I am waiting for a true road test before drawing any conclusions. As far as I know, Kia has only allowed it to be previewed.

 

I wanted one but couldn't wait for it. I will of course look at it once it comes out but am enjoying my Giulia!

 

I too am looking forward to it.. people don't realize the power house Hyundai/Kia has created to develop the stinger and their Genesis brand..The stinger is the first attempt by Albert from BMW M brand to help Kia with its performance and driving dynamics.

Look at the people below! Lol

1) Peter Sheeter - Chief designer from Audi.. created the audi TT

2) Albert Biermann - Cheif engineer who was responsible for the development BMW M brand

3) Lux Donkerwolfe - Cheif director of design for VW, Bentley and Lamborghini.

4) SEO Jae - Senior designer.for Bentley

5) Chris Chapman. - Designer at BMW

 

I too am looking forward to it.. people don't realize the power house Hyundai/Kia has created to develop the stinger and their Genesis brand..

The 2018 Genesis G70 actually looks to be a very handsome car. The Bentley styling influence is apparent.

 

for Biermann the move may have been more of a personal self-preservation thing.....

 

Stinger looking like an S7? Lolz
While it might be dynamically great car (time will tell, I read the short preview test and there were no exclamation points in it), stylistically it is to my eyes just a mess....KIAs have come a long way in quality and engineering but ultimately they lack that untangible zing, which is quite understandable considering the lack of tradition and identity...to me the closest KIa came to creating a cool car is a Soul...

 

The crux, Lowflyer, is that his will be true until they break through...and which car will be that breakthrough is the million dollar question. KIA has the reliability and engineering chops to make this car special, time will tell.

 

I hear you loud and clear....but what makes a great performance sedan a breakthrough success? Is it Brembo brakes and RWD and fine handling or does it take something more? KIA has german engineers and designers now for a decade and their cars start looking more and more like Audis....and here lies the problem, KIa has no identity of its own...lack of unique creativity has been plaguing asian makers for ever and that is why i doubt that Stinger will feel unique even though it may drive very well...it all boils down to corporate culture and brand management and thats why KIA/Hyundai/Genesis are mostly always also ran....and capture mostly lower price range buyers....brand is in my opinion just managed as an econo product line..not that there is anything wrong with it......until that changes I just dont see german/italian buyers flocking to Koreans for 255HP 4T or 365HP V6TT....M5, S7? The car just looks like an incoherent mess of details to me from every angle....

 

I'll wait until I get a chance to drive a stinger, but I have a hard time believing it would drive as well as the QV or regular Giulia. Japanese\Korean cars tend to be more Lexus-like in driving dynamics and feel, but I'll wait until I have a chance to drive one before making a final observation ....

 

Giulia vs Stinger



I did drive a Stinger and a Giulia Quadrifoglio on the same Saturday morning and in normal traffic and comparable weather and in many respects the Stinger came close to the Giulia. The areas where the Giulia stands out is rear view visibility because the Stinger has a much smaller rear window and much more obstructive body work surrounding the window. The Quadrifoglio obviously has much more power and acceleration but in normal traffic conditions, that makes little difference.

 

Like most of us, I haven't driven, or even seen a Kia Stinger, but based on my previous experience with Hyundais (Hyundai owns a big chuck of Kia, and they share a lot of mechanical parts) I don't think the Kia will offer anywhere near the Giulia's driving experience.

I owned a Genesis Coupe R spec, which by the numbers is a great 4cyl turbo car. It's specs look impressive for the money, and the performance numbers it generates look good as well. The Hyundai just had too may little things that added up to ruin what should have been a great driving car.

Greg

 

I just read about it on Edmunds and it seems Kia is going after the Sports Sedan market in an all out way. Price will determine how it does. Would you spend $50k plus for a Kia? I know I would not. The styling seems to be thrown together from the parts bin, it doesn't flow like the Giulia and certainly doesn't have the sex appeal. If the V6 is at $35k they will have a winner but it will not be in my garage.

 

I think the Stinger has too many black accents. Kia did the same with the Optima. Meaning for me it'll only look good in black. On paper it's a cool car but it's so telling that it's still not out yet.

I was more excited by the Genesis G70. Genesis is a hungry brand. The G80 is beautiful outside and the G90 is great in and out. I think a sport sedan they can pull off.

 

Randy Pobst reviews the Stinger on newer episode of ignition. Can't post link, but it's on motortrend on demand.

 

The greatest downside of buying a Kia is that at the end of the day you?re still driving a Kia. Engineering prowess notwithstanding, image wise Kia is only driven by people with bad credit.

 

I have seen it and agree it's a step forward for Hyundai/Kia. I liked the interior more than the exterior (color accents help) but found the outward visibility poor and the car's weight disappointing. Let's not forget when comparing that the Stinger is a half-foot longer than the Giulia.

 

I've liked everything that I have read and seen on this car. I would not have picked it over my QV, but I still think it's a nice car and can't wait to read more of the formal reviews. At close to $50k for the top end spec that's a lot of coin for a Kia.

 

A K900 is a lot of coin for a Kia. The v8 starts at $61k - makes the Stinger seem a bit cheaper.

Plus, the Stinger and the G70 will share parts so if the G70 comes out soon, mules are being seen driving around, then we can know what to expect.

The G70 looks like it may be an interesting alternative to the Giulia/i300/C300/ATS pack.

G70:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2019-genesis-g70-prototype-drive-review
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a12265182/2018-genesis-g70-first-drive/

 

I've seen one Stinger GT in the service area in Warsaw (PL) - thought they started to repair Audis So I can expect a chance for test drive soon enough. Our journalist also report, that it steals the show in Frankfurt event. Regarding "still driving KIA", Alfa does not sound much better in last two decades unfortunately - if they developed a car as good as Giulia relatively cheaper, it can storm the market. I don't mean just GT, but also weaker versions, where brilliant suspension and fun factor of Alfa have less weight of evidence than MPG or safety systems for similar price.

But I would be more than happy if I am mistaken ))

 

2 months ago we had a Kia Optima as a rental for a 2-week vacation.. I was psyched when picking it up as I always thought it was a handsome sedan. Most underwhelming 2-week ride of my life... handled like a big-assed boat... and absolutely no connection between the throttle and the road. Maybe the Stinger will be different, but based on my Optima experience not holding my breath .

 

because the optima has lots in common with the stinger? these type of silly comparisons make no sense.

 

Come on, you cannot even make a comparison between Alfa Romeo and Kia. Sure, in last decades there were many missing opportunities at Alfa, and the brand image suffered from it, but if you look at the history and what they did with this wonderful Giulia, IMHO any Kia cannot even get close, it is just another world.

 

agreed

fake bonnet vents dont help it overcome its "cheaper Korean alternative" tag, pretty much like the mobile phones, TVs and fridges, sure you can crank up a few features that appear to give it an "edge" but really? could it ever replace the real things they are trying to copy ?, (and yes, copy is the operative word),
there is NO innovation or fresh ideas or initiative, its just cut and paste and here you are ... an alternative

 

While the Stinger's interior looks Giulia-inspired, I doubt the Stinger (which is a significantly larger car) has anything close to the Giulia's feel.

 

G70 did ok seems like. The stinger is a G70 basically....

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/genesis/g70/2019/2019-genesis-g70-first-drive-seoul-soul/

 

It's my experience the the Koreans can't get the overall package right. For example, I had A Hyundai Gen Coupe R spec, which by the numbers should have been awesome. It wasn't. Real world performance just didn't match what the specs said, and the overall driving experience just wasn't fun. I got really frustrated with the car one snowy day when the traction control was so intrusive it prevented me from going up a hill, which I could otherwise climb. I parked the car at the bottom of the hill, walked home and put it up for sale the next day.

I am guessing, based on my experience that this new Kia sedan will be similar, it will probably look good on paper, but fall short in the actual driving experience. Maybe not, we'll see.

Greg

 

It's my experience the the Koreans can't get the overall package right. For example, I had A Hyundai Gen Coupe R spec, which by the numbers should have been awesome. It wasn't. Real world performance just didn't match what the specs said, and the overall driving experience just wasn't fun.

I got really frustrated with the car one snowy day when the traction control was so intrusive it prevented me from going up a hill, which I could otherwise climb. I parked the car at the bottom of the hill, walked home and put it up for sale the next day.

I suspect they'll get it (probably by hiring talent away from other manufacturers) in a couple more generations.

Given the absence of off switches for traction and stability control, the jury is still out for me on the Giulia's snow performance.

 

Stung

I saw the Stinger at the Chicago Auto Show in February. That was also the first time I saw a Giulia, and they both caught my eye. It is a stunning car in person. They have a gorgeous red.
But it will need more than good looks to compete in this segment. Time will tell whether it can compete on a pure driving experience.
I'm not talking about setting records at the Nurburgring. Driving the Giulia is such a joy, it may have ruined me for all other cars in the future.

 

When I saw the Stinger in person I was a bit disappointed. The overall proportions look OK but the details let the car down and there is something about the rear window and glass area that looks very unresolved to me. It is striking but not very pretty from some angles.

 

It looks to busy for my taste. I'm curious as to how it performs with that 360 hp engine.

 

This is all Kias for me. Like a beautiful woman with too many facial piercings. The Kias look good in black because all that black trim dissapears into the body color.

 

Call me old fashioned but heritage is a big thing for me in a car ... never in my life will I drive a Kia ... that being said, great value like most Korean cars, good on paper, just would never buy one

 

I'm genuinely curious

Call me old fashioned but heritage is a big thing for me in a car ... never in my life will I drive a Kia ...

Just curious but why is heritage important to you? I just don't think I've ever considered that in my purchase but I also ride a Victory and dislike most Harleys so take that for what it means...