I sat in a Stinger on a showroom floor today - didn't have time to drive one, but I have to admit that the cockpit had a very nice look and feel to it. Almost Lexus-y in terms of materials and treatments. I'd put it pretty much on par with what I've seen from Lexus, Cadillac, Acura and Infinity from my brief encounter.

I wouldn't compare it to a BMW, Porsche, Alfa or Mercedes interior, but definitely "A" for effort. And it's not priced in that club anyway. But you would not know you were in a Kia if they removed the emblem from the steering wheel.

On the money. And now with discounts of up to 10k. This car is a no brainer. You'd be getting performance nearly $16k above its weight class with the discount.

https://jalopnik.com/the-cheap-kia-s...ing-1829355766

The same can be said for the Z "brand"...

Why pay $48k for the Nismo when you can get 95% of its performance with the Sport at $32k, or 90% of the Nismo's performance with the base Z at $26k?

At least when you step up in the Stinger levels, you have different engines, transmissions, choice of RWD or AWD and massive brakes. The Z on the other hand uses the same ole' engine and transmission in all trim levels, and upgrade to a useless VLSD.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Nissan or the Z. I love my Z and will continue to for quite a long time. I have no plans on getting rid of it.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I'm getting tired of seeing people say stuff like "oh, it's a Hyundai/Kia"... Who cares?! People are dwelling on crap that happened with these two companies over 20 years ago! Get over it already. It's not 1998 anymore and both Hyundai and Kia have come a long long way since then.

And no JLArson, I'm not directing that last bit towards you. It's just a general thought.

The Z is still my favorite all round sports car. But it's been around so long. The price should've been long reduced. Same thing with the 86.

The 86 is trying to sell at 33k for a face lift suspension tweaking and recalibration of the ecu. This car in 2018 is $9,000 over its worth.

The Z is perfectly balanced with good power. It can't compete against a mustang GT on track. A stinger could. Its just time to be quiet as a Z owner until Nissan gets the balls to build something up to snuff against today's competition.

But still, the Z shouldn't be compared to the likes of the Mustang, Charger/Challenger, Camaro and Corvette.

Those cars are designed to be "American muscle cars". Meaning they are brutish, loud, and have an overabundance of hp and torque, and even to this day, STILL mostly set up for straight line performance. Sure, they've gotten better at taking corners, but their main aspect is straight line.

The Z on the other hand is designed to be a "Japanese muscle car", meaning it has substantial power and torque, has finesse, is agile, and has a suspension finely tuned for flying through the twisties. It was never designed or even a goal to compete with American muscle.

With that being said, the 370Z holds its own quite well against modern V8 power, especially considering it's a 9 year old design and still a naturally aspirated V6 with a MANUAL transmission still being an option. It's lighter than most of its American counterparts, and its gearing makes great use of it's sub-300 ft lbs of torque to motivate it down the road.


Just as an "aside"... The 3rd Gen Ford Mustang had a production run of 14 years (1979-1993) which had minimal revisions on the outside. One thing that probably kept it alive for so long though throughout that time was that it had quite a few engine options such as an NA Inline 4, Inline 4 turbo, a couple different Inline 6's, a couple different V6's, and a couple of different V8's. On top of that, there were several variants of the Inline 4, turbo Inline 4 and V8 engines, all of which ended up producing more power over time.

Lastly, just for some light reading... https://jalopnik.com/the-original-ni...pen-1796498349

I'm not even speaking from that type of comparison either. I still believe the Z stands on its own 2 legs separate of the car world. But... That said. Its just behind no matter how u cut it.
But understand the argument changes when a Z owner makes statements about say, in this case the stinger. And throws his car in the mix. Now... U just made yourself scrutiny to criticism in the world of comparison.
And if I focused on the track alone. The Z is a has been. AT LEAST STOCK These new cars are giving something that compares in today's circuit.

All that said. Am I praying for Z vengeance???
HELL YEAH!!!
But don't hate Kia for doing it better than
MAXIMA
Q50

That's just a hard fact fanboys gotta live with.

Well honesty, it doesn't matter to me what other car manufacturers come out with. I love my Z, and plan on keeping it for a long time. It's just a fun, beautiful car and there's really nothing else out there at the moment that interests me.

So with that in mind, I'm all good! ;-)

The first long term tests are rolling in and so far so good. Loving that... Hyundai/Kia stepped up their game in record breaking times.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/18/...d-touring-car/

.........but it's still ugly.

:wtf2:

It looks good from the front and sides...

https://www.motorionline.com/wp-cont...-Stinger-5.jpg



But that rear end, they could have definitely done better...

https://www.motorionline.com/wp-cont...-Stinger-2.jpg

I think the front and rear are the stingers high points, it has a striking stance when you see it in person. Its more attractive than the higher end European sedans in my opinion.

Looks like an Audi A7 knock off.

Ian B

And the A7 is a mighty damn nice looking car all the way around.

man i wish i saw things like you guys..............but i dont. it's not a good looking car.

honestly the back may be the best part and it's simply a mix of charger tail lights and every car with quad exhausts.

legit i can pick 10 pieces of that cars design that was stolen from other cars.

the kia is a bunch of hacks.

