Drove one yesterday

eflyguy said:

If I was going to track it, I would get the base GT and get custom suspension. If I was going to get into track on a regular basis, I'd pick up a used Mustang GT, not modify new $50k Kia!

Click to expand...

Good point and I can see what you mean because rarely do aftermarket mods hold value but buying a higher performing model does to a higher extent.
I was even thinking of waiting for the upcoming Mercedes A-Class Sedan. Set to start around $35,000 odds are an AMG version will come close to $50,000.
In production form it could look like this:

Not the most positive review, but this particular graphic actually highlights the value when it comes to performance..



https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-kia-stinger-gt-test-review

Drove a red-on-red GT2 today. Took my girl's dad, who had an Optima and we've talked a lot about the Stinger. For context, he's about 90, but sharp as a tack and just transferred his 80's Corvette to his grandson as a graduation gift. So, he likes cars..

The salesman knew virtually nothing compared to me, so it was basically a "I want to drive one" experience. Apparently, the dealerships aren't letting them drive it!

Anyway, it was good to get back behind the wheel and explore a couple of things I hadn't paid attention to the first time. Ride quality, for example, is FAR superior to my Sorento or his Lexus RX350. You can feel the road, but it cushions the bumps nicely. Even in sport mode. In fact, I found it hard to tell much difference between sport and comfort, but I'd need to spend more time with it. This of course should not be surprising - I'm a bit of a suspension geek (motorcycles) and GOOD suspension can make a world of difference. I'm talking comfort and feel, not handling. Handling is exactly as good as we've read/heard/seen. Matching that to ride comfort is the trick. Mission accomplished, for me..

Roads were dry and this one was AWD, so I didn't get to swing the back end around like last time. I did, however, apply plenty of throttle turning out from side-roads, and you could feel both how planted it was, putting down power like you were on (sticky) rails - but also how close it *felt* to breaking loose. I don't know if it would have, but accelerating that hard while turning is throwing so much mass around, pushing traction, you think it has to go soon. The torque this thing has a relatively low RPM is just fantastic, not just for hooliganism, but even cruising along. You need to pick it up to pass or change lanes, and it doesn't need to downshift to give you a REALLY good shove from behind. The RWD I drove previously snapped away very predictably, recovered easily, but the roads were wet, with some gravel and even snow in places - not a good comparison.

This one had the HUD which was cute, although not much use in sunlight. Power opening hatch for ease of dumping bodies in the back. My girl's dad tried the back seat - there's tons of room when you're in (he's not tall but I'm close to 6') - but it's tricky to get in and out, the door opening is pretty small and the geometry just makes it tricky. Doesn't bother me - or him - I'm not buying this for passenger comfort.

He wanted the dealer to give him a price on a base or premium with his Optima in trade. It's in Tampa, lol..

I really want blue on red but it's not available in the GT2. The manager said they are getting one of the yellow ones - that would be unique but honestly I'm not about "standing out" and I just LOVE the red interior. I'll wait, but I may end up needing to order one.

I recently drove a base GT and was really surprised how well the car drove and handled. It's been a few years since my 535i M-Sport but this car handled well and from being in back with my buddy flogging it through the turns, we were surprised how comfortable it was in back with the roads the driver was navigating. We initially grabbed the handles preparing to be tossed about but left them alone as that didn't happen, we know we we traveling at a good clip through the corners but the suspension setup was well damped and the car didn't roll like we expected. We commented that this thing handled way better than we expected, mainly due to the ride height of the vehicle being similar to the Optima when we saw the car (holy wheel gap Batman!), but with it being a GT car and not a true sports car, it was quite a great ride. I can live with it as is. Anyone that likes their car lower and firmer can swap out the suspension but for me being older, I like that it feels sporty like a BMW but not so that it is jarring. It manages the speed and handling so you don't realize that you are traveling so fast, just like my BMWs did, it a good thing and a bad thing cause if you are not paying attention, you will be way beyond legal speed fast.

Here is the thing, a lot of folks are comparing the Stinger to Audi RS, BMW M and MB AMG series cars and giving it flak. I say that's a good thing to even be considered and discussed alongside those cars, vehicles it was never meant to compete with! I hear a lot of complaints about hard plastics on the lower part of the car, fact is most cars do this. Folks says it's not a luxury sport sedan, I don't recall KIA saying it was, they did say it was a GT car. One has to say this is the most talked about car to hit the market in years! Good talk or bad, it is being discussed.

Anyone that pays attention to how the Koreans do things, know that their cars are usually on the larger end of a particular group (sub-compact, compact, mid-sized, etc). The fact that the Stinger competes with the German compact coupe but has room akin to a smaller mid-sized vehicle is a good thing for those of us annoyed by entry luxury cars that are smaller inside than a Corolla or Elantra and cost a lot more. Yeah, my Optima was half the cost of my 535 which had more options but that car was the first KIA that was well designed and had a nice turbo engine, but that car like the Stinger had enough power and handling to put a smile on my face when I mashed the accelerator. The looks of this car and performance number says it should cost a lot more and truth be known, if it was wearing a euro brand badge, the badge snobs would buy them up. The chassis is great, a bit of suspension tune will extract even more from it.

I took an A5 out for a spin, it was brief and the one thing I can say I wished the A5 has that the Stinger could benefit from, it was firmer steering. It made the A5 feel so much more substantial an we know the Stinger is a larger car but feels lighter, maybe that's what they were going for. I really need a long drive with that car, can get one just yet though.