The Apollo 13 of Cars: Why The KIA Stinger was a "Successful Failure" 

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Just to be clear.... this man absolutely deserves everything that has come his way. I put a request out at the last minute back in 2016 to help with a prom run for my younger brother, after having just had a family death the focus was on the funeral, which was on the same day as the prom, the car for prom was an oversight on our part, but in true legendary style I got a reply from James who offered to take my brother in his Evora, I will be forever greatful for your generosity.

I think this is one of the nicest, warmest things I've seen on youtube in a while. Raw passion, emotion, and storytelling, I shed a tear watching (maybe a bit more). Thank you for this James

This brought back some of those memories having subscribed to the channel from fairly early on. I love this heartfelt account, but would suggest one of these is a great fit for your fleet, no matter how popular it is in your town. Even if owned briefly, wouldn’t that be a fitting tribute?

Nice video. Thank you. Having owned over 30 cars I had never purchased the same vehicle twice. That included several German and Italian brands. Until the Kia Stinger GT (red) in 2017. Then when they decided to discontinue it, and not being ready to go electric, I’ve now purchased the last of these. Loved it in 2017, and still love it. At 6’2”, I can sit behind my drivers seat and fit two golf bags in the boot. Plus the sound system is comparable to cars twice the price, if you tick the options list. When these simply have “the lot” as standard. Plus, as it didn’t sell as well it still gets looks and positive comments. Love it!

An inspired decision to combine two reviews into a single feature. If Kia did ambassadors, you would most certainly deserve the title! I'm settling in to explore your back catalog for Stinger footage from the US. Keep up the great work James.

That is a really nice story. You are on an interesting journey and I'm glad I found your channel. Unlike the youtubers 'I'm a wealthy prick and I just bought this rare hypercar for shitloads of money this week', your views are interesting and well put and it's fun to watch your videos. Good work, mate!

Videos like this one have made you one of my favorite motoring journalists. That said, I was also smitten by the Stinger when it first appeared in the US, and thought from Day One that the rear-end styling had Maserati written all over it. They are still a pretty common sight here, and while my budget put me in a Fiesta ST (no regrets… it’s brilliant), the Stinger still catches my eye and inspires a bit of envy. Thanks for this one!

I owned a 2.2 diesel Stinger for 2 and a half years and in December I received my Stinger GT. Absolutely fantastic cars, even the diesel one. Brings you great joy while driving it. I bought the GT knowing that they will cease the production. In my oppinion the STINGER IS ONE OF THE LAST REAL CARS suited for petrolheads and a real great price, if you don`t mind the badge. It will be a fantastic collection car in the near future. Your story was full of passion and emotion. Congrats.

That, is some story. And in the midst of the troubles and strife, and genuinely frightening things going on in the world it does restore a little faith in the ultimate kindness of humanity hearing of the great folks who came to your aid. As for the Stinger, I commented on your 370z review I’d never really want to part with it. But, having recently been out in one of these, I may well be changing my mind.

I've been watching your channel fairly consistently ever since that video you did about buying that god-awful MG ZS many years ago. You've become my favorite channel to watch by some margin and I now feel as though we can all join you in thanking Kia. Not only for the Stinger, but by taking the leap and playing what turned out to be large part in getting this channel off the ground. By the way, mate, you missed the chance to have a thumbnail of you sobbing uncontrollably. Would have got loads of views lol. Thanks for the videos, James.

I'm a proud owner of a 2021 facelift mode (already has the big infotainment and new taillights, but still the old logo). I don't regret getting it (factory new) at all. Really awesome value

I love this video. Watched a few of your past videos in the past, but this video just earned my subscription. Well done.

I own one of the top line stingers from when it first came out. KIA invited 24 owners from southern Ontario to a driver development day at Mosport. I was one of the lucky ones that got to par take in that. A full day with catered lunch, skid pad, slalom course and the track with a race/driver instructor in the passenger seat. All in KIA’s vehicles and you could push them as hard as your ability could. I’m still astounded to this day they invited people who had all ready purchased the stinger and didn’t have to sell us on it. The car has been great to this day and still puts a smile on my face. As Jay has said the fit and finish is great and the performance of the 3.3 with AWD is awesome. When I told my son what I was going to buy, he said “A KIA???” 😂 after he drove it….”WOW that’s amazing”

The best RU-vid videos are the ones that tell a story. As also a big fan of the stinger and curious of the youtuber lifestyle, this was a great watch. Thanks!

