Get ready for the facelifted Kia Stinger

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer) 08/01/2020 at 14:19 • Filed to: WAIT A MINUTE TAE IS ACTUALLY WRITING ABOUT CARS ON OPPO. THIS IS MADNESS

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2021 is getting closer and closer every day, and the ever industrious and mostly COVID-19 free South Koreans over at Kia motors are ready to present their range topping car’s facelift. But first, as an owner (for 2.5 years now) I’ll say what I’d like to see in the new car:

1. a +400hp V6, +300hp I4 motor, both available with AWD
2. Dropping the diesel, possibly changing it for a hybrid.
3. Manual w/ LSD on the I4 motor like the Stinger’s smaller brother at Genesis
4. Fewer hard plastics inside (near center console, airbag cover)
5. Fully digital instrument cluster, larger infotainment screen
6. Removal of the fake hood vents (They actually cause problems in my experience, as if you wash your car and you don’t dry it perfectly water can hide below the vents and then squeeze out causing water marks)
7. Larger wireless charger and wireless apple carplay (I recently switched to a Note 10 + and it does not fit)
8. Different paddle programing (hold in “manual” for longer)
9. Standard runflats (Yes, I’m serious)
10. Optional sports exhaust
11. More exterior color options
12. Removal of fake carbon fiber (use brushed aluminium, piano black instead)

Thankfully in the Mexican market, Kia did The Right Thing, and only offered three trims: Base, GT line, and GT. Having various trims available for the V6 is just pointless for me.

What Kia has done is still unclear but these are the most recent pictures, along with the changes I identify:

1. Different headlamp/tailight design: More LEDs in the headlamps, full length rear lights (which also seem to be LEDs), and also different DRL design (top and bottom)
2. Larger fake exhaust tip and larger exhaust tips behind
3. Different rims
4. Steering wheel pillar now plated, rather than painted black
5. New rims
6. New leather (?) front shelf with contrast stitching
7. Lower shelf in contrast material (used to be all black iirc)
8. larger infotainment display
9. Contrast color roof (?)
10. Quilted seats

It was rumored that Kia would add torque vectoring to the V6 model, and it seems like the facelift is mostly positive, I’m not sold on the rear lights though.

The Stinger is one of the stranger cars for sale right now. Specially considering it’s made by a large, risk-averse, corporation like Kia. Although the objective was to try and compete with the 4 series and the A5 (even claiming to compete with the Panamera), it’s foolish to pretend the Stinger is as luxurious as the rivals, but it comes loaded with equipment that would make enthusiasts and regular shoppers happy for a bit less money. But in reality I’d compare the Stinger with the Volvo S60 and the VW Artheon rather than the BMW and the Audi.

Last year, Kia sold 16,000 Stingers in the US, many more cars than VW’s Artheon at 2,500, and in June 2020, it sold twice as many Stingers as VW sold Artheons. Although impressive, it’s still far-off from BMW’s peak sales of 46,000 4 series in 2015. Admittedly, the Stinger entered into the peak of a cooling market as an awkward contender in a field dominated by well established competitors.

Hopefully Kia’s efforts will pay off and they will find a way to enter into a higher-tier of the market. The Stinger is a great product with some limited flaws, some of which the facelift might resolve.

General sources:
carsalesdatabase
cochespias.net
caradvice.au
carsguide.au

gettingoldercarguy > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 14:40

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Is your car still stock?

Spanfeller is a twat > gettingoldercarguy 08/01/2020 at 14:44

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Other than removing the model specifications from the trunk lid, yes. 

onlytwowheels > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 14:51

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Those big chrome ovals for the much smaller exhaust tips in the lower valance are terrible.

Spanfeller is a twat > onlytwowheels 08/01/2020 at 14:53

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I think those are just for the range toping model, in other pictures it has the regular terrible fake tips the current model has.

I don't like the fake tips one bit. But it's a sign of the turbocharged, sooty times.

gettingoldercarguy > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 15:07

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Boo!

Kiltedpadre > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 15:24

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I’m now at least three years out since we bought my wife a van, but a stinger is still a strong contender that I’ll be eyeing when the time comes to replace my Volt. 

Spanfeller is a twat > Kiltedpadre 08/01/2020 at 16:21

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Id be slightly worried about fuel economy, specially on the V6. Its also a much larger car than the volt. But over all a very nice car. 

Kiltedpadre > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 16:41

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Larger is one criteria I’m looking for. When I bought the volt I was commuting 120 miles a day so fuel economy was a big requirement. Plus I was fortunate enough to be able to charge at work. Now my commute is about 15 miles a day so I’m willing to sacrifice economy for fun.

Plus, my state charges an extra $200 a year now to register a hybrid so I’m already not saving much money in spite of the Volt’s great economy.

Spanfeller is a twat > Kiltedpadre 08/01/2020 at 17:01

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That hybrid tax sounds dumb.

