Even hotter Kia Stinger in the works

[adz137]

Originally Posted by XtRmn8

Anyone doubting the 0-100 times, watch the following video. They have a few goes at it and remember this is with 3 people onboard.

https://youtu.be/OR02618mOnU

Best time of 4.8s at around the 3:00 mark of video.

Hate the way the car looks and i would never consider getting one but those performance figures are impressive that's pretty much on par with a FGX XR8. Will be interesting to see what the likes of Motor, Wheels, Caradvice manage to record once these arrive here in Australia I'm gonna say low 5's.

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Every comparison I have seen says the same thing. They just can't get the tuning right. They are improving but not there yet.

Actually all recent reviews and comparisons have sung praises on their ride and handling. They've got help from Graeme Gambold - Former Toyota Rallying expert. So good was his tuning on the Proceed GT in Australia that the settings went global.

And yes, they've got Albert Beirmann former M division leading the stingers development.

But to be quite frank, ride and handling to consumers is subjective. People either dont give a S#&T or dont know S#&T and its the same for the journos

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye84

But to be quite frank, ride and handling to consumers is subjective. People either dont give a S#&T or dont know S#&T and its the same for the journos

That is true, most people have no idea. Only have to look at how many people buy Corolla's and Camry's.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

That is true, most people have no idea. Only have to look at how many people buy Corolla's and Camry's.

They buy those cars for low cost of ownership through reliability, fuel economy, and resale. They aren't bad reasons to buy a car, they just aren't YOUR reasons. They handle pretty well too.

I don't mean to share my opinion without checking for toes first...

But in my book the Falcon Wagon has been replaced by the Ford Transit and the F-150/F-250.

And the "Falcon" sedan has been replaced either by these silly sports cars from Korea or whatever Mustang Ford can cough up. I personally hate the Mustang. The Fox body was so small I couldn't fit in it even if I broke both my legs off.

Amerikants seem to like really small cars for some reason and I suspect this is the reason why the yanks pushed so hard to kill the Falcon. Because they expect a sports car to be a coupe.

If you want a "falcon" thats utilitarian then you are looking at getting an F-150/F-250 now.

If you want a "falcon" for sporty driving then the F-150 still fills that gap. Check out Season 22 of Top gear's review of the F-150, in that episode Clarkson goes on and on about how great it is off the line, how well it handles, etc. Despite the incredible height increases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4S5kK7s0o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKtFJxGzJX8

If us aussies want to keep the utilitarian side of Ford going we need to join up with the yanks and go out and buy F-150s, apparently. But of course that won't happen. I'm honestly hand in heart for the homegrown Falcon but despite the Falcon being home grown I doubt we would pull off having it ever built here in Australia again.

So that means the F-250 and whatever asian piece of **** shopping trolly gives you a boner is king right now.

I would honestly go for a Barra powered dual cab F-150/F-250 but I'm going to keep buying 2nd hand Falcon Wagons because they're cheap reliable and comfortable and aren't crazy on the fuel consumption.

Its either that or go to war with the yanks for killing our Falcon and breaking away from the US Ford and making our own local Ford company, then taking the property rights away from US Ford for the Falcon. Maybe the next model should be called the Falcon Phoenix. Rising from the ashes.

[jimt3te50]

Originally Posted by moneypit

I don't mean to share my opinion without checking for toes first...

But in my book the Falcon Wagon has been replaced by the Ford Transit and the F-150/F-250.

And the "Falcon" sedan has been replaced either by these silly sports cars from Korea or whatever Mustang Ford can cough up.

If you want a "falcon" thats utilitarian then you are looking at getting an F-150/F-250 now.

If you want a "falcon" for sporty driving and you aren't a hoon then the F-250 still fills that gap. Check out Season 22 of Top gear's review of the F-250, in that episode Clarkson goes on and on about how great it is off the line, how well it handles, etc. Despite the incredible height increases.

If us aussies want to keep the utilitarian side of Ford going we need to join up with the yanks and go out and buy F-250s.

But of course that won't happen. I'm honestly hand in heart for the homegrown Falcon but despite the Falcon being home grown I doubt we would pull off having it ever built here in Australia again.

