Kia's RWD Sedan "Leaked"

[lra]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

So when both this and the new top spec AWD V6 Commodore go on sale I would assume the choice would be pretty obvious, both police and public.

Ummmmm, and the obvious choice is .... ???????

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by lra

Ummmmm, and the obvious choice is .... ???????

I know I would prefer a twin turbo V6 RWD over a horrible naturally aspirated transverse GM V6 with a "reactive" AWD setup

[Junkyard-Dog]

I would be interested to see it on the road. For some reason I never really know whether I like the look of a car until I see it in person. Overall it seems like this could be quite special.

[CyberWasp]

It just makes me wonder what Ford Oz could have come up with if they had been given the money to do a clean sheet design.

[Nikked]

[uniacidz]

I like it

Rather a V8, but yeh

[futura]

Originally Posted by lra

Ummmmm, and the obvious choice is .... ???????

Do you really have to ask this question

Kia Stinger. Love it.

[Ippy289XP]

The Australian public have been played big time by these overseas manufacturer's.

For years they pushed the small car crap onto us and now they start to release big cars.

They can shove this **** up their ****.

[futura]

Originally Posted by Ippy289XP

The Australian public have been played big time by these overseas manufacturer's.

For years they pushed the small car crap onto us and now they start to release big cars.

They can shove this **** up their ****.

I think Ford have played us here.

Where is the Ford rear will drive or AWD sedan?

[Adamz Ghia]

Originally Posted by futura

I think Ford have played us here.

Where is the Ford rear will drive or AWD sedan?

We had one, hardly anyone bought it.

[andrich]

Looks great. Kia are on the up and up.
It also looks and is far more promising then the new commodore

[futura]

I can see alot of current commodores owners buying this Kia RWD over the new Commodore.

Wonder who will be the first person to do a Barra turbo conversion.

[eb2fairmont]

Reckon priced sharply will sell better than the Ng commodore.

Easily

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Ippy289XP

The Australian public have been played big time by these overseas manufacturer's.

For years they pushed the small car crap onto us and now they start to release big cars.

They can shove this **** up their ****.

The Koreans have been making large, rwd sedans for quite some time now, they just didn't sell them here till it suited them.

[EB#]

Originally Posted by stig_3754

Nice looking car overall. Not quite sold on the rear quarter yet, and that 'T-Bar' shifter looks very '80s IMO....

I think the T-bar(ish) style shifter is a bit of a Kia thing, as it seems to be a common feature among their model range.... eg. Sorento, Optima etc. I kind of like it the more I see it, in a sort of retro way.

Agree generally that this new Stinger looks the goods and I'm looking forward to seeing one in the metal when they arrive.

Best contender yet, I reckon, for the new highway patrol cars based on size, features, performance and price. It would be a far better look for state governments to drop $50k/unit on a 4 door performance police car rather than $100k(?) or so for a Euro something-or-other.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Ippy289XP

The Australian public have been played big time by these overseas manufacturer's.

For years they pushed the small car crap onto us and now they start to release big cars.

They can shove this **** up their ****.

No one has been played.

Australians started buying smaller cars because they (the consumer) wanted to. Some manufacturers matched the market and made the most of it...

[Burnout]

Suspension will let it down, maybe not in town, but out running the Newell or other, it will be a crap handler.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by Ippy289XP

The Australian public have been played big time by these overseas manufacturer's.

For years they pushed the small car crap onto us and now they start to release big cars.

They can shove this **** up their ****.

Yes, it would have been much more sensible if they had entered into the fiercely competitive large car market fifteen years ago when the Commodore and Falcon were still selling well.

I'm sure people would have taken the Korean car over both locally produced options whereas now that Holden and Ford are shutting down local production, it makes no sense to import a large car to fill that relatively empty segment of the market.

They should have done it when the competition was utterly stacked against them instead. That would have been great business sense.

[barra240t]

I just have a few questions about the reaction to the release of this, there seems to be a mix of comments:

I think there is the reaction to a Korean based car company releasing a RWD passenger vehicle, how could a company who builds FWD cars suddenly make something "we" used to make? Ok it isn't a V8, but a twin turbo V6 sounds pretty damn good. So to me, there is a bit of jealousy that Kia are making something Ford and Holden used to do, a 4 door, rear wheel drive family sedan.

What I really want to know is, when Stinger is available for sale in Australia will the buyers really be looking for the RWD aspect of it? Does our country still have an obsession with RWD in general? What if it was AWD, would the release of it be such a fuss? To me, looking at car sales in 2016, we have an obsession for "trucks" and FWD small cars.

I find it truely amazing and quite funny how for years non Korean car companies were making RWD cars for years while Korean companies, like Kia were FWD only, and now, in 2017, the tables have turned.

