sparks lots of interest. Took it to a Ford dealership the other day as a buddy was looking at a SHO and the salesman was more focused on the Stinger.
Kia Stinger
Staff member
mldavis2
1000 Posts Club!
Tears in my eyes....
Back in the '80's I was a GM, Subaru, BMW new car service manager and the '87 Buick Grand National was a beautiful car. Somewhat under rated for power by Buick, IMHO, and with some turbo-lag, but a real runner. But turbo technology was not great with GM at the time. Every time I got a call from a Grand National owner with about 67,000-69,000 miles on the car, I knew it needed a turbocharger replacement. A lot of it was just out of warranty. I (we) can only hope that Borg-Warner/Kia has the turbo technology down so we don't have to use that 10/100,000 warranty, although I'm not sure Kia considers the turbochargers part of the "power train." Anyone know offhand?
Rufus
1000 Posts Club!
RIGHT?! Imagine the breathless talk about Buick's "triumphant return to a turbo V-6" lol
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
EchoesMyron
Member
Nobody had turbocharger technology down in the 1980s. There were a few reasons for this. First, the turbos were only cooled by engine oil and the engine oil of the day wasn't up to the task. Because of that, turbos didn't last very long as the oil would coke up within the passageways of the turbo and starve it of lubrication. Modern turbos are cooled both by engine oil and engine coolant and modern engine oils are far far superior to what was available 30 years ago.
The other big improvement is with engine management systems. Modern turbos are much more precisely controlled with regard to boost pressure. In addition, modern engine management is much better at controlling air fuel mixture and ignition timing, all of which contribute to performance, but all of which also need to be very precisely controlled on a turbocharged engine to keep it from turning into a hand grenade.
The tubocharger should be considered part of the powertrain. It's a mechanical component related to engine operation. When I worked for VW/ Audi/ Porsche in the early 2000s, it was considered a powertrain item.