This has been one of the most enjoyable videos I have ever watched. Thank you very much for sharing it.

What a fantastic review/ode to the Stinger and to Kia, one of the very best I’ve seen for a considerable time. So heart felt and warming, especially when talking about your driver towards the New York skyline. With one of those birthdays coming up with a zero at the end, I had been thinking about a modern classic (Mercedes W124 coupe or convertible, or something similar), but having looked at a Stinger several years ago I was really impressed and perhaps I should be rethinking my plans. The colour of that one does look fantastic.

having only just seen your videos this is an amazingly energetic and brilliant video. definitely got a subscription from me. Thanks!

Another great video Jay I bought a 2018 gt in australia and it's been a dream to drive every day with no issues

New subscriber from the US. Great story, and love the car. Thank you for sharing. I'll help myself to the rest of your content. Cheers!

Just watched this and I find myself moved, it's rare these days to see men being able to share tearfull moments, jordan petterson does it well, but a car journo on a kia......nah, would never have believed it to be anything but pah pah.....but it wasn't. Utterly brilliant channel and now I think utterly brilliant fella....well done man, but trainers and a coat.....hahahahahaaa I guess every diamond has a flaw. You ever want to try an f type svr on ps4's give me a shout, it changes things a lot. Keep up the sterling work

You and Doug Demuro... 2 legends who truly deserve success.

I live in Columbus, OH. On the way home I was taking the freeway and there was a gray stinger with tinted window that was a under cover cop. I was exiting and they had their light and siren on.

Wonderful story. Thank you. Passion and integrity are so important.

A few years back I was helping my mom shop for a new car, ended up with a Kia Soul, but in the process the sales guy insisted I drive the Stinger they had on the lot. In a word IMPRESSIVE! I spent a few years in Germany in the army and managed to get quite a bit of autobahn wheel time in some medium to large sedans from Mercedes and BMW and the Stinger was every bit as nice a car as any of those euro power boats.

Probably one of the best videos I ever saw. Truly inspiring 🙌 Love and support from Portugal 🇵🇹

Great story. I have to admit that Kia has gone considerably up in my estimations. I have , on occasion , been known to forcefully defend Kia to some of my, less enlightened, petrol-head friends. Good job Kia PR. Nice work.

Bought a 2022 Stinger GT Line AWD two days ago. Love this car and nobody has them. I haven't seen a single one on the road yet. Lots of Kia's SUVs everywhere though. I'm done with SUVs though, never again.

As a 5 month old car youtuber, ty for the video, its tough getting content, most really dont take you seriously but you do meet some who gives you the space and confidence that you just do a good job and everyone's happy. Hope ill be able to chug along as you have

Just had a look on Autotrader. Stinger prices seem pretty strong in the UK and also here in Estonia.

Great video, Love the stories from the channel’s early days. Sadly the Stinger launched as the answer to a question that no one was really asking. Love a powerful mid sized sedan but these are now showroom non sellers in favour of the ever popular performance SUV’s.

I always liked the design. But I can't really use a sedan. It proves that reasonably priced cars don't have to be ugly.

James, what a lovely video. Keep it up mate 👍

One of your best videos and a great story :) So glad you got to take an amazing trip...

The only things it lacks for me are frameles doors and AWD. Great car all round!

The ironic thing about its placement in the market is that its german counterparts, at least in the states, In 10 years, their cars are going to be worth less than 20k on the used market. I think the stinger GTs are going to still be worth in the 30K range by then.

Great video and storytelling 👍

love your videos! could you make a video of your top 10 cars?

