KIA - Would you buy one?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

I don't think Kia actually did anything wrong with the Stinger it looked to tick all the boxes.
Maybe if they just called it Stinger and dropped the badge, public perception is a hard thing to shake.

Also I think a lot of buyers bought from habit especially Camry buyers.

Even former Falcodore owners wouldn't buy a Camry let alone a Kia.
So they changed to a twin cab or SUV instead

Yes and no in my opinion.

First off, I want to say that I actually liked the Stinger, in both concept and styling. Kia was and should still be applauded for giving this car a go, launching a medium-large sedan at a time when almost every other car company was abandoning the segment. Not only that, making it RWD with powerful engines. The styling did polarize a touch, but at least they had a go at making something other than another Audi A6 or BMW 5-Series.

There are a couple of key areas where Kia missed the mark with the Stinger, some particular to the Australian market.

-At the time, Kia thought they were in the box seat with the Stinger. It arrived literally the month Holden and Toyota closed their factories. Kia thought they would scoop up Falcon and Commodore buyers with the Stinger.

-The reality was, a lot of those Falcon and Commodore buyers were not in the market for a new car, most having waited until the final year/s of production to get a last of the line. A lot of those buyers were also only buying sedan because of the history and sentimentality of the Aussie made cars. Fleet buyers were not going to get the sort of slash and burn pricing from Kia that Ford and Holden offered in an attempt to keep metal moving.

-I know this is a cliche, but it didn't have a V8. While many people bought turbo six-cylinder Falcon's, that had a character all of its own and had a lot of legacy to fall back on. This in turn also relates to the Kia badge, at the time paying $60,000+ for Kia was not a common thing.

-At launch, the car lacked finesse. Handling was almost there but lacking the finer control and feedback of the VF Commodore. The engines were not pleasant to listen too, something that V8 Falcon's and Commodores for the same price aced, even the Turbo Barra had a more refined note. Some interior plastics were chintzy for the price. All of this would have been stuff that would have been refined with model updates and generation changes, but clearly the sales worldwide did not warrant effort.

The Stinger failed for a variety of reasons, some of it Kia's fault and some of it a buyer sentiment fault.

[MITCHAY]

It is sad to hear but an inevitable outcome it seems. I was looking forward to seeing the what the rumoured Mazda inline 6 was going to be but looks like that is dead too.

Zero interest in a SUV or ute (other than a Commodore or Falcon of course).

[hayseed]

The long & the short of it, Is.

No ones Buying rear wheel Drive sedans anymore..!!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by hayseed

The long & the short of it, Is.

No ones Buying rear wheel Drive sedans anymore..!!

Maybe - Tesla Model 3 is up there in numbers on VFACTS when the shipments arrive in Australia

I think it could be a niche market, wonder if it would be different if the Stinger had two engine options:

TT V6 as base model option
5L V8 (Hyundai Tau)

Oh wait, Hyundai killed its V8 this year

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/hyu...be-killed-off/

Never mind - Hyundai and Kia share vehicle platforms so surely there wouldn't have been a problem getting their hands on the V8.

I think it could have been good for the US and Australian markets.

BMW 3 series, Mercedes C/E class and Tesla Model 3 are all RWD sedans which sell in various numbers - it won't be as popular as SUVs but there's still a market there, its just niche market and you can charge more for those ones.

The old man was keen on the Kia Stinger, except when he found out it was auto only, yeah sure he's a dinosaur but its a potential customer who would have bought one if it was available as an option, he's not a badge snob, he just ended up in Euro Fords because they were the best cars in their segments.

Except they don't exist anymore either in Australia - its to the point where its down to the new WRX or the Hyundai i30N

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by FTE217

I think KIA did a great job on looking to fill the hole but imo came too late.
As mentioned many V8 devotees moved on - be it SUV's/performance or otherwise, Tradies went to Thai specials OR even bought another aussie V8 last of/collecter OR 1/2/3yrs older for another weekender having the Thai special.
On the other hand myself for eg, I just couldn't bring myself to buy the Stinger no matter how good a owner raves on about it and could buy new few years ago and now.
I passed on my daily 4x4 hilux to one of the sons and bought a very low k 330i BM wagon around the Stinger money instead.
Not looking back I just can't see a KIA in my fleet but for the Mrs's.

Nah Bossxr8 the amount of CClass MB sedans, BMer sedans 3/4/5series Audis is quite surprising in my travels round Sydney.
There's a motza of them they are still grabbing their numbers especially MB/BM despite the bucket load of their own SUV's.
Even seeing more new wagons of both recently that caught my eye.
Depends what ticks your box's when spotting on the road I guess.
Sure SUV's are the go to for a number of years now but there is still life in the medium segment.
Just comes down what the bean counter will say amongst any of the OE sedan builders.
Makes sense those platforms integrating to SUV anyway as occurs, just make sure offering performance models in the meantime.

The C class and 3 series are still going ok. But it’s telling that their numbers globally are dropping off, while GLC and X3 outsell them and continue to grow.

Sedans are dropping off globally, the numbers show this clearly. Just because you see them around doesn’t change that fact.

[anobserver]

The Stinger might be worth a punt, especially given its pending demise.

https://www.drive.com.au/news/offici...-stinger-dead/

Be a pleasant drive for a few years whilst hoping scarcity maintains resale.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by anobserver

The Stinger might be worth a punt, especially given its pending demise.

https://www.drive.com.au/news/offici...-stinger-dead/

Be a pleasant drive for a few years whilst hoping scarcity maintains resale.

I reckon you would be hard up getting one now. Reports saying production will end 2nd quarter, and kia australia are not getting any final edition models because their allocation is full from previous orders, and police allocations. Unless they have some in stock. Unlikely though.