The Kia Stinger is one of the best cars I've driven all year — here's how it will make trouble for the best vehicles from BMW
"So what's the verdict?
Matthew DeBord/BI
Let's review.
Stinger vs M3: Stinger wins on price, loses on power.
Stinger vs M4: See above.
Stinger vs. M2: Competitive! The M2 is a stunning Bimmer. But the Stinger has four doors.
Stinger vs. M240i: Stinger wins on power, but the M240i is a great value in BMWs. I'd take the Stinger, though.
Stinger vs. 5-Series: The 5-Series is a legend, but the Stinger is more fun to drive.
Stinger vs. 3-Series plug-in hybrid: Not a very good head-to-head because the Stinger is vastly more fun to drive. The Stinger's instruments and infotainment are also better designed.
As the Stinger has made it way into automotive consciousness, it's increasingly being thought of as occupying a unique niche: going up against the BMW 3-Series, but with a much friskier attitude and better pricing.
The closest thing to this idea is actually no longer with us: Pontiac, the General Motors brand that was killed after the financial crisis. In fact, late in Pontiac's life, the brand sold a re-badged Australian Holden in the US, the G8 GT, that had a 361-horsepower V8 under the hood and matched up nicely against the Stinger.
Here's the thing, though. If you want exhilarating performance at a compelling price, with a premium if not luxurious interior and excellent versatility, the segment-of-one Stinger is an excellent BMW alternative.
Do I think BMW will lose sales to Kia? Maybe a few on the margins. Bimmer doesn't have much to worry about, even if they didn't see the new Kia coming. But there's no question that the smart money is going to take a closer look at the Stinger."
Obviously, this is only an opinion. Even if there are maaaaaaaaaannnnnny same opinions.
And please I do not want to start any discussion about an off topic theme.
It is just a reply to Kanyo question.