Wow, this is a funny coincidence. I was out on a drive on the Autobahn yesterday when a quad-exhaust sports car came flying past that I had never seen before but looked really beautiful. I was curious what it was so I went after it and caught up to it eventually, though it took some effort to do so. To my surprise it was a Kia, I wasn't aware they made cars like this since you don't see the Stinger here often and Kia's don't usually look like this. So when I came home I researched it a bit and I even played around in the configurator for a while, thinking that it really looked great, especially from the back. And now less than a day later, JayEmm posts this video like he has read my mind. Very cool, thank you Jay! This seems to be a great car with really awesome looks to boot! Too bad they stopped selling it in Europe. In the US it seems to still be for sale

What a cool story! Thanx for sharing! Awesome

Have you ever thought of remastering and reediting some of your old videos? I'd like to see that American trip for the first time and I suspect if you release it again today it will reach many more people Btw there's a little program that can convert lightroom presets into LUT files, yet to try it but if it works as it promises it can do wonders!

Big props for Kia for one thing not many people mention while talking about the Stinger - in the EU, the petrol versions have a oil change interval of 1 year or 10 000 km WHICH IS A GOOD THING!!! Means used examples should be that little bit better of with engine health than a similar VAG or BMW, where you see something stupid like 20 or 30k km between oil changes in turbo stressed engines

Oh and the Stinger might not be good on a track but it's unbelievably good on a twisty back road. It's weird, but the suspension seems to handle crazy cambered mountain roads better than a friggen' porsche and I've driven my Stinger back to back against my dad's former 2015 Cayman S and then his later 2015 911 4S. Neither of those cars felt like they had the torque (both Manual though) needed to handle the Tail of the Dragon in the way you'd want while also just feeling really boring until they felt scary. The Kia just felt more controllable through extreme twisties, never getting into understeer and giving you enough torque and confidence to smash the pedal and kick out the tail here and there without thinking you were about to launch off the mountain. Track is over-rated, I feel like the Stinger was tuned for fun, more akin to a BRZ or Miata if that philosophy could be used in a heavy sedan GT.

You made my eyes water, James. Good man.

I drove one of these and was blown away with how good this car is. I just need to work on not being poor so I can own one of these lol.

Honestly this video makes me consider Mazda 3 2023 to have another option in case that is not an option (Mazda 3) or this car i will accept my last car to own one day Honestly the story of you shared makes me considering this as my last car to ever buy

The people who could afford such a car went to a Kia Dealer. Saw Tellurides and Sorentos and went for those. Sedans like this just aren't appealing to folks who can actually afford it. People who want a car like this will probably go to other brands. This mainstream segment of sedans in the US has died really hard. Nobody cares about sporty handling or driving stuff. Never understood why car enthusiasts use that as an argument of why people should buy sedans. Even when sedans were much more popular, nobody went for the sporty options. Americans always have loved roomy cars. I think when we see a big sedan that is just barely bigger than a K5 or Camry vs a big three row crossover or truck at the same price it just doesn't seem like good value for money. Most people will tell you a sedan will look nice and they might think about having one. But when you are looking at what the same amount of money will also get you... well the sales speak for themselves

James, your success is well deserved!

There's four Stinger GTs that park on my small road in Tunbridge Wells. I'm always jealous of them.

That stinger is oretty much a reimagined jaguar xf, all the controls are in pretty much the same place

Great video Jay, loved it 😊

The harder you work, the luckier you get. Well done.

21.10, you got yourself a subscriber!

Well done James...u have to go with your gut 🎉

Doug DeMuro bought one for his daily. That speaks volumes.

I have always liked Kia. There fun cars were just that. Fun.

Always a car I loved. I think the only reason I wouldn't buy one is because the G70 Genesis is available

This is a brilliant video

A ripping yarn. Enjoyed this very much.

The strange think about kia is that when you get over any badge snobbery their cars are fun to drive from the dearest to the cheapest...starts with Picanto which is a fabulous supermini

About time for people that talk about fuel economy to know that there are two different galon systems ... and the British galon is larger....

Very good story!😄

I am trying to find the Kia Ceed video. Any chance of linking it?

Im very impressed this looks like an AUDI A5 or another maybe Audi A6 looks like an AUDI ,Id swap my E38 for one of these ,

These are everywhere in the states

The Orange one on PH,s today brought me here. I like these.

Awesome!

