What do you love and hate about your Kia Stinger?

[Scott1wex]

Likes:
The appearance, performance, smoothness of ride, quiet cabin, CarPlay, price-20k less than anything close.
Dislikes: no window function or remote start- (had these on my 2016 maxima) electric trunk on GT model- seems like a small add item. Small gas tank.

 

[vipeboy2000]

pros:

• style/color
• power especially in the price point
• good balance of ride sporty but not harsh
• uniqueness, it's fun seeing people twisting their necks to see what this is at red lights...
• of course warranty
• h/k sound system
• plus every other pro others listed.
• interior feels and sounds of better quality than f30 3 series/f36 4 series gc m-sports i have been in and cross shopped.

dealer front, i admit a lot of kia dealers still need some maturing however, there are some that are fantastic, we purchased from Kia of Murfreesboro and they were a joy to work with in the purchasing and post purchasing encounters. Our car was on the show room and all the windows were rolled down so we didn't see a few scratches in the tint that they had applied, a week later we noticed the back window had a pretty big scratch and we knew we didn't do it as we didn't use the back at all. Took it in and no questions asked 45 min later back on the road with new tint!

also, we don't mind the smallish gas tank all that much, on road trips between the two of us, we end up making a pit stop no longer than 2 hours anyway..

cons: really nitpicks

• I do wish the exhaust had a little more snarl like my friends s5 sportback..
• no uvo in the states
• seat bolstering could be a little firmer
• memory for driving modes/isg
• no auto up/down for the rear windows
• would have been nice to have the "bmw comfort access" roll up/down windows from remote but in reality, i rarely used it anyway..
• temperature display without having to change the knob or hit the climate button..
• really just grasping at straws now... i wish the doors had the infinite hold feature the new hyundai palisade(maybe telluride) has

 

[jazzdabb]

• really just grasping at straws now... i wish the doors had the infinite hold feature the new hyundai palisade(maybe telluride) has

I am curious about this "infinite hold" feature you reference. Searched and can't find anything on it.

 

[vipeboy2000]

I am curious about this "infinite hold" feature you reference. Searched and can't find anything on it.

i don't know what they call it exactly, but on my coworkers palisade, when you open the doors, the door "brake?" holds no matter the position. on most cars, like ours, there are 2 "brake" points where the door will be held, say if you are on a hill that keeps the door from shutting on it's own. On the palisade the door will be held at any open position... it is awesome.

i can't find any documentation on any sites.. but basically something like this

 

[GenesisG70]

Like:
1. Its a Kia
2. Design
3. Very low road noise
4. Huge trunk
5. Price
6. Reliability
7. Maintenance cost is nothing
8. Powa!
9. All the electronic toys such as HUD, Lane keep assist, etc included in the price and not getting ripped of in endless options like the Germans do
10. Ease of cleaning the interior with not very many crevices to accumulate dirt.

Don't like:
1. It was available sooner in the market for me to buy it as soon as it was released

 

[Kamauxx]

My Con-list:
I cannot hold lock/unlock buttons on the fob to open/close the windows like all other cars can


This is what i can think of right now, the pro side is what many others have stated.

Before reading your post I didn't even know that was a thing cars were factory programmed to do. I went out and checked and sure enough it opened the windows and sunroof (not on a Stinger). Now I'm scratching my head and wondering "when/why would I ever use this?"

 

[Revvdmedia]

As a former owner of 18 months, I can offer some feedback on the Stinger.

Pros:
-Unbeatable value compared to competition
-Power and handling is quite sufficient for the price
-Overall interior is nicely styled, materials are generally nice quality
-Incredibly versatile
-Nice feature set, many options for a fair price
-Decent (but not amazing) Harman Kardon audio
-Attractively styled exterior, turns heads
-AWD worked quite well in winter
-Pretty good lane keep assist

Cons:
-Not everyone received a high quality one (I got rid of mine due to a litany of noises, pops and rattles from various areas (sunroof being the worst)
-Exhaust/engine does not sound very exciting, does not live up to the appearance of the car
-Transmission decent, but could be faster shifting/responding and smoother for some owners (mine had nasty shifts)
-While materials are otherwise good, some are quite cheap in the interior
-Infotainment and camera resolution not as high as it could be
-Fuel economy not as good as competitors for the performance
-Paint quality not consistent between owners
-No ability to activate heated seats with UVO app (but you can turn on the heated wheel - really?? Oversight)

 

[Yulia]

Hi, i went today for a test drive, no previous experience with the 2018 Singer. Kept hearing "muffle sound" every time i accelerated. Tried all drive modes (eco, comfort and sport) all the same, is it normal? Or exhaust problem? Thanks

