Only issue i have with the Kia stinger is that you’re not paying Kia money for it any more.
The promise before this thing came out was that it would be an affordable rear drive turbo six pot.
The reality is that the pricing is pretty much similar to the established options, and it still wears a Kia badge.
Maybe in a few years time they could get away with charging what they’re after for it, but at the moment it will only appeal to a fringe who have the money for something more well established, but for whatever reason choose kia.
A stinger GT for example here in Australia is fairly similar pricing to a Mustang.
And i know what i’d be buying if i was a performance nut.
Maybe… But it’s still a few steps ahead of the current “Commodore” VXR… Being a 3.6 N/A V6 in all wheel drivepuke
The truth is the deciding factors between the stinger and the Mustang ( aside from looks ) is economy, service costs and after sales support…
And as far as support goes, yea, historically Ford have been decent here in NZ, but from what I’ve heard, Kia will literally bend over backwards to make you happy…
Source: my father in law just traded his '15 Sorento with 230 000kms on a stinger… They gave him half the purchase price of the Sorento off the stinger… AND 5 years unlimited kms servicing, and 2% interest on finance ( which he rejected after negotiation cause cash is King )…
And no denying: Kia are probably higher build quality these days, better support, etc. But their name is not in that tier yet. The premium pricing on the stinger GT is one generation early IMHO. Plenty of people will simply not consider it purely based on the badge cachet.
edit:
actually, didn’t realise the vxr commodore pricing was that much higher than base. either way, the current commodore is poo as well. But the Kia is also playing in WRX STi territory, and i know what most people would buy.
Actually, over here the VXR is about 3k cheaper than the top tier stinger lol
But the sentence " all wheel drive Commodore" makes me sick to my stomach, and I’m not even a fan of Holden to be honest lol
The sad reality is, they can charge what they because of how few similar options there are, especially down in our half of the world… Hopefully in a few weeks the father in law will loosen up his grip on the keys and let me take her for a spin… Then I’ll be able truthfully judge it from my own perspective, and I’ll be sure to let you guys know lol
And personally I agree with this… And if were me then yea, I’d go for the Subaru every time… But their also slightly different markets… I’m 30, with a wife and son… My father in law on the other hand is in his 50s, just him the wife… and wants a comparatively cheap ( compared to European) reasonably powerful and reliable sedan size car, that he can have little fun in now and then, but is comfortable on long haul trips, and most importantly can tow the boat…
I guess the Kia ticked his boxes… And from the spec sheet it looks more than capable of that and then some…
But I’m still reserving judgement till I’ve driven it lol
So… i got the Tiburon up in the air.
When i start the engine (gears in neutral, foot not on the clutch (because i-am outside the car looking at the tire)).
The left front tire spins… the right front tire does not spin.
I can stop the tire with my foot but there is some force.
Can anyone tell me what it can be? and more important if it might be an issue?
It’s definitely less expensive than the German options, but probably in line with the Japanese options. I think it’s fairly priced, but it could definitely have been a tiny bit cheaper. I think they didn’t realize quite how good of a car they had on their hands, so they raised the price to be more in line with everything else.
I’d take the Kia any day over a Mustang. Or a Camaro. Or a Challenger.
Hmmm… that’s interesting. How much force are we talking about? Light breeze or wind tunnel?
Do you think it would drive the car forward if it were on the ground?
It’s entirely possible the transmission isn’t actually in neutral and you have a linkage problem.
Other issue is that the transmission might just transfer a tiny bit of energy into the output shaft. I haven’t seen it before, but I’m definitely not that well-travelled.
Another option is that you are in serious need of transmission fluid change and it’s gone bad, causing friction.
The gears attached to the input shaft and output shaft are still meshing, just the collars that prevent them from rotating freely on the shaft are not engaged. If the bearings that the gears sit on are bad or filled with poor transmission fluid, that might be what’s causing the problem.
That’d be my next step. While you’re at the auto shop, grab a drain plug with a magnet in it. Put it in, drive it for ~1000 miles, then change the fluid again. See how much metal filings are attached to the magnet. That should give you a clue of how your transmission is doing. (best case: no filings)
Thank you for the info.
I think the syncro’s might be putting some friction causing the wheel to spin.
Yeahhh that’s going to be an issue the car has been suspended for now and has no insurance until it’s worth paying the ridiculously high tax and insurance 118,- Euro’s per month (everyone younger than 24yrs old is a liability… says insurance).
In the Netherlands that’s how it works.
So i can’t access the public roads with the car.
I can start it and put it in gear with all the light’s and fans on full blast, putting a little load on the engine with the alternator.
And let it run like that.
I already have some super cheap engine oil in the engine to flush it.
It’ll be replaced with decent oil when it goes on the road again.
Then just do the fluid swap and drive it around your yard or up and down your street a few times to work the fluid around. The second swap is not 100% required, just recommended.
As far as distance, to work the fluid in, I’d recommend about 1-2km if possible.
We have that in the US as well. It is technically, statistically, even if you are a safe driver, I’m sure you know someone with multiple accidents.
The most common complaint i see with the Kia reviews is that it is entirely soul-less.
Mustang, Camaro, Challenger all have the muscle car v8 rumble. A WRX has the burble. Even a Focus turbo 5 pot has a great sound. As does a VTEC honda of yore, or a Silvia or Supra.
The Stinger exhaust note is crap, to put it bluntly. And its not the volume level, louder would just be louder crap. Sure it has torque, and makes a decent amount of power, but it has no character.
People buy sporty cars to feel special, for the noise, the theatre. It’s why muscle cars get away with colours like hot pink, fluro green and baby shit yellow.
I honestly don’t think that’s a problem at all. I’ve seen it time and time again with running cars with the drive wheels off the ground.
As @SgtAwesomesauce said
The gif I wanted to share is too big so here’s the link
Input shaft on left, output shaft on right.
And a good bearing is going to have some friction just from the thicc gear oil in it, so when you have so many of them connecting the input shaft to the output shaft, I feel it’s completely normal for it to spin a bit.
Right front tire probably has a tad bit of friction from the break keeping it from turning.
Just my opinion, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.
Totally different markets. The WRX is a young persons car with with a more pure and harsher driving experience, not to mention the interior looks very cheap compared to the Stinger.
The Stinger is more of a luxury sports sedan, with lots of, soft-touch material (leather), higher than average plastic quality (when it’s present), and spacious inside.
I think Kia is pushing real hard to become a contender to higher end luxury sedans, and I quite honestly think they hit it out the park. I’d compare it to something like Acura, Lexus, and in some ways Cadillac.