I can tell you exactly why it did not sell well, people would rather pay for a badge then a decent car. I have bought 2 brand new in the last 18 months. I had my 1st for exactly 6 months and lost it in the floods here in Australia. Went and got another 1 without a thought best car i have ever owned. I have worked for a mechanic for almost 2 decades so when i say best car i have ever owned i have been around a few. Now i do not pretend to know how England works with your cars but way easier for you to get into a Merc or i dare say a decent BMW as there really arn't any then you can here in Australia especially with our bullshit luxury car tax such a joke. Now when i got my Stinger i was offered a special kit to remove the badges from the car so no-one could see it was a Kia. That is straight up badge snobbery, idiots in the public have been brainwashed to think if it has a merc or bmw badge on it it is a good car. That is a load of horse shit, personally i would not touch any of those brands with a 40ft barge pole again worked for a mechanic for 2 decades. That is it pure and simple the brand of old is not the same as the Kia of today, the Koreans have hit their stride like the Japanese car manufactures of the 80's and 90's did smashed those others out of the park. Same thing is now happening with Kia, problem is they have not done a very good job building that reputation as Mercedes and Bmw have imo is not true as those are complete shit. Kia will never see me in a Kia dealership ever again now they have discontinued my car. I told them when i picked my second 1 up if you do this you will not only lose me but a ton of people i know who all own Stingers. I will not touch that EV6 pos even with someone else's barge pole lol. Electric garbage complete rubbish. Loved your vid mate and oh how i waited for my car over 12 months for the 1st 1. I got the Top of the range with all the bits Silky Silver with the Red Leather interior. :)

Hyundai/Kia make some extremely generic cars. Generally good looking, generally alright preforming, generally good features, generally well put together and generally a little less than much of it's competition. People talk about them taking ideas, and concepts from other manufactures, I take the and say, as long as the product they are selling is worth it, I don't really care. It's never the best, but it's often a good package. I ended upgoing on a 5600 mile road trip across Canada in a Hyundai rental and a little bit after that, I ended up in buying a Hyundai. The car has treated me very well. I ended up driving around in a Kia Stinger, and a few other performance Hyundai/Kia and overall, I've had a ton of fun in them.

Simply: 👍

I've owned the 2.0L and currently the 3.3L and in 5 years of Stinger ownership they've never put a foot wrong mechanically, always put a smile on my face and been brilliant. I genuinely look forward to every drive in it and always look back at it when walking away. 6000 mile/6 month services aren't really that much of a problem. Every other service is just an oil and oil filter change and you can get 6 services/3 years of servicing for around £1000 through a dealer service plan. Fantastic value to maintain a near 400hp V6 car. Brilliant car and I feel sorry for the snobs who dismissed it. Ultimately it's their loss.

I really enjoy hearing about the journey of your channel along with a car review, genuinely fascinating and it restored my faith in humanity a little to hear how much help you got from the car community to make it happen, great vid.

Amazing story. i felt that when you said you cried, its like you achieved something and you were really proud of it and couldnt believe you made it to that point. keep climbing, youre not done yet!

That really reasonated with me James. I'm a Brit from Worcester UK (A little older than you, the 80s were my "primetime") and my life journey has taken me all the way to SoCal via Canada, Virginia, and Pennsyvania. It was a completely unplanned journey as my career went from strength to strength from a small town UK engineering apprentice. My surreal moment was a business trip to San Fransisco, a convertible V8 Mustang rental in tow, and driving over the Golden Gate, Top Down, as Adam and the Ants came on Sirius FM 🙂It was just a "pinch yourself" moment, and yeah, also teary. Along the way a 911 Carrera S came along - A dream from my boyhood in the 70's- all because of the little opportunities and chances you take in life. Well done mate!

Your videos on the Stinger were part of my decision to buy one. I have had my 3.3 for 2.5 years now and done 36k miles. Love it to pieces and genuinely turns heads everywhere and starts so many conversations. I have an aftermarket Borla exhaust which really makes the V6 sing and how it should have been from the factory in my opinion. I never plan on selling and love it dearly. Great video as always

Ah, mate, not gonna lie thought you were a bit up yourself few years ago when I came across your channel, but very much warmed to you over the years, and this genuinely brought a tear to my eye. Bloody lovely video. And clearly never got near a Stinger, but always thought what a handsome motor car. And so happy how Kia / Hyundai have broken out of that Daewoo / Proton niche to become a proper innovative player 👍😃

Fantastic to see a Great You Tuber showing genuine gratitude for the kindness of manufacturer's & good fortune that his hard work has produced. Long may it continue.

