Imagine having a beautiful plant in a garden where everything else seems to die. Or a favourite supporting character on a TV show where everybody is constantly in mortal peril. You’re always anxious that next week could be the end. That’s how I feel about the Kia Stinger, a large sports sedan/hatchback in an era that just isn’t welcoming to such cars.
It’s hard not to be pessimistic about this excellent car’s future. It’s too big for Europe. North American sales have so far been unexceptional. Sedans are still big in South Korea but they prefer theirs a little softer and plusher (and for them to actually be sedans). Then there’s Australia.
If there are two natural heirs to the Australian Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore dynasty, it’s the Ford Mustang and the Kia Stinger. But the Mustang is clobbering the Stinger, even in a market where coupes struggle and where Kia is experiencing meteoric growth. In 2018, Kia sold 1957 Stingers here while Ford sold 6412 Mustangs. One bright spot for Kia: over 90% of sales are of the flagship, twin-turbo V6 GT model, buyers seemingly ignoring the turbocharged four-cylinder model like they are the EcoBoost Mustang.
As you can see, Kia is also pursuing police sales. Stingers are now used as highway patrol vehicles in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Kia took a Stinger “Road Policing Command” car, belonging to the Queensland Police Service, to both SEMA and the LA Auto Show last year to encourage further police sales.
It’s unclear how much success they’ll have in the US police market, especially considering many departments are moving to crossovers and SUVs and traditionally only buy from domestic automakers.
The survival of the Stinger doesn’t hinge on US police sales but, rather, steady growth in the retail market. Fortunately, it shares mechanicals with the new Genesis G70 so has a platform-mate to keep it afloat (or, glass half empty, drown with it). Perhaps in the interests of success, Kia could thin its US lineup a bit – three other mid/full-size sedans (Optima, Cadenza, K900) is a bit much even if they do have different missions. Kia Australia has done just that, recently axing the slow-selling Optima (we don’t have the others here).
The Stinger pretty much fits the template of my ideal car: hatchback versatility, mid/full-sized, nice interior, plenty of luxury features, rear-wheel-drive and an available twin-turbo V6. If I was in the right place financially, I’d love to buy one instead of being one of those keyboard warrior enthusiasts who bemoans the loss of rear-wheel-drive cars but never buys new. Alas, it’ll likely be a used Stinger for me in a few years. Here’s hoping there’ll still be new ones around then.
Illinois doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to replace their Caprice PPVs. I rarely see Stingers, and never in gov’t colors.
While perusing a local lot for a replacement Tacoma last weekend, I noticed a Stinger in the used section. There it sat forelorn and unloved as any other used Kia, with the depreciation to match. They aren’t making much of a buzz here in the heartland of the US.
Looks like common sense is more common that originally thought.
I’m seeing more of these than I thought I would on the roads of Colorado, including a few day ago where two of them were nose to tail on I-25, one registered, and the other on new temporary plates, both looked like loaded versions.
They are certainly attractive cars, Kia seems to be playing the long game with their multiple models in very similar (but still different) segments even if the absolute sales numbers aren’t what most would call compelling. I’m surprised they cancelled the Optima in Australia, here that’s one of their bread and butter cars and usually considered an attractive car that there are a fair number of out and about.
Kia even brought out a diesel version for Europe which I find sort of embarrassing for us in the Old World. Very rarely see any at all, too bad I cannot afford them. I do suspect it will become a sought after niche car in a few years, after it’s been axed, which it most likely will be.
I wasn’t aware that these were hatchbacks, don’t know how I missed that.
If KIA US were to thin it’s ranks of sedans they could start with the K900. I think I may have seen one in North Florida but if they don’t want to drop it they should rename it. K900 sounds like a robot dog that may be a 4 four legged counterpart to RoboCop.
Sales in North America have actually been really great so far. Even Kia has said they’re happy.
When I first saw the Stinger in commercials I wondered if it was just another FWD sedan, so how was it doing all those smokey turns? When I discovered that it was RWD I was quite impressed, as there are not that many rear driven Asian make sedans available. I also like the idea of the hatchback. After some more research I would think of this car as a Korean Jaguar, for half the price. Kia is on a roll with this car and their new Telluride SUV.
Seen a couple over here so they are on the market but GMH still hold the police supply contract so they get Commodores still,
Specification-wise you’d think it would be a natural, for Australia at least, but I’d guess Kia doesn’t have the credibility as a RWD car. That sounds weird, but I’d guess Holden and Ford enthusiasts are more inclined to stick to their brand rather than buy somebody else’s product with the same chassis layout as their dearly departed.
