I just saw an add and realized I think I would really like one of these. I mean it is a Kia. I can sell that to my wife. Take the stinger badging off it and my clients would not have a clue and think I am a responsible person not overspending on a BMW or Mercedes or an Audi.
So has anyone actually driven one of these?
Neat car but at $49 K and only 365HP is going to be tough to out do a Charger RT at $36k with 370HP and I am sure Dodge will be putting cash on the hood.
And how do you have a 3.3 V6 with twin turbo and only make 365HP?
Paul B
I think James May of GTour fame road tested one. If I remember correctly, he was impressed. The car seems to be interesting, to say the least.
Donebrokeit said:Neat car but at $49 K and only 365HP is going to be tough to out do a Charger RT at $36k with 370HP and I am sure Dodge will be putting cash on the hood.
And how do you have a 3.3 V6 with twin turbo and only make 365HP?
Paul B
That’s a lot of coin. Man I’m cheap.
Just saw a commercial for the Stinger
w/ Emmo driving
I've read a few reviews, everyone liked it if not loved it. The comparisons were to cars $10K+ more and basically said the level might not be 100% up to the competitors, but it damn sure was within that $10k premium they would ask. I get the feeling this 1st gen will be tweaked in a couple years and really be something.
fasted58 said:Just saw a commercial for the Stinger
w/ Emmo driving
I saw the same one and is why I posted.
The other real question is what will the depreciation be on these. Like the German counterparts or hold there value like a Honda.
Probably similar to how a Genesis holds its value...so someplace in between?
Kia is doing a road tour in about 10 major cities to demo the car. A good buddy of mine just signed on as an instructor. Google didn't yield a schedule for me, but you may be able to get a drive on an autocross type course if they stop somewhere near enough to you.
I drove an AWD GT2. It was amazing. The car feels much smaller/lighter on the road then it is. It's "only" 365 HP but it really feels like more. Suspension tuning and body control is good and it feels playful. It truly is more sports and less GT.
Interior quality is very good, it's conformable and the metal switchgear is very nice. The trans is pretty good, not quite PDK/DSG good but a very quick shifting paddle controlled auto. It's also a 5 door hatch. Rear room is a bit cramped for fullsized adults.
I did end up buying a turbo Korean car. An Elantra GT Sport 6 speed. It's also quite a lot of car for $24k and I got it out the door for $20.5k.
Donebrokeit said:Neat car but at $49 K and only 365HP is going to be tough to out do a Charger RT at $36k with 370HP and I am sure Dodge will be putting cash on the hood.
And how do you have a 3.3 V6 with twin turbo and only make 365HP?
Paul B
A 10yr, 100k warranty is how. You’ll NEVER see a Dodge Charger have that warranty, and you’ll rarely see a charger make it to that kinda mileage without exploding. That’s what you pay for. A quick, reliable, inexpensive (in relation to) sports car.
Besides, they likely left a lot on the table. That engine will likely make 400hp with a tune, and 450-500hp with extra boost and exhaust.
Yes, I got to drive them at SEMA in Las Vegas a few months ago. They had a 0-60 drag strip set up, followed by a short and fairly tight autox course. After shooting the breeze with the instructor for a while, he realized I wasn't going to kill him behind the wheel, so he encouraged me to let loose...as much as possible on a tight autox course. I got to drive the AWD and RWD versions. I thought the car was fantastic. Loved the interior, very well done. The car was quick off the line. They say 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and by the seat of my pants that felt about right. The car was very responsive through the autox course. Quick...but a bit light...steering, sharp turn in. The AWD model plowed a bit when pushed hard. The RWD felt much better, I even got it to rotate some before the nanny kicked in. If it were within my budget, it would be at the top of my list as I'm looking for a car exactly like this right now.
My wife and I stopped in to look at Stingers (stupid name) at the local dealer the other day. AWD V6 stickers at ~$52k. I really like the interior... nice materials, and very upscale. I didn't sit in the back seat, but the wife said it was a little cramped, but that was with the front seat in full rear "showroom" position. Lots of 'trunk' room and good access with the hatch. Looks great.
IMHO the Hyundai version (G70), is a little better looking.
I really like the interior in the G70...
With a couple of years of depreciation, either of these is a strong contender for my wife's next DD. Although what she really wants is a Turbo Soul... 
Donebrokeit said:And how do you have a 3.3 V6 with twin turbo and only make 365HP?
The same way the twin turbo 3.5 from Ford only made 365hp for the first version.
If the interwebs are to be believed, 400 hp isn't too hard to hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhk7IgtK_vY
Donebrokeit said:Neat car but at $49 K and only 365HP is going to be tough to out do a Charger RT at $36k with 370HP and I am sure Dodge will be putting cash on the hood.
I'd probably end up thinking this way too. The Stinger seems like a neat vehicle. I think the Koreans offer some nice products in compelling packages. But $50k buys all kinds of interesting stuff. It would get you a manual Chevy SS with 5-10k to spare, and it won't depreciate like a Kia. FCA has their R/T or Scat Pack offerings. Taurus SHO would give you similar stats for less cash, unless you had to have the RWD Stinger. $50k is also dangerously close to the bottom of Audi RS3 prices. Used would open up even more possibilities (lightly used ATS-V, BMW M's, AMGs, etc).
I want one, but at the $31K buy-in for the low trim levels. I don't need a ton of HP in my A->B.
It does look like a good car, but I fear it will only appeal to a small slice of the market. Someone in the market for a $50K sport sedan can usually afford to buy more and so much of this market is driven by image. Apparently Kia recognizes this to a certain extent and isn't planning to bring very many cars over for the first model year. It should be interesting to see what kind of discounts are offered towards the end of the year.
rslifkin said:Donebrokeit said:And how do you have a 3.3 V6 with twin turbo and only make 365HP?
The same way the twin turbo 3.5 from Ford only made 365hp for the first version.
One of the last rental's i had was an Infiniti Q60 with the twin turbo 3.0 and they only make 300hp. it did feel like more then 300hp to me but that's what Infiniti claims.
I like that it is not a brand that is known for making this kind of car. In my line of work I catch grief when driving a “nice” car. Sad but true. I also did not know that it can be AWD. I really liked my X-type. This looks like it would be an excellent replacement and have 100 more hp.
Speaking of HP. Does it really matter what the numbers say? I don’t care about that nearly as much as how a car applies it. These days a good transmission is as important or maybe even more so. For some measuring things is important for others it is much more important how what you have is used. And that can make a car with less HP a better car. Just look at the Miata. Also there is how the car feels. I am encouraged hearing that it feels more like a sports car than GT.
It's from the same people who brought us the all conquering Rondo, so you KNOW its good.
(odd, I couldn't find a photo of a Rondo power sliding on track. Hmmm.)
It's cool, but $52k is a lot of scratch. GM wanted $46k for the SS and that had a 430hp V8 and the '15+s had a stick shift and Magnetic Ride Control, and they still had to pretty much give them away. I know we sold the one at my work for $36K just to get rid of it after it sat for 2 years on the lot.
I'm a cheap Korean car owner. I wait for the 2-3 year old cars to come out at half price with low miles. So $50k is a lot, but what about that car at $25k? with 3 years of warranty left? That's where these cars are going to be a huge hit. Let the Korean depreciation hit, snap them up all day long.
EDIT: Also, Randy Pobst loved the car.
You'll need to log in to post.
