First Look at a North American Pre-Production 2018 Kia Stinger GT

[Rampage]

[8RZ]

Pretty interesting car, looks good too.

[mazeroni]

I assume the fender garnish is non-functional. Did you ask if it could be removed?

Cuz I can't get the Ford Focus out of my head.



Otherwise I agree that it is good looking, for a Kia.

[Vracer111]

[strat61caster]

That first video is hilarious to me for precisely one reason.
I currently have a Kia Optima rental car.

While they were raving about the interior "oh it's so nice bro" they made the mistake of zooming in and showing it up close.

It's the exact same interior that's in the Kia Optima for <$23k.

The texturing, the climate controls, the buttons and vent sliders (which feel like absolute mushy gummy sticky shit before it even hit 30k miles), most of the center console, the gear lever, the cup holders, the little sliding door on the cubby ahead of the gear shift lever (which I did like), the trunk/gascap release, the gauge cluster software, the buttons on the steering wheel, and that's just off the top of my head after driving the car for 4 days.

Passable? Sure, but anybody who's looking at spending >$30k at a sedan that's supposed to be entry level luxury is going to be disappointed compared to that of say a Cadillac or Volvo. If they can put the base model at ~$25k it'll do ok in the comparisons (that doesn't mean it'll sell) but I think they'll be in trouble if

Hopefully it's got a better auto than the Optima (sounds like it's a new attempt by them so coin toss but articles aren't positive on it) otherwise this thing isn't worth ever thinking about ever again.

Other than that I hope it really is a fun car to drive and it does well at being a CTS/3 series/Giulia fighter. Fuck yeah hatch for practicality.

I'm not optimistic though. And what are the odds I'd have a '16 Optima in my driveway when this video drops?

Edit: Now that I think about it it's the first 'lets get hype' car I can legitimately see the obvious flaw that all the kiss-ass reviewers are glossing over. Nifty.

Also the turn signals make a pleasing 'chock' sound which I rather like. And the only thing that would stop me from recommending an Optima as a car worth considering is the fact that the seats are atrocious, I've sat on park benches that were more comfortable.

[HKz]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

That first video is hilarious to me for precisely one reason.
I currently have a Kia Optima rental car.

While they were raving about the interior "oh it's so nice bro" they made the mistake of zooming in and showing it up close.

It's the exact same interior that's in the Kia Optima for <$23k.

sorry, I'm having a little difficulty seeing the similarities




thought kia/hyundai did a good job with differentiating the stinger & staying away from the parts bin..

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by HKz

sorry, I'm having a little difficulty seeing the similarities

thought kia/hyundai did a good job with differentiating the stinger & staying away from the parts bin..

Here's what I see having been in one for a few days. Since you can't see the doors assume all the handles, locks, and switches are the same there (except maybe black instead of silver or vice versa, you can catch a glimpse of it in the video). The video in the first post makes it obvious how much of it is the same, there's some stuff I was dubious on (like the glovebox, which the mechanism & materials is what counts) and didn't count, for the most part it's the same buttons and switches with maybe a slightly different shape and layout. Stinger attached (the three eyeball vents are the giveaway).

Edit: whoops forgot the mush buttons behind the shifter, different shape and labels but I guarantee they'll be just as unsatisfying unless I got a dud.
Oh and the shifter in the Stinger looks exactly like my rental, same plastic piece showing the positions too. Don't know why the Optima pic is different, I'm no Kia expert.
Auxiliary jack, cigarette lighter, and USB port are identical too under the sliding door ahead of the shifter, same white glowing light outlining them and plastic D shaped flap over the 12V. I bet the wireless charging is a stick on that plugs into the 12V on the right side of that cubby.

Edit2: the two little knobs under the eyeball vents are for manipulating the infotainment, the steering wheel buttons only do volume and track/station and reaching over to the dash knobs is not convenient to manually skim through stations. Left is volume and right is to go through options which means you're leaning over, they're higher up and closer together in the Optima so reaching it is going to be even worse in the Stinger unless seat/wheel/pedal ergomics are improved. I never paired bluetooth or anything to it and I won't pretend to know if the infotainment software is the same.

Edit3: wait might be crazy on the actual shifter and leather boot thing.
Black plastic with white lettering and gear selection position is definitely the same though.

[HKz]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Here's what I see having been in one for a few days. Since you can't see the doors assume all the handles, locks, and switches are the same there (except maybe black instead of silver or vice versa, you can catch a glimpse of it in the video). The video in the first post makes it obvious how much of it is the same, there's some stuff I was dubious on (like the glovebox, which the mechanism & materials is what counts) Stinger attached (the three eyeball vents are the giveaway).