So that means the F-250 and whatever asian piece of **** shopping trolly gives you a boner is king right now.

I would honestly go for a Barra powered dual cab F-150/F-250.

Its either that or go to war with the yanks for killing our Falcon. Maybe the next model should be called the Falcon Phoenix. Rising from the ashes.

We killed our Falcon mate. Long and short of it unfortunately. Used car buyers don't keep factories open, so if you've never bought a new Falcon you haven't helped make it viable.

Many contributors and it's been done to death but ultimately we reap what we sow.

Be a while before we see F-Series back here, either. Ford are making the most of price position of the departing models, cleverly slotting cheaper cars into their counterparts price points. That would leave a very clear dilemma of where to position the F series. It's a car that costs as much as Mustang in the US but no way it'd be the same as our Mustang here- that'd make it on par with a Wildtrak.... not a chance. They've sacrificed it for volume elsewhere imo.

What that's got to do with the Stinger I don't know. I actually don't mind the look of it but have said my piece previously and would still be truly conflicted in what could adequately replace our performance Falcon derivatives. Have to hand it to Kia Australia though, there's not many manufacturers that are rushing to fill the RWD performance sedan category at a comparable price point to Falcon

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

We killed our Falcon mate. Long and short of it unfortunately. Used car buyers don't keep factories open, so if you've never bought a new Falcon you haven't helped make it viable.

Whats ironic about this is that the love affair with Asian cars is only a temporary situation. Once people have an apiffiny (spelling needs work) while driving 80km/h next to an exact clone of their current car in the left hand lane they'll wish they still had the old Falcons. But it might take 20-40 years for the old Falcons to rust away and disappear, until that time we can still have lots of cheap fun.

Its rarity and uniqueness which drives a new car sale. The irony of that statement when describing asian car sales is mind blowing...

[jimt3te50]

It's ironic that as the new car buyers have become more "affluent" and strived to want something "better" or more exotic than Falcon or Commodore that they've looked to European marques, in effect to be better than the guy next door. Now with the cars that everyone wanted to be different than gone, we're all left having to drive the same thing. It's ironic isn't it?

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by moneypit

Its rarity and uniqueness which drives a new car sale. The irony of that statement when describing asian car sales is mind blowing...

You must really like Citroens then? They are rare and very unique. Looking at their sales....flying off the shelves!

Ive got to disagree with you, to drive new car sales, you've got to be mainstream. Its what keeps you on top of the sale charts.

[383hq]

govco made changes to existing laws
govco subsidised existing players because of said changes
govco gave the consumer many more choices then 3 or 4 homebrands with marginal quality
consumer now chooses from many different types
wins on quality and diversity, looses on parts lead time/servicing /troubleshooting expertise (330+ new cars in the market, no one can be an expert in them all given small population and large nation

Stinger is one of these

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

It's ironic that as the new car buyers have become more "affluent" and strived to want something "better" or more exotic than Falcon or Commodore that they've looked to European marques, in effect to be better than the guy next door. Now with the cars that everyone wanted to be different than gone, we're all left having to drive the same thing. It's ironic isn't it?

Exactly , so theyre all driving around in there clone euro/ korean/ suv feeling pretty average then this really different looking falcon/commodore appears ......and the desire starts ......hang on to what you have

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by moneypit

I don't mean to share my opinion without checking for toes first...

But in my book the Falcon Wagon has been replaced by the Ford Transit and the F-150/F-250.

And the "Falcon" sedan has been replaced either by these silly sports cars from Korea or whatever Mustang Ford can cough up. I personally hate the Mustang. The Fox body was so small I couldn't fit in it even if I broke both my legs off.

Amerikants seem to like really small cars for some reason and I suspect this is the reason why the yanks pushed so hard to kill the Falcon. Because they expect a sports car to be a coupe.

If you want a "falcon" thats utilitarian then you are looking at getting an F-150/F-250 now.