 

[KAS]

Pros:
- Engine is absolute perfection - enormously powerful with a refined, cultured engine note
- Seats are absolute perfection with big, electrically adjustable bolsters plus ventilation for hot days
- Has virtually every safety, tech and convenience feature you could ask for
- The way it looks - sporty and expensive - attracts a lot of attention (from both men and women)
- Rarity
- 360 degree surround camera
- Smoother ride than an Audi A5 or Merc C-Class with adaptive dampers
- Suede headlining including sunvisors and all pillars (Germans give you plastic sunvisors! )
- Smooth, soft nappa leather (in a gorgeous deep red colour on my car)
- Spacious interior and very practical boot thanks to large, powered hatch
- Seven year warranty and better reliability than any German brand
- Value - $23k/$35k/$40k cheaper than a similarly optioned Merc C300/BMW 430i/Audi S5
- Coolest looking car key I've ever seen
- Telling people I drive a KIA hatchback, then arriving with a RWD twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6

Cons:
- Proximity key would be more user-friendly if the door unlocked upon grabbing the handle rather than having to press the button
- Door mirror puddle lamps and door handle lights don't stay illuminated long enough after unlocking car
- Wish the drive mode and auto-hold functions would remember their previous settings when starting the car

 

[Gargamel]

Before reading your post I didn't even know that was a thing cars were factory programmed to do. I went out and checked and sure enough it opened the windows and sunroof (not on a Stinger). Now I'm scratching my head and wondering "when/why would I ever use this?"

in a warm summer day, it would be nice to be able to open the windows and let the excess heat out, so you wont instant boil your self turning on the car to get the AC running.

 

[Travis Wills]

in a warm summer day, it would be nice to be able to open the windows and let the excess heat out, so you wont instant boil your self turning on the car to get the AC running.

If you think you have "Warm Summer Days" in Sweden you should try South Eastern US or even South Western US. Absolutely scorching hot right now. Even opening the windows doesn't help. It is full blast AC with full blast seat coolers or I am not getting near that oven on wheels.

 

[Gargamel]

If you think you have "Warm Summer Days" in Sweden you should try South Eastern US or even South Western US. Absolutely scorching hot right now. Even opening the windows doesn't help. It is full blast AC with full blast seat coolers or I am not getting near that oven on wheels.

Need to sit in the car to start it, atleast in mine, to access the brake and the start button.

 

[Travis Wills]

Need to sit in the car to start it, atleast in mine, to access the brake and the start button.

I am over 2 meters tall so I can reach the brake peddle and start button from outside the car. Takes some balance but it is better than spontaneous combustion.

Edit: I should have said "almost" 3 meters and not "over" 3 meters. I got my conversions mixed up but the point is still the same.

 

[Gargamel]

I am over 2 meters tall so I can reach the brake peddle and start button from outside the car. Takes some balance but it is better than spontaneous combustion.

Yeah, you're short.

 

[Nocostinger]

I really loved that I could get the twin-turbo 3.3 and not have to buy all the extra crap im just not into. The GT model is nice and simple with heaps of power.

I dislike that the stock exhaust is ridiculously quiet for the power it pushes. Its the most quiet ive been for this fast a car.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Its the most quiet ive been for this fast a car.

"Oh, thank you for noticing," said Albert Biermann.

 

[Nocostinger]

"Oh, thank you for noticing," said Albert Biermann.

given Biermann’s previous work, im not certain it was his choice to make it quiet. Go figure lol

 

[MerlintheMad]

given Biermann’s previous work, im not certain it was his choice to make it quiet. Go figure lol

He loves a beautiful noise of course. But the Stinger was all about high performance with a quiet cabin. And it is that. (Quieter cabins with this focus on performance cost a lot more.)

 

[Legendsk]

It is still the best car I have ever owned of roughly 40. I would warn new owners or someone considering getting one - the computer controlled things all have so many inputs, with so many conditions that many seem to have a mind of their own. It takes a while to get used to having the car tell you, "You should stop and have a cup of coffee." or while both hands are on the wheel (at 10 & 2) displaying, "Keep both hands on the wheel" or "Driver's grasp cannot be detected, Lane Keeping Assist is being disabled." Once you dig into the details of the sensors and consider the decisions being made based on the inputs they make more sense.

Consider the Autonomous Car decision problem that a programmer must deal with - Eeeewwww, we are going to have an unavoidable accident! Which vehicle should I choose to hit? MY passengers will be safer hitting the motorcycle instead of the tanker semi-truck. Tough luck motorcycle!

 

[ScottM]

Probably said somewhere in this thread... but con, OEM brake pads and rotors. They just don't get the job done.