The Other Side of “It’s a KIA”?

[GRStinger]

Having read or watched countless reviews and responses to the Stinger, there’s the “debate” about the worthiness of the Stinger (a KIA!) vs. other established luxury sports models, e.g., Audi A/S5, BMW 3 or 4 series, Merc C class, Infiniti Q50 Sport, etc. I considered all of those other cars. The first thing that attracted me to the Stinger was the overall excellence of the car. A secondary, but important factor for me, was the OPPOSITE of the “prestige factor” of the luxury brands. That is, in my “circle”, if I drove up in my new BMer or Mercedes the reaction might-well be ”Well, la de da! Look at Mister Fancy Pants. What, are you MADE out of money!”

I heard similar sentiments from, in fact, the salesman where I purchased. He said that the only other Stingers they had sold at the point (May) was to small businessmen who drove to or with their customers. They could afford a luxury brand, but did want not their customers thinking: “Geez, he’s driving a (BMW/Mercedes/Audi)! He must be charging me too much!”

Along with this, I enjoy the “subversive” aspect of owning this car. “What IS that?? Wow!” It’s just so much more “different” and “cool” than those others! And I have a feeling that a lot of the luxury-brand owners who really know about the Stinger think: “Man, maybe I should have bought THAT car!”

Your thoughts?

 

[Jimmer]

Having read or watched countless reviews and responses to the Stinger, there’s the “debate” about the worthiness of the Stinger (a KIA!) vs. other established luxury sports models, e.g., Audi A/S5, BMW 3 or 4 series, Merc C class, Infiniti Q50 Sport, etc. I considered all of those other cars. The first thing that attracted me to the Stinger was the overall excellence of the car. A secondary, but important factor for me, was the OPPOSITE of the “prestige factor” of the luxury brands. That is, in my “circle”, if I drove up in my new BMer or Mercedes the reaction might-well be ”Well, la de da! Look at Mister Fancy Pants. What, are you MADE out of money!”

I heard similar sentiments from, in fact, the salesman where I purchased. He said that the only other Stingers they had sold at the point (May) was to small businessmen who drove to or with their customers. They could afford a luxury brand, but did want not their customers thinking: “Geez, he’s driving a (BMW/Mercedes/Audi)! He must be charging me too much!”

Along with this, I enjoy the “subversive” aspect of owning this car. “What IS that?? Wow!” It’s just so much more “different” and “cool” than those others! And I have a feeling that a lot of the luxury-brand owners who really know about the Stinger think: “Man, maybe I should have bought THAT car!”

Your thoughts?

Gorgeous, fast, AWD (but rear wheel bias), plenty of room for rear passengers, plenty of cargo space, loaded with luxury and safety tech.
I like having a more unique car, a better looking car, a car that checks off everything I was looking for, and paying, at minimum, 15K+ less for the privilege.

 

[robz32]

I call it, the Smarter side of car buying.

A lot of people are fixated on a badge, we look further than that. We, Stinger owners, like to explore and challenge those with a fixed perception of a badge, we like to impress in a different way.

 

[Jimmer]

I call it, the Smarter side of car buying.

A lot of people are fixated on a badge, we look further than that. We, Stinger owners, like to explore and challenge those with with a fixed peception of a badge, we like to impress in a different way.

That and where I live Audis, BMW and Mercedes are EVERYWHERE. They don't stand out. If I had a yellow one, I'd get even more questions, stares, etc.

 

[Puckhead]

I just got mine on Saturday. My neighbor texted me and asked if it was a Maserati when he saw me drive by from inside his house. I brought it over to let him and his wife check it out. They were very surprised that it’s a Kia.
We saw one of my wife’s coworkers inside a grocery store. He drives an Acura RDX. My wife drives a Lexus RX350. My 14 year old car is an Acura TL. When he asked if I was driving a new car yet, we told him that we just bought one. He asked if it was an Acura, Lexus, or BMW. We told him it was a Kia Stinger. He had no clue what it was and said you must have got that just for commuting. I smiled and said yes.

 

[GRStinger]

Agreed. The "smart man's S5" maybe?
My last new-car purchase before my Stinger was a 2008 Nissan Altima coupe 3.5SE. I called it "the smart man's G coupe". A good little car - they only made it for 3-4 years. I believe it was cannibalizing the Infiniti G37 coupe. The SE was FWD, at 270HP it was 60 less, but it was 400lbs lighter and it was $25K fully-loaded vs. $35K for a base G37. Plus, other than the front/grill you could hardly tell 'em apart. The top one is my (actual) Nissan SE coupe, the bottom one is a G37:

 

[CaliSting]

On uniqueness thing only people who seem to ask me what Stinger is are non enthusiasts .