If you want a "falcon" for sporty driving then the F-150 still fills that gap. Check out Season 22 of Top gear's review of the F-150, in that episode Clarkson goes on and on about how great it is off the line, how well it handles, etc. Despite the incredible height increases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4S5kK7s0o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKtFJxGzJX8

If us aussies want to keep the utilitarian side of Ford going we need to join up with the yanks and go out and buy F-150s, apparently. But of course that won't happen. I'm honestly hand in heart for the homegrown Falcon but despite the Falcon being home grown I doubt we would pull off having it ever built here in Australia again.

So that means the F-250 and whatever asian piece of **** shopping trolly gives you a boner is king right now.

I would honestly go for a Barra powered dual cab F-150/F-250 but I'm going to keep buying 2nd hand Falcon Wagons because they're cheap reliable and comfortable and aren't crazy on the fuel consumption.

Its either that or go to war with the yanks for killing our Falcon and breaking away from the US Ford and making our own local Ford company, then taking the property rights away from US Ford for the Falcon. Maybe the next model should be called the Falcon Phoenix. Rising from the ashes.

I don't know what any of this has got to do with the Stinger, and if you plan on you next car being a well and truly extinct Falcon Wagon why would you think of putting your interesting opinion here.

As for Falcon Wagon replacement, you seem to have overlooked Territory & Ranger, yes that's the Ford Australia's best successes of late.
why would you think Transit and F150?

[Chopped]

With all of the "Ironicness", I'm now waiting waiting for Alanis Morissette to pop in

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I don't know what any of this has got to do with the Stinger, and if you plan on you next car being a well and truly extinct Falcon Wagon why would you think of putting your interesting opinion here.

As for Falcon Wagon replacement, you seem to have overlooked Territory & Ranger, yes that's the Ford Australia's best successes of late.
why would you think Transit and F150?

Good point. I guess it just slipped my mind. Your right the Ranger is a good substitute for the Falcon Wagon. I wonder though how long it will take for the price of a Ranger to come down to the point that a pension can afford it. Thats where the Transit comes in. Old club buses are rarely needed anymore beyond the 2nd transmission. so it comes into the range of my affordability and you get a lot of room for your buck.

I hardly think the Territory is a replacement to a Falcon Wagon though. One has 1.5 meters of luggage space the other has 3 meters.

its more like a good replacement to the Sedan or hatchback. And being neither a hatchback nor a sedan.

[GasoLane]

And now.................back on topic please.

[LeadFoot81]

Originally Posted by moneypit

Whats ironic about this is that the love affair with Asian cars is only a temporary situation. Once people have an apiffiny (spelling needs work) while driving 80km/h next to an exact clone of their current car in the left hand lane they'll wish they still had the old Falcons. But it might take 20-40 years for the old Falcons to rust away and disappear, until that time we can still have lots of cheap fun.

Its rarity and uniqueness which drives a new car sale. The irony of that statement when describing asian car sales is mind blowing...

I'll play devil's advocate here and point out that back in the day there were Falcons and Commodores everywhere...did that not in part drive people to consider other types of cars in an effort to stand out? While styling is very same same at the moment across most brands, I see a mixture of hatches, coupes, SUVs and dual cabs these days compared to the parking lot full of Falcon and Commodore sedans I'd see when I was a kid.

Falcon and Commodore weren't rare, and I think in the eyes of Joe Average even the rare trim levels uniqueness was tainted by the sheer number of base models kicking around.

Sadly, I don't think Falcon and Commodore will be missed by the overall market. Heck, how many people bought them over the years 'just cos that's the way it's always been'

As always people's buying choices will be cyclical, but I don't see a return to sedan domination any time soon.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by moneypit

I don't mean to share my opinion without checking for toes first...

If you want a "falcon" thats utilitarian then you are looking at getting an F-150/F-250 now.

Eff that i bought an XR6 Turbo, but ill be honest i bought it for the Turbo 6 and thats it.