Edit: whoops forgot the mush buttons behind the shifter, different shape and labels but I guarantee they'll be just as unsatisfying unless I got a dud.
Oh and the shifter in the Stinger looks exactly like my rental, same plastic piece showing the positions too. Don't know why the Optima pic is different, I'm no Kia expert.
Auxiliary jack, cigarette lighter, and USB port are identical too under the sliding door ahead of the shifter, same white glowing light outlining them and plastic D shaped flap over the 12V. I bet the wireless charging is a stick on that plugs into the 12V on the right side of that cubby.

Edit2: the two little knobs under the eyeball vents are for manipulating the infotainment, the steering wheel buttons only do volume and track/station and reaching over to the dash knobs is not convenient to manually skim through stations. Left is volume and right is to go through options which means you're leaning over, they're higher up and closer together in the Optima so reaching it is going to be even worse in the Stinger unless seat/wheel/pedal ergomics are improved. I never paired bluetooth or anything to it and I won't pretend to know if the infotainment software is the same.

eh I agree on some parts, but tbh it sounds like you got beef with the koreans and want to nitpick all the small details who doesn't have some parts bin sharing for the small pieces? The overall design is unique from other kias/hyundais and the layout certainly ain't the same. what were you expecting, everything to be made from diamonds?

even the 100 K LC500 has to grab from the parts bin for window switches, memory seat buttons, headunit touchpad, start button, gauge cluster, etc..

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by HKz

eh I agree on some parts, but tbh it sounds like you got beef with the koreans and want to nitpick all the small details who doesn't have some parts bin sharing for the small pieces? The overall design is unique from other kias/hyundais and the layout certainly ain't the same. what were you expecting, everything to be made from diamonds?

I happily own an FR-S, that should say everything about my personal preferences and feelings towards 'cheap' interiors and 'parts bin' cars.

No beef at all, just stunned at the fact that it's almost identical inside to my cheap ass rental car and they want to charge $40k+

Mark my words, it'll get shit for the interior, maybe not for the first few months, maybe only a sentence or two in each review claiming it's 'not as good as the competition', but in a few years looking back it will be unanimous that the interior in the Stinger is under par if what they've shown us is accurate, and they'll celebrate when Kia "finally improves the interior we've been complaining about all along". To be fair budget Merc and BMW I've heard are terrible so maybe it'll hold up ok in that light. But man everyone else has stepped up their game.

If the seats were good (which initial feedback isn't glowing, and in fact seems downright critical, so I'm going to expect they're not) and the thing could dance I'd probably want to buy it instead of a Giulia (because reliability + maintenance costs + hatch). But as it stands I can't wait to get back in my FR-S which I'm supposed to pick up from the body shop this afternoon, not because sports car, but because I find the interior and controls to be ergonomic and satisfying. (by the way fuck cruise control buttons, the Toyota stalk is perfection)

Not a good sign for something promoting itself as luxury car competitor imho. When you start getting into car prices that are more than most people put as downpayment for a house, it better be an enjoyable place to spend time in.

I'm sure some will appreciate it (like I appreciate the FR-S interior), and there are some things I like about it (the shifter is unusually satisfying to chunk into place, that little sliding door over the cubbyhole up front has a smooth closing operation that's real nice, did I mention the turn signal noise?) but at that pricetag I wouldn't compromise unless everything else is brilliant. $20k econo-box, yeah you put up with some stuff, but for a $40k luxury sedan, I think most will choose other options without even considering badge snobbery.

It seems like the Genesis, 'close but no cigar' in that the sum is not greater than it's parts.

Edit: layout ain't the same? What are you smoking? Every button is within a few inches of where it is on the Optima. The only major difference is the eyeball vents, paddle shifters, and extra buttons around the shifter.

Oh by the way in the OP's video the dashboard cluster is 100% identical to the Optima. Go to 3:12 and compare to your picture.

[Rampage]

Note: The cars in both videos are pre-production examples.

[TylerLieberman]

Kia stealing Mercedes Benz's homework though...

[radroach]

I agree @strat61caster , hyundai interiors are very underwhelming. No amount of glamor shots and stealing interior ideas from german cars will make up for the fact it's a cheap imitation using thin plastic parts from other cars.

And the guage cluster looks the same as the one from the Sonata. And the engine / exhaust sounds like one too. Like a sewing machine.

And to my personal taste, the chrome vent piece and door handle are really dumb looking. Nobody puts chrome on cars anymore.



A lot of missed opportunity from KIA IMO to make an exciting car. Anybody who's tried a kia / hyundai in the last few years knows what to expect. They're ok for A to B but you know the braking performance isn't great, the interiors are cheap / hard plastics, ergonomics set up for grandmas.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

Kia stealing Mercedes Benz's homework though...

Still has a lot of Audi in there.

[guybo]

It's a big heavy shitty sedan with only a slushbox option. Who cares? This could have been a sports car, it could have been a fun car. Instead, it's just a car.