Most enthusiasts are like Stinger? hmmm ...yeah ....interesting ...yawn.

 

[Flameangel]

Having read or watched countless reviews and responses to the Stinger, there’s the “debate” about the worthiness of the Stinger (a KIA!) vs. other established luxury sports models, e.g., Audi A/S5, BMW 3 or 4 series, Merc C class, Infiniti Q50 Sport, etc. I considered all of those other cars. The first thing that attracted me to the Stinger was the overall excellence of the car. A secondary, but important factor for me, was the OPPOSITE of the “prestige factor” of the luxury brands. That is, in my “circle”, if I drove up in my new BMer or Mercedes the reaction might-well be ”Well, la de da! Look at Mister Fancy Pants. What, are you MADE out of money!”

I heard similar sentiments from, in fact, the salesman where I purchased. He said that the only other Stingers they had sold at the point (May) was to small businessmen who drove to or with their customers. They could afford a luxury brand, but did want not their customers thinking: “Geez, he’s driving a (BMW/Mercedes/Audi)! He must be charging me too much!”

Along with this, I enjoy the “subversive” aspect of owning this car. “What IS that?? Wow!” It’s just so much more “different” and “cool” than those others! And I have a feeling that a lot of the luxury-brand owners who really know about the Stinger think: “Man, maybe I should have bought THAT car!”

Your thoughts?

The other day my husband chatted to an owner of a white GT Stinger at the fuel pump, asked him what he thought of the car, he replied he " really liked it " and had previously owned Audi's, so some are jumping ship.

 

[Paul32]

Having read or watched countless reviews and responses to the Stinger, there’s the “debate” about the worthiness of the Stinger (a KIA!) vs. other established luxury sports models, e.g., Audi A/S5, BMW 3 or 4 series, Merc C class, Infiniti Q50 Sport, etc. I considered all of those other cars. The first thing that attracted me to the Stinger was the overall excellence of the car. A secondary, but important factor for me, was the OPPOSITE of the “prestige factor” of the luxury brands. That is, in my “circle”, if I drove up in my new BMer or Mercedes the reaction might-well be ”Well, la de da! Look at Mister Fancy Pants. What, are you MADE out of money!”

I heard similar sentiments from, in fact, the salesman where I purchased. He said that the only other Stingers they had sold at the point (May) was to small businessmen who drove to or with their customers. They could afford a luxury brand, but did want not their customers thinking: “Geez, he’s driving a (BMW/Mercedes/Audi)! He must be charging me too much!”

Along with this, I enjoy the “subversive” aspect of owning this car. “What IS that?? Wow!” It’s just so much more “different” and “cool” than those others! And I have a feeling that a lot of the luxury-brand owners who really know about the Stinger think: “Man, maybe I should have bought THAT car!”

Your thoughts?

Have to say, that logic did not enter into my buying decision. My first impression is, do I like what I see. In the case of the Stinger it was the performance, then price.

 

[jatleson]

Have to say, that logic did not enter into my buying decision. My first impression is, do I like what I see. In the case of the Stinger it was the performance, then price.

...then overall cost of ownership. As a current BMW owner, 10 year 100,000 mile power train warranty on a performance turbo car is huge. The build quality/looks is what gets you in the door, then the overall package sells it.

 

[BigPlum]

I wanted to get a more "grownup" car and transition away from my Genesis Coupe, but I loved that car. So, I stayed with Hyundai/Genesis and looked at the G70, and that's when I heard about the Stinger. This car checks ALL of the boxes for me that have been repeated on this forum several times (luxury, speed, cargo space, etc.).

I'm known as the "cheap" guy in my circle, but after my friends saw my car, they all agreed that I made a great purchase and understood why I didn't go after the Infiniti that I was considering. (I prefer to think that I am the "thrifty" guy who searches for the best he can get for his money. I think the Stinger nails that.)

So, to respond to the original query: yes, I totally get your point and agree wholeheartedly. There are BMWs, Audi, and even Teslas all over my small town. There are only 2 or 3 Stingers...

 

[gilthanis1]

That and where I live Audis, BMW and Mercedes are EVERYWHERE. They don't stand out. If I had a yellow one, I'd get even more questions, stares, etc.

I will 100% tell you that the yellow turns heads everywhere I go. I've had the car 10 months now and still get 3-4 people a week coming up to me asking about it, even if they have seen a Stinger before. The couple trips back to the dealer to get the head unit fixed and the wiring harness TSB done, there were 4 customers that asked how they could get a yellow like mine.

Stopped by the used car lot a couple weeks ago about a $1500 Sorento, just to have a 3rd car, and the salesman owns an Audi. Told me flat out 'I should've waited and got a Stinger, this is just as nice and cheaper.'

