CAR WARS! Can The All-new Kia Stinger Out Drive The Likes Of Incumbents From BMW And Jaguar?

Jaguar??? LOL Literally NO ONE takes the XE seriously.

I am seriously looking forward to this car.

The word will get out with respect to drive and handling. The Kia network is known for providing good support, and Kia's low defect numbers make them better than the industry average.

A big question will be price. If it performs like a BMW and is priced like a Kia, that'll raise eyebrows and get lots of attention. If it performs like a BMW, is priced a little below a BMW, but is branded a KIA, that'll be a much harder sell.

I am sorry - but people buying cars in this class are looking for a car to be SEEN in - and no matter how you try - a KIA - is not one of those. Kia and Hyundai are still cheap Korean cars to most people.

give the Kia credit but I don't know anyone that would look at Korean over European, if you like European. Waste of time to compare. I have Apple product and don't know or care what Samsung has or comes out with. No interest.

let's not forget about the dealership experience that is part of owning a car... who wants to have to go to a Kia dealership to spend $50k for this thing and then have to return and work with the Service depts.... NOT PREMIUM that matches the price tag of the car.... will make a great rental though! HAHA

I guess Kia's press requirements is for journalists to stress that the Stinger is a "GT" and not meant to be a true sports sedan. Kind of baffling considering all of the hoopla when it was first introduced that it was a true sports sedan. It seems after the initial testing and its criticism of numb steering, soft ride, and inability to cut the twisties like others, Kia has changed its tune. This is the 3rd reviewer that has essentially stressed the "Well, this is a grand tourer so...." statement.

Usually in comparisons of SPORTS SEDANS, the softer tuned sedan is blasted and immediately relegated to last place. Or even in reviews of new sedans, if it can't hustle through the curves, then its' usually seen as a lesser car, even if its first priority is luxury over sportiness. I have always said, car reviewers need to understand the functional mission of a car and report accordingly, and not expect a car to be something it wasn't intended to be.

This will easily be a better handler than the Charger.

It should do decent against its real competitors of buick, lincoln, and dodge.

And yet BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, etc. also compete in that price band specifically for those car buyers.

But for Buick and Lincoln - the prices are from their highest priced most equipped goods - while at BMW and Mercedes - that is not the case.

I can also buy USED Bentleys and Rolls in the price range of a new Mercedes s-class or BMW 7 series. The comparison is simply wrong though.

The fact remains - Kia is not a prestige brand - or even a second tier - it is just above Hyundai MAYBE - but it still does not elicit the same feelings that a true premium product would - from others. So - it depends on who I want to impress. IF I do not care having bought a car at el-cheapo korean cars - and do not care if others are impressed - and do not care about re-sale value -I can spend a lot of money for a KIA. However - If I want a car to be seen in - about the only High end car from an entry level manufacturer that will elicit what Is needed is the Corvette - which manages to overcome being a Chevy. (Mustang is still a FORD though) - and it will be a long time before A KIa is seen as a high class car.

And @TomM as usual for someone who knows NOTHING about retail you purport to being the oracle on the subject.

The FACT is that the $30-50K segment is AGGRESSIVELY cross shopped and sometimes the non-prestige brand competes effectively. The Kia Optima competes effectively against so-called premium offerings for example.

That segment is VERY fluid and much more open to the latest sensation than the supposed gravitas of a type like Mercedes.

@MDarringer — Nailed it!

I think a lot of people here and, overall, in the enthusiast community get too hung up on the specific class/segment of a vehicle while not realizing that buyers largely don't give two squats. They care about one thing at the end of the day: Price.

@BobM How exactly is the Stinger a copy cat? It looks NOTHING like its intended competition and has very obvious Kia design language.

#hypocrite And yet you adore the Audi A8 which is nothing more than a rip off of the A3.

@BobM, @TheSteve and I are laughing at the ridiculousness of that statement.

It's a KIA, FFS.. ;-)

Kia will offer 0% financing with $0 down, over 108 months allowing people to pay $150 bi-monthly and calling it a deal.
In my area, Hyundai and Kia have dumped $hitload$ of $$$ on the hoods of their cars, offering 0% and 84 month deals to get cars off the lots.
Only those who can't afford the German offerings will gravitate to this.

0% for 84 months is being offered by a number of brands and it's utterly ridiculous