Well, the stinger has a large footprint, but its not actually very practical... And it handles like a large GT, not necessarily a light-footed sports car. And by far the most impressive aspect of the V6 is its highway cruiser abilities. If you want a nice sporty car for a short commute, may be I’d consider the Genesis G70 with the manual box rather than the Stinger .

But if you want it to handle like a GT (very fast, leans a bit into corners, is not very oversteery) the stinger actually reminds me of how the Maserati Quattroporte drives.

jsarino > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 17:12

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A year and a few months after getting my Stinger (GT1 AWD in Ceramic Silver), I still love it! I’ve done some mods (mix of cosmetic and performance) , but nothing too crazy (yet). I agree with tae that that fake hood vents suck. I don’t know why Kia couldn’t have made them functional. I also wish they could’ve given this car a little better range, and did some weight trimming here and there, but overall, it fits the GT moniker well. As for t he facelift, it seems pretty modest, but that’s to be expected for a refresh. I’m glad really performance-wise it’s not a big jump (for the V6 anyways) , then I’d get buyer’s remorse. ;-)

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 17:23

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It’s probably the WA tax. They snuck some crazy tax on hybrids in under the radar last year (why?!) and now we own one that will cost us that much more to register. If I had known about that, we’d have the non-hybrid version of the same car, as we’ll never recoup the additional costs of the hybrid drivetrain now.

Kiltedpadre > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 17:27

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It’s even worse for those that own pure electric cars. They pay an extra $300 a year.

The Genesis is another that I plan to look at. I’d be pretty shocked if I can track down a manual though given that they’ve sold dozens in the US.

The driving I enjoy doing outside of my commute would lend itself just fine to a GT. I have to drive long straight sections to get to a few fun but not too technical twisties.

Knowing me though my needs/wants will change 4-5 times in the next few years. I’ve even considered just replacing both the Volt and my Silverado with a Ridgeline, but that’s not nearly as fun.

Spanfeller is a twat > jsarino 08/01/2020 at 17:43

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Range is certainly an issue, specially in city driving. 

SmugAardvark > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 18:52

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The Stinger is still one of those cars I see occasionally and briefl y wonder if I should have gone that route instead of the Jaguar. I mean, ultimately, I feel like I made the right decision for me. But the Stinger is a very good looking car that I’m sure I would have enjoyed quite thoroughly.

Spanfeller is a twat > SmugAardvark 08/01/2020 at 20:21

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I’ve never driven a Jaguar, so I don’t know... I guess the stinger is much less refined, and the supercharged V6 sounds much better than the turbo V6 in the stinger.

SmugAardvark > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 21:14

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So far, the Kia seems to hold its value much better. But in the end, I think both are fantastic cars in a segment that seems to be slowly disappearing.

SafferAtAll > Spanfeller is a twat 08/01/2020 at 22:34

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One thing to note: the 4 series sales you’re citing are for the four door, coupe, and convertible combined. I’m sure the actual number of four door 4 Series is much closer to the S tinger.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Spanfeller is a twat 08/02/2020 at 09:45

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But will they finally close up the gap in the kidney grilled? 

jsarino > Spanfeller is a twat 08/02/2020 at 14:54

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Yeah, it takes a big hit for me, even these days during the pandemic, where I’m making a number of short trips around town. I’m averaging around 16mpg these days. :-( The best recent mileage I made was our local club taking a cruise. With a mix of highway and 2-lane, I was closer to mid-20s, even with some spirited driving.

Castillan > jsarino 08/06/2020 at 08:48

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I have the GT2. Putting in full premium fuel nets way better fuel economy for me . I’m typically getting 22mpg in mixed driving (50% town, 50% hwy), and I’ve never seen worse than 18mpg. Avoid QT gas, it’s crap for range I’ve found. I mostly fill up using Shell, or Exxon as a 2nd choice.

jsarino > Castillan 08/06/2020 at 12:12

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Good to know about QT , though I’ll have to ask one of the guys in my club (he has a GT) who works for QT to see what he thinks of the gas. :-) I have used premium (93 octane preferred), and typically gas up at Mobil/Exxon, Circle K/Shell , or QT from time to time. I heard BP is pretty good, but there’s not many of those in my area.

Jim Spanfeller > Spanfeller is a twat 10/16/2020 at 01:52

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The Stinger is one of those cars where every time I see one, I think, “Is that a Stinger? How do I know it’s a Stinger and not just a normal Kia sedan? What makes the Stinger visually disti- too late, it’s gone.”

I mean, it looks decent in photos, but on the road I can’t immediately tell that it’s anything special. At least when you see a BMW you know it’s a BMW, even if you don’t know what  BMW. But Kia doesn’t have that kind of brand image, so the fact that the Stinger doesn’t visually stand out just makes it stealth luxury/performance. And while there is certainly a market for that, it’s not a big one, and that’s why it can’t compete with BMW no matter how good it is. To anyone not in the know, it’s just a Kia.