People are starting to get away from the 'Just a Kia' and 'You paid WHAT for a Kia' mentality with the Stinger once they ride in it and see it up close. Mine has changed several peoples opinion that have ridden with me, plus the perma-grin when you flatfoot the go-pedal just cements the fact it's fun as hell.

 

[TODDK]

I was a VW/AUDI enthusiast for 20+ years. My last car was a Nissan Maxima SV with some mods and just wasn't completely happy with the car and wanted to get back into something AWD and performance based. My other choice were S6, Q50RS, and GT2 well drove them all a couple times and ended up the GT2 for performance, looks, warranty, and $$$. I am happy with my choice that took me over a year to make.

 

[Jimmer]

I will 100% tell you that the yellow turns heads everywhere I go. I've had the car 10 months now and still get 3-4 people a week coming up to me asking about it, even if they have seen a Stinger before. The couple trips back to the dealer to get the head unit fixed and the wiring harness TSB done, there were 4 customers that asked how they could get a yellow like mine.

Stopped by the used car lot a couple weeks ago about a $1500 Sorento, just to have a 3rd car, and the salesman owns an Audi. Told me flat out 'I should've waited and got a Stinger, this is just as nice and cheaper.'

People are starting to get away from the 'Just a Kia' and 'You paid WHAT for a Kia' mentality with the Stinger once they ride in it and see it up close. Mine has changed several peoples opinion that have ridden with me, plus the perma-grin when you flatfoot the go-pedal just cements the fact it's fun as hell.

Yeah, I didn't know they even made a yellow GT2 AWD till after I bought my red (which is also gorgeous). When reading articles and looking at the color options on the site, all I ever read/saw was that it would only be available in base GT and only 400 overall made. Now I see it available on the site for GT and GT2 and I also see articles that say GT and GT2. And I found a GT2 AWD Yellow one in San Jose... Ugh. Still loving my red though, but would have preferred yellow.

 

[MerlintheMad]

So, to respond to the original query: yes, I totally get your point and agree wholeheartedly. There are BMWs, Audi, and even Teslas all over my small town. There are only 2 or 3 Stingers...

Well, that is supposed to change if the Stinger takes off as a successful model. How will we feel when we see Stingers everytime we go for a drive? Will the mystique vanishing also make our love of the car fade or disappear?

I wasn't thinking "uniqueness" when I started seriously waking up and taking notes. The very first thing I saw was gorgeous. The next thing I instantly saw was KIA. The third thing I saw was performance, then practicality and sound system and luxury and tech. I went back to Gorgeous and started over. Finally, I said, "How much?" And then the whole package worked on me, worked me over, for months. I finally caved in. Glad I did. No sense waiting for anything at my age.

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

There are only 2 or 3 Stingers...

Sheeshhhh that sounds crowded lol. I have to meet with people to find other stingers.

 

[westcoastGT]

On uniqueness thing only people who seem to ask me what Stinger is are non enthusiasts .

Most enthusiasts are like Stinger? hmmm ...yeah ....interesting ...yawn.

 

[Ruturaj]

Funny thing happened to me last year

Went to Stinger Event, a guy there asked me what other cars you looking at, I said Lexus GS-F (not GS 350 F sport), he replied all old people drive Lexus.

I felt, okay, a car with 5.0 liter engine, mechanical torque vectoring RWD is for old people because it's Lexus and 3.3l Kia is for poor people?

 

[Jimmer]

So this JUST happened.

Over at the convenience store down the street, my daughter and I were getting into the Stinger and this couple and their daughter were getting into their car. He was staring and talking to his wife. He came over bent his head looking in so I rolled the window down. He said he didn't mean to bother us, but was wondering if he could take a couple pictures of the car. I was like sure. So he went up front, took a pick, then he focused on thee E badge on the hood and took another. He comes around and says thanks. I asked him if he was trying to figure out what it was, he said 'Yeah. I was just about to go home and look it up on-line'. I told him it's a Stinger. He was like really? He said that he'd seen a couple of these but didn't know what it was. I said, yup, a Kia Stinger. He exclaimed, "It's a Kia?! Seriously? I said yes, he said 'Shoot me in the face! Wow.' We chatted a bit more then I left.

My daughter is like, 'I have a new favorite phrase: Shoot me in the face' She goes, 'you love when people are like that with your car.' I'm like 'yup'.

 

[Never thought]

Totally agree with everyone here. I bought it because it’s not a bmw, merc, audi, etc. it’s crazy how many people stop you about this car. My wife thinks it’s hilarious. We were at dinner and the car was parked right outside the restaurant. We saw some guy and his wife going around the car and taking pictures for a solid 5 minutes. I’ve had a few people know what it is.