[Big_Daz]

Not entirely sure on the relevance of F-Trucks when Ford Australia doesn't even sell them here... You want a Performance Ford - you buy a Mustang, ST Fiesta/Focus or RS Focus. You want a Sedan - Grab a Mondeo, Wagon - Again, a Mondeo. Then you have the Ranger and Transit if Carrying loads/stuff is what you need. All are good cars in their own right.. Its a damn shame the Falcon (And commodore) are dead, but in the end, as has been said before, we can only blame ourselves... Unfortunately us enthusiasts who go out and buy XR/GT/F6 Falcons (and the equivalent commodores) are not enough to keep them viable.... And with Rental and Government buyers deserting them as well it wasn't hard to see why they hit the kill switch..

I give props to Kia for building the Stinger as it will give us Aussies something similar to what we are loosing.. When it comes time to get myself a new car, will I be sad that I can no longer head into Ford and Grab Myself an F6/XR6T?? You bet your bottom dollar that will suck but I will be glad I'll be able to get something similar in the Stinger GT which at $60k is a hell of a lot of car for your coin.. Not to Mention the 2 lower Spec Versions with the same engine and less kit...

[Sioso]

sounds like a giant hairdryer, accelerates ok though

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Sioso

sounds like a giant hairdryer, accelerates ok though

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres? Not real convinced about the acceleration rate though, the Barra seems to flick through the digits in a much more rapid and consistent fashion..

[Sioso]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres? Not real convinced about the acceleration rate though, the Barra seems to flick through the digits in a much more rapid and consistent fashion..

Agree with the handling comments, it doesn't look at all composed through the corners and the dreaded second guessing on the transmission exiting corners wouldn't be fun either especially if it does it while trying to shift with the flappy paddles.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres? Not real convinced about the acceleration rate though, the Barra seems to flick through the digits in a much more rapid and consistent fashion..

Never seen many road cars run 1.2 G laterally like in that video. Thats an epic number for a road car! suggesting its probably a bit better than a VN Commodore.

JP

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres?

Michelins - this is a sports car that happens to be a large 4 door sedan.
rather than a family car with a great engine.

I'm picking it will handle much better than it needs to.

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres? Not real convinced about the acceleration rate though, the Barra seems to flick through the digits in a much more rapid and consistent fashion..

Korean domestic tuning is always super soft - thats what you are seeing there
They spend their times stuck in traffic, watching TV in their cars. Their set up is always about being plush and confortable

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Michelins - this is a sports car that happens to be a large 4 door sedan.
rather than a family car with a great engine.

I'm picking it will handle much better than it needs to.

Looking at all the press images - they are wearing Conties....not Michelins

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Michelins - this is a sports car that happens to be a large 4 door sedan.
rather than a family car with a great engine.

I'm picking it will handle much better than it needs to.

People just pick at it because they can, or its Korean or its not a falcon.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by DJM83

People just pick at it because they can, or its Korean or its not a falcon.

The latter.
Falcon wasn't considered a great track car either.
I remember seeing a pic of a F6 going around the track almost scraping its door handles on the surface.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Wretched

The latter.
Falcon wasn't considered a great track car either.
I remember seeing a pic of a F6 going around the track almost scraping its door handles on the surface.

Bhahaha.
I must admit going from a Focus ST to a manual turbo ute, the ute is almost agricultural But i love it

[383hq]

I personally think people are underestimating the resources Kia have invested into moving the brand up a notch via the stinger / "Hero car" strategy

For those that don't read Car and Driver, they have instrumented tests, (probably a little more accurate) but cornering G's above 1 are reserved for Porsches and Corvettes

For comparisons sake
Chevrolet SS (Commodore redline) 0.96 G (Potenza RE05A)

Ford focus RS 0.98 G
Golf R 0.95 G

Normal cars 0.8-0.9 G (i.e. honda civic, kia optima, corolla, golf, 86/BRZ)
Anyone that's watched top gear knows about new cars and their capabilities compared to super cars a few decades ago..

Regardless of badge, It's good to see some opposite lock - all but banned in the nanny nation.

[LeadFoot81]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Car doesn't have much balance at all, seems to handle as well as a VN Commodore through the corners, or are they using cheap Chinese kinglong or whatever brand road tyres? Not real convinced about the acceleration rate though, the Barra seems to flick through the digits in a much more rapid and consistent fashion..

That mofo's flying, looks plenty fast to me!