I think the Stinger GT looks awesome all around. If I were looking to replace my Z, I'd consider it no doubt!

The guy who designed it also was a designer for Audi / VW. Hard to be a knock-off of himself.

Word, yo!

ok not a rip off just laziness :bowrofl:

it needs those 365hp for such a heavy car, 4004 pounds. I beat one 2 weeks ago with my daily 911 gts

Hardly surprising, really...


Well, certainly everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I think that you are in the minority.

The chief designer at Kia-Hyundai is Peter Schreyer, who came from Audi.

Per Wikipedia:
Peter Schreyer (born 1953) is a German automobile designer widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT. He has been the chief design officer at Kia Motors since 2006 and on 28 December 2012, was named one of three presidents of the company. He is currently the chief designer at Hyundai-Kia and works with Luc Donckerwolke, former design director of Volkswagen Group - Bentley, Lamborghini, and Audi from 2016.

In 2006, Car Design News called the Audi TT one of "the most influential automotive design in recent time.

With respect, I think that this team is anything but a "bunch of hacks".

I agree - having seen and sat in one, it would definitely be on the list were I looking right now. Certainly not a car I would run from screaming because of its looks, anyway! The Honda Civic Type R, maybe! ;-)

wtf wait......i'm the minority but i'm assuming they're speaking of the original TT which was horrid. it was a car for rich guys to buy their wives to shut them up.

it seems i'm the minority because either i'm more intelligent, better taste, or brown.

possibly all 3.

:facepalm:

The TT is the sorority girl special as every one was driven by a chick when I was in college and that seems to still be the case today.

LOL! Well I hope you did!!!

You may want to sit down for what I need to tell you about the 370Z... :icon17:

It does look like a audi a7 knock off, but the stinger improved on it.

Wow... You beat a $44,000 sedan. in a $130,000 coupe. You sure know how to pick your opponenents...
I'm impressed. :koolaidwall:

4004lbs is AWD weight.
RWD is like 3864lbs

Yeah, I was liking his odds too! ;-)

Maybe he beats up on defenceless old ladies on the weekend too.

All of this is assuming he actually owns a 911 GTS.

Nope. There was a guy in my old neighborhood that had one. He always drove with his driving gloves on...wait, never mind, yes all girls.

Just observing the demographic on the quality of opinions here...
The level of conversation is lowered by "used car purchasers of premium sports cars" who want to play elitist on a brand new car consumer level. While brand new car purchasers making an Apple's to apples comparison on realistic competitors opinions based on a fair comparison.

I'm still stuck on people comparing this car in looks to copying other cars. It looks like the early OPTIMAS of 2010 but more aggressive with a functional redundancy to an Audi. I can make bias comparisons like this all day.

The GTR copied the corvette tail lights and the Mitsubishi EVO front. While stealing the blocky design of the original Cadillac CTS/xtr convertible. See... Now you can go back look at pictures of cars from 2005. Look at the GTR n go. Oh shyt unknown, you're right.

Raise the level of conversation. Geez.

What's wrong with owning one? Where do you live where people can't afford porsches? lol. I got myself a '15 carrera S with 25k for $62k! and they go up to +80k! After that I purchased a '17 370z base model for a project. I have already spent 8k and keeps going as I keep spending parts for my next fi tt. The Z only has 563 miles on it lol. It sits inside my garage. I'm a 28 years old accountant with a CPA, if that means anything to you..

After driving one a while back, first thing I would do is de badge the sh!t out of it removing anything KIA, Stinger, GT off it. Find a new steering wheel, the OEM is obnoxious. First mod - exhaust, next would be better looking wheels and tires. That's it. I'd be down for a white one.

I did the same to my Z when I first bought it. Couldn't get those Nissan center caps off my wheels though. LOL!

The stinger with a modded exhaust sounds great. The guy who gave me the test drive had one exactly as you described with muffler delete. Sounded similar to the BMW N54 when modded this way.

No it's just most people get the impression REAL Porsche owners wouldn't bother racing Kia's, then go on a Nissan forum and brag about it. Lol
But there's a first time for everything... I guess? :confused:

The Stinger isn't just a "Kia". That "Kia" will leave your 5.0 pony gts, c6, Z in the dust. Sad, but true. I guess you don't have any friends with porsches too? They'd race anybody who thinks they have a fast car or just for fun. Now, since I'm a Z owner too, I saw there is a Stinger thread and wanted to chime in.

A mustang is 3800lbs
A Kia is 3900lbs
You're 3200lbs.
You're 430hp. The Kia 365... 65hp and 700lb advantage
It just seems like a waste of time. But to each his own.

But thanks for at least showing some respect to the stinger instead of just being part of the negative comment bandwagon. Lol

lol the c6 makes what? 420? and weights less than my 911 and the stinger still beats it? Mind you, I've beaten the stinger by a car and a 1/2 length. Anyways not trying to bash our Z's as I'm a proud owner as well ;)

i bet my 4000lb car makes that Kia look like it's standing still.........:stirthepot:


just sayin.....it's just blah and ugly :tiphat: