300+ hp, rwd and it's a....Kia?

In reply to daeman:

Ahh, makes sense. I presume this one is for federalization, although I could be wrong. A July release is good as I have a family member who might want to take a look at a 2.0T model.

Australia may be on a different release schedule to the US?

I'll dig around at work for some answers tomorrow, I wasn't really in a position to ask to many questions at the time, but rest assured, it was quite amazing to get up close and personal with something that's not really supposed to exist yet.

In reply to daeman:

Ahh, that explains it. We might be looking at early August, but it shouldn't be far after Australia.

I'll let you know once I know more.

My job is great, we've been getting the new Toyota c-hr through over the last few weeks.

I really should start a thread about all the cool stuff that I get to deal with. Just need to make sure it won't somehow bite me in the ass

Ok,spoke to a couple of people in the know. The one I saw was one of two, the other had already been cross loaded to head off elsewhere. They are believed to be for promotional/exhibition purposes leading into an expected mid year launch. We should start seeing stock within the next 2-3 months, but nothing has been confirmed as yet.

Our new MY's in Australia tend to go on sale around the start of the new financial year, so I'd say that timeline is about right.

0-60 in 4.9

Wow!

From what I read at Jalopcrack, they gonna price this thing out. Like mid $40k's.

That will be sad because no one will buy it at that price. You know what else failed at the mid $40k price mark for a non-premium label name performance sedan? The SS

FlightService wrote: From what I read at Jalopcrack, they gonna price this thing out. Like mid $40k's. That will be sad because no one will buy it at that price. You know what else failed at the mid $40k price mark for a non-premium label name performance sedan? The SS

So you're saying there will be discounts...? That's a tenth quicker than my Mustang. Call me interested!

That price might be for a top line model. There is a fair chance that you will be able to get that engine in a lower spec model that can be had in the mid 30s. The Cadenza starts at $32k. I bet this starts lower than that and can go up to the mid $40s. There is a $13k difference from the base Cadenza vs the Limited model.

I doubt they really plan to sell a whole lot of them, but yeah, I could see me having a hard time convincing Mrs T.J. that we should spend mid forties on a Kia. I like it and think it is a bold move.

I swear if you guys repeat this I will deny it and call you all liars and scoundrels but I agree with (I can't believe I am saying this) Jalopnik.

Kia doesn't have the brand for a Mid $40k performance sedan. It is their first crack at a true GT, even they admit it. I know they hired the right guy for the job out of BMW's M division but still.

If they wanted to run this against a Lexus they should release it as a Genesis, if they wanted a moderate up-market Hyundai, if they want to compete with Mazda and Chevy release it as a Kia.

This may be the greatest 4 door sports sedan since the invention of the breed, but it has nothing other than an impressive spec sheet and, what looks to be like, unfortunately, an economy car brand name.

I pray I am wrong but at that price this has marketing disaster written all over it.

FlightService wrote: I pray I am wrong but at that price this has marketing disaster written all over it.

Maybe, but wait for the drive reports to come in. One of the issues with the SS (I think) is that the driving experience never lived up to what the spec would suggest. If this one really shines in real driving, the badge may not matter as much.

In reply to ultraclyde:

This is one case I hope you're right and I am wrong.

ultraclyde wrote: One of the issues with the SS (I think) is that the driving experience never lived up to what the spec would suggest.

I don't think I've ever seen a bad review of the SS. People that have driven them seem to love them. The main issue with the SS, is that they're expensive to build. Building in Australia is more expensive, that's why Ford and GM are stopping all Australian production in the coming years. The SS just allows GM to use up the remaining parts supply before they shutter all Australian production. By the time they're built in OZ, rebadged, shipped to the US, etc they have to have tiny profit margins so GM doesn't really want to sell them. They'd much rather send you away in a similarly priced Silverado, Camaro, or Impala which have better profit margins, and less impact on CAFE scores. And because they don't want to sell them en masse, they don't advertise them and the public just thinks they're another Malibu.

Also, I don't think there's a huge market for 400+hp, full size, RWD sedans. The SS and Charger Scat Pack are pretty much all you have, unless you step up 30k and play in the luxo BMW M/Benz AMG/Audi RS/Lexus F/Cadillac V market. I work in a town full of engineers and car guys and almost never see any of either one. I just don't think they sell well these days. When I am lucky enough to see one though, they really catch my eye as something special even if the average Joe has no clue.

In reply to STM317:

Just checked the range for SS Chevy's in my area 2016 used are $42k-$44k (there are two) and $50k for the 2 new ones.

The Pontiac G8 GXP 2008 is still in the high $30k.

I can buy a M5/M3 for similar money, miles and year.

Source: Autotrader search

In reply to FlightService:

I was only referring to new vs new to keep the discussion simple. Opening the topic to "how can I spend $45k on a RWD sedan" adds nearly infinite options, and to your overall point, a brand new Kia probably wouldn't be that high on the list.

Somehow I missed this old news until I saw the Motor Trend video a couple days ago.  Randy Pobst likes it.  That's important, right?

I want one.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tSWQTkbTYIQ

In reply to STM317 :

As much as I like the new Stinger, yeah, they are playing in the wrong playground with this thing. 

Also, the KIA badge still looks like it was designed by a third grader who just learned how to use a computer and choose fonts.

Kia and Hyundai are killing it. If I was handed any new car, I'd probably ask for a Genesis. This thing is great.

I think they can pull it off. Kia/Hyundai's reputations have been sneaking up on the Japanese.  If they want to be taken seriously they need to build serious cars and this looks pretty serious.

In reply to BlueInGreen44 :

That's a good analogy. I think the Koreans are doing to the Japanese what the Japanese did to the US back in the 70s. The Korean offerings are cheaper, more reliable, more exciting and with more features than their competitors.

In reply to tuna55 :

and I don't disagree with the car bit, I would just shave the badges before it left the dealership.  Not because I am ashamed of the badge because the badge itself makes the car look cheap.

And they have a cool badge that people are knocking off to swap...

knock off set.


 

BlueInGreen44 said:

Somehow I missed this old news until I saw the Motor Trend video a couple days ago.  Randy Pobst likes it.  That's important, right?

I want one.

 

 

 

I watched that the other day as well. I'm a huge Randy Pobst fan but, he is not very good reading a script. That was a little painful to watch.

I think more people making RWD vehicles are a good thing. And I do like the looks of the car. But I'm not sure I could be convinced to give my hard earned money for it.

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock :

What's nice is that it's a Kia. So next year it'll be worth half and still have 4 years of warranty. 

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock :

I liked Randy reading a script better than some of the other motor trend guys trying to be Jeremy Clarkson. For a racing driver he's pretty comfortable in front of a camera and I think he'd get better with more practice.

As for the car I hope it does depreciate like a Kia and I can pick one up in a few years. It seems like the ultimate dad-mobile.