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by barra240t

I just have a few questions about the reaction to the release of this, there seems to be a mix of comments:

I think there is the reaction to a Korean based car company releasing a RWD passenger vehicle, how could a company who builds FWD cars suddenly make something "we" used to make? Ok it isn't a V8, but a twin turbo V6 sounds pretty damn good. So to me, there is a bit of jealousy that Kia are making something Ford and Holden used to do, a 4 door, rear wheel drive family sedan.

What I really want to know is, when Stinger is available for sale in Australia will the buyers really be looking for the RWD aspect of it? Does our country still have an obsession with RWD in general? What if it was AWD, would the release of it be such a fuss? To me, looking at car sales in 2016, we have an obsession for "trucks" and FWD small cars.

I find it truely amazing and quite funny how for years non Korean car companies were making RWD cars for years while Korean companies, like Kia were FWD only, and now, in 2017, the tables have turned.

Lotta people still butthurt the Falcon isn't being made anymore. These are the same people who are driving 4WD utes and FWD buzz boxes.

I don't want a 4WD ute and I would feel restricted and claustrophobic in a buzz box.

I will be considering the Stinger, I'm not a fan of the name of the car and the stupid iPad style display in the middle of the dash but the V6TT intrigues me and if they offer a 7 year warranty how the hell can you go wrong?

[Burnout]

Reckon 'change' has a fair bit to do with the preference for RWD. However in our urbanised society it doesn't matter much.
I think the reality of RWD V FWD hits home on a road like for example Bollon to Charleville in QLD. There are many, many similar roads in this wide brown land, where FWD will..... well, try and kill you. And no amount of Electronic stability control will save you either.

[lra]

Originally Posted by Burnout

I think the reality of RWD V FWD hits home on a road like for example Bollon to Charleville in QLD. There are many, many similar roads in this wide brown land, where FWD will..... well, try and kill you.

Off topic about the Kia, but I grew up in Charleville and haven’t driven that road for about 50 years. It was a typical Qld rough dirt road, corregated, etc ......... and I haven’t driven a FWD on those roads ...... so where do FWD cars go wrong there?
Not being smart, just curious. (PS, I have never had a 4wd either)

[Mercury Bullet]

Every time you hit a decent bump at speed the wheel lightens significantly or even leaves the road, then when traction is regained the steering wheel is pulled and in severe situations right out of your hands.

Same thing happens with RWD but it's not connected to your steering, so no problem.
On country cars the driving wheels are trashed long before the others give up.
I go through 3-4 sets of rears to one set of fronts.

[lra]

My ‘outback adventure’ vehicle is a Commodore ute. I sometimes get a confused, pitying look from drivers of 4wd wagons and utes when they see me surveying a rough or boggy bit, (especially around Cameron Corner.) As long as you have the clearance, RWD suits me fine.

[arronm]

Go to a big shopping center and take a look around at the people, That's why falcons and commodore big RWD sedans don't sell anymore

[barra240t]

Originally Posted by Burnout

Reckon 'change' has a fair bit to do with the preference for RWD. However in our urbanised society it doesn't matter much.
I think the reality of RWD V FWD hits home on a road like for example Bollon to Charleville in QLD. There are many, many similar roads in this wide brown land, where FWD will..... well, try and kill you. And no amount of Electronic stability control will save you either.

So out bush buyers are more RWD do you think? Does AWD come into the equation too?

[Professor Farnsworth]

Post 2012 Kia quality outdoes any Falcon I've ever owned. Our Rio has 102,000KM on it now, and doesn't make a noise. Still has original clutch and brake pads too.

I'd be all over this.

[EBSXR6]

Hyundai-Kia has read the market very well. They have released two models that cover the demise of the local rwd production. The Genesis for the luxury market G6E, Calais, Statesman and Stinger for the performance market. I have seen a few Genesis hire Cars in Melbourne. I understand Genesis and Stinger are built on the same platform so maybe if the demand is large enough maybe we might see some V8 RWDs from Korea. What gets me why Dearborn with the one Ford policy would not develop a RWD model for the world?

[EB#]

Originally Posted by barra240t

.....Does our country still have an obsession with RWD in general?.....

Nope. Just a lingering interest is all....

A quick look at sales numbers history tells the story.

2003
Commodore: 86,000 sales
Falcon: 73,000 sales

Fast forward to 2016 in a much larger & more diverse market...
Commodore: 26,000 sales
Falcon: 2,500 sales...? I don't actually know the figure, but that is a guess.
(Biggest seller is the Hilux at 42,000 sales, followed closely by the Corolla)

My guess is that a lot of the Falcon/Commodore owners of old have migrated to the dual cab ute,
including the general bogan population. The V8 die-hards will likely hang onto the last run builds of their
aussie sedans and then there is the remainder of this market....

Thus, come the end of 2017 there are potentially around 20,000(?) sales on offer for a reasonably priced, well performing
RWD sedan. I think Kia know what they are doing and this market portion, albeit a smaller one these days, is well worth
having a crack at to bolster their Australian market presence.

[blackf6]

No thanks. May suit Garth Tander though.