Vadimauto First Drive

[eljay]

I don't know what this guy's credentials are, but it seems like a balanced review:

 

[Bamm1]

Interesting.

• No spare tire..........according to this: http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/stinger/2018/specifications and the door placard he shows in the video, there should be one.
• Like the reference to a more "Sporty" exhaust for the US.
• Stiffer dampers for Europe. The Motortrend review complained of softer dampers for the replacement model they drove. Maybe that one was Korean spec?
• I guess measured diagonally the TFT drivers' display could be 7-inches ?
• Nice to see the brakes catch on fire
• 0-100 km/h times are opposite of what is being reported in Australia and Canada. 4.9 for AWD and 5.1 for RWD.
• The fuel economy variation between Eco and Comfort is surprising. Usually your right foot is the main factor, no matter what mode you are in.

 

[Gilgamesh]

Shouldn't the breaks catching fire be worriesome?

 

[moinmoin]

A bit sloppy may be, nevertheless, I learned something: The spare tire @ 135mm (vs. 225 or 255mm respectively) will fit in the space of the hard foam devider under the trunk floor. It will fit right on top of the battery.
Or, instead of the "donut", you get a "tire repair kit" which is probably contained in that red box you can see sitting in the devider. Gas & goo, I don't think so....I smell an option here.

There are also 2 handles/clips, fidgets (you name it..) visible to either side of the rear wheel wells, just above the loading floor. He did not explain their purpose. Releases for the rear seat backs??

Achieving mileage of 6.6/9.8 to 22.5 l/100km is a huge spread but also comforting, in that you apparently CAN control the mileage with your big toe. And not everybody is driving like this tester, nor is it recommended. If they catch you in Frankfurt like that, you loose your licence on the spot, and they may not even extinguish you fires.

 

[eljay]

Shouldn't the breaks catching fire be worriesome?

Yeah, that surprised me, since when they had all those cars on the Ring, more than one reporter commented on how none of them had brakes that even overheated, despite repeated runs w/o cool down times.

As to the spare, I read, somewhere, that U.S. spec includes a spare, but S. Korean and European don't.

 

[eljay]

There are also 2 handles/clips, fidgets (you name it..) visible to either side of the rear wheel wells, just above the loading floor. He did not explain their purpose. Releases for the rear seat backs??

He says on this video that you can only release the seats from the inside of the cabin, not from the cargo area like, I think (but could be wrong), on an Audi A5. When I saw the pre-production model, I saw the releases at the top corner of each seat. Maybe a release from the cargo area is another option?

 

[moinmoin]

That's what I mean by sloppy....first the donut, which is obviously not correct, then his comments on the releases for the seat backs, which may or may not be correct, depending on what this metal things in trunk are for. Opel/Buick has releases to operate from the trunk. Just saying.

 

[TomTom26]

Hi.

The "metal things" in trunk left and right are for the cargonet.
These in the back of the seat are for Isofix.
The plastic left is emergency release for fuel tank cap.
When there is an spare tire it will be under the car - you can see on the picture with tire pressures.

 

[moinmoin]

When there is an spare tire it will be under the car - you can see on the picture with tire pressures.

Thanks TomTom!
Isofix - for the uninitiated is the fixing for the childrens seat.
The cargo net makes sense.
Below a couple of pictures:

And where exactly UNDER the car do you think the narrow (135mm) emergency wheel will be mounted? Consider, it's neither a SUV nor a truck. How will any wheel be mounted? How do you get under there and how do you drop it? 135mm, while narrow for a tire, is still 5.3".
See the nice rounded depression towards the rear seats, north of the battery, inside the trunk? That's where I think it's going to go. Nevermind the little graphic. You have to illustrate a 5th wheel somehow
The road wheels overall diameter is about 26" (66cm), the spare wheel be approximately the same, if you opt for one. It's a sizeable pancake, and easier to deal with if it's carried within the body.
BTW, I misspoke when I said red box containing the tire repair kit. It's grey.

 

[TomTom26]

We don't need a Spare Tire in Switzerland.
In Switzerland KIA have a 7 year mobility garantee - you get a new wheel on site.
I also have road assist by ADAC - if they can't fix it on site they take the car to a KIA Workshop.

 

[eljay]

And where exactly UNDER the car do you think the narrow (135mm) emergency wheel will be mounted?

Check out the video I posted, "El Kia Stinger (en Español)." At about 3-1/2 minutes in, it shows the spare. It's just under the mat in the cargo area. Easy peasy.

 

[moinmoin]

Check out the video I posted, "El Kia Stinger (en Español)." At about 3-1/2 minutes in, it shows the spare. It's just under the mat in the cargo area. Easy peasy.

Thanks. Exactly what I said - the only logical place.

 

[ScottyDangles]

I'm pretty sure Canadian Stingers will have a spare, in the ordering guide I have from the dealership it specifically states "Temporary Spare Tire" in the Powertrain & Mechanical section.

 

[moinmoin]

This was about a video by a foreign national in Germany, making a quick of it, obviously of limited English or German language ability for video purposes, vis a vis the subtitles or overlaid written commentary. One of them was "no space for spare tire". I disputed that and insisted, that there is space above the battery, if you take that foam divider out, insinuating that he had not researched that fact. That's all.

The matter of whether anybody did or did not need a spare was not the point, nor how equipped the cars are when shipped. Should they come into Canada with a donut, great, otherwise I negotiate for one. To each his own.