I guess if there was a sizeable market left for car like this, Toyota would be there already.
I notice that this Queensland police car has markings on the front. New South Wales police highway cars are done up like xmas trees on the sides and rear, but are unmarked on the front (and with a narrow grey light bar) so you can’t pick them as they come up behind you.
I test-drove the 3.3Turbo version here in Calgary with my wife. Both were totally puzzled with the hype. It feels and drives like a posher variant of an Optima with a slight RWD bias. Very synthetic controls, rubbery feedback-deprived steering, extremely tight interior, virtually zero trunk space.
Very strange suspension tune – wallow-ish but harsh. That and the steering = I drove the same part of winter highway much slower and with less certainty than in our BMW E39. And all that superpower of the turbo was well hidden somewhere – after 7 SAABs, including 3 Aeros, I know very well how a proper Turbo should feel. To compensate it makes that synthesized annoying growl through the interior speakers which you cannot switch off.
And finally they sell it through a regular Kia chain, where sales folks just do not know how to handle customers interested in this type of cars (and price level). There was a very good reason why Lexus and other semi-premium spin-offs were created. This should really be sold through the new Genesis stores.
Not wanting to hijack this thread about the Stinger GT, but please note the adjacent Studebaker Commander, which also saw use as a Police pursuit vehicle here in AUS.
I did notice, and it’s fun to contemplate the days in which a solid South Bend V8 manual would’ve pretty quickly overwhelmed the crook’s wheezing Holden EJ (or even EH) six, because if big pursuits were still an option now, the pursued really could be in something small and cheap and still have more power than the Stude and Holden combined!
Actually, it’s fun to recall days when 110 in a 100 zone didn’t get a ticket, not even nearly. Oh well.
Yes, I saw that right away! My money is on the higher-priced Cruiser than on the plainer Commander, though. That would be a 64 (maybe 65) in the US but possibly a later locally assembled car in this part of the world?
Road Policing Command. The uniformed arm of the Tax Office.
Meanwhile, in Victoria Police, Aus, some over-badged gold-hatted desk-hero busy on his climb up the greasy pole took a break from the beat he’d never been on since entering as a graduate, for he had espied BMW brochures at the Ambitious Club. Thought he, such RWD mid-sized sedans would be just the ticket to assist police in their daily grind (as opposed to like, y’know, giving the actual workers on the beat some resources), so he ordered about 500 of ’em to replace the Commodores. Those roomy, cheap V8 Commodes, that practically never have to speed anyway in practice, but are, well, bogan cars – and here’s me, not a senior copper, but an Executive in An Important Role. And I can’t have my officers puttering about in FWD Opels now, can I? (Doesn’t matter to he that the brand is utterly notorious for hellish servicing and longer-term reliability factors, why, whose money is it anyway, and let’s all have a party).
Thus we here will be beseiged for every minor infraction by a bored Panda in a (retail) $80,000 BMW 520d. It’s just bloody…un-Australian, a cop in a Beemer….a Beemer diesel….oh, the shame…
Be thankful the Queensland police ordered Kias, and Stingers at that: at least it’ll help keep the Stinger alive, if just. We’ll be still paying the bills for this folly when you lot are retired.
I am really fascinated by these. There seems to be an employee at my local Costco store who owns one – a red one is regularly backed into one of the parking places far away from the building.
I’m convinced the Chevy Caprice would’ve been a hit had it not run afoul of the “Buy American” stipulations in many government procurement contracts.
You’d think the General would’ve been more aware, but I’ve read many “great car, but…” when it comes to the car’s Australian origins.
Therefore I expect the Stinger will make even less of a dent for Police purposes here in the USA. Otherwise I understand it’s a fine car.
I don’t care about police cars, but the Stinger is a remarkably attractive design. The first time I encountered a Stinger in the metal, I was quite impressed. It has the sense of presence and occasion that I think Jaguar was going for with its modern XJ but, IME, failed to achieve through lack of design cohesion. Apparently, the Stinger has a nice chassis as well, although it’s a fairly porky thing even given its sizable dimensions.
The Stinger is a poster child for why nobody really cares to sell enthusiasts cars any more.
Build a RWD sedan with a hatch, give it a very decent interior, a good warranty, and sell it at a reasonable price. And the enthusiasts ignore it at all costs…
If you ask OEMs to build cars you want to drive, then you have to buy them. If not, the folks who want appliances and oversized SUVs are happy to be customers who gladly pay the OEMs for product.
It’s a shame, but Kia will do better pushing the Telluride than they ever will with this.