Odds are the Stinger will become a classic car in the future. For one it was a reasonably priced halo car in an era where none of those drop below 7 figures, the fact KIA decided to build a sedan in a world where most people buy crossovers will probably place it among the few memorable saloons of this decade. If you want one, now's probably the best time to find one. Also, on a more personal note, I discoved your channel years ago with a video about the Mercedes Benz CLA. It's nice to hear these stories, as a bit of inspiration to us all!

Absolute legend mate. You got across in a way that had me looking for used Stingers 7 minutes into the vid. Cheers and best of luck moving forward. We'll be here to see it

This guy deserves a sub, even if I don't ever watch another vid of his. This was so well shot, composed, and doesn't come off gimmicky or over indulgent. Lovely stuff.

What an incredible love letter to an incredible car. As a born and raised Buffalonian who knows the exact travel time to Nashville Tennessee is right around exactly 12 hours and as a huge Kia Stinger fan, this story really hit near and dear to my heart.

I started motoring journalism back in 2013 when I was studying automotive engineering. This content brings so many memories of mine. Thanks for sharing this story James. You have become pride and prime member of British motoring journalism.

The story of the Stinger is one that has been replicated by many other saloons - now sadly withdrawn, mainly due to the current mania for SUVs - by other manufacturers: Honda Accord, Honda Legend, Mitsubishi Gallant & Diamante, Nissan Primera & Maxima, Toyota Avensis & Camry, Infiniti Q50, Hyundai i40, soon to be axed: Vauxhall Insignia, Ford Mondeo, Jagaur XE & XF, likely to be axed: Volvo S90, Mazda 6 etc. ....I'm sure I've forgotten others, but you get the picture.

Yet another superb video. I agree with you on the Stinger. I really, really like them. I have a 2021 Genesis G70 3.3T AWD which is the slightly faster, sharper version of the Stinger. Have met Stinger owners at car meets and we always have a good chat about the cars. Keep up the fantastic work. Its greatly appreciated by all of us!

Had a 2018 GTS and absolutely adored it. I cried for three days after it went ha ha! Seriously, it's a car that gets under your skin and you can't help but love it. One day I'd love another but to anyone looking for an owner's opinion on these things - then just get one! You'll love it too.

This has quickly become my most watched RU-vid channel. I find myself watching videos about cars that I would usually never care about, but the way that James delivers his content is incredible.

I've owned 3 Kia's. What I've loved about all of them is that they never tried to be something they weren't. The Stinger tries to be something, and it succeeds. My dream car isn't a Bugatti, or a Lambo, or whatever. I want a Stinger. And I WILL have it. I am glad your video popped up in my feed. This was great to watch.

Wow credit to you and Kia for such an amazing journey, what goes around comes around, I want one....

This is just a heartwarming video, I’m so glad all the pieces fell together and all your hard work is recognised and rewarded!

Again a lovely piece of genuine story telling, beautifully done, with a car review tacked on (I mean that as a compliment, really!) That’s the right way to do it, so much more involving than the approach of many RU-vidrs. I really like your new direction, it feels like you’ve found your niche here. Regarding KIA, your spot on, it’s incredible how quickly they’ve advanced. I’ve retired my Porsche 997.1 to a weekend car in favour of an EV6 GT and it’s shocked me that I really don’t miss the Porsche. I even took it on a trackday when it was just too wet for my track car!

Loved this video, James. As a Stinger GTS owner myself, I’d like to say a huge thanks to you. Your earlier videos on the Stinger are what really convinced me that buying one was the right choice. I previously had an RS5 B9 (had to sell due to my business closing) and most would consider the Kia a downgrade - I certainly did at the time. But, truthfully, I’ve grown to love the Kia far more than I ever loved the Audi. I’m now in to my 3rd year of ownership and still adore it. I’m in a ‘67 plate and am actually looking to upgrade to a facelift model this year (ideally a new one… never purchased a brand new car before). The plan then is to stay in a Stinger for as long as humanly possible! Again, great video James - keep up the good work!

I'm a 75 Yr. Old 335d driver and consider this a superb video . Your passion, story telling, and production is excellent. Thank you

Congratulations James, and thank you. For me this is the best video you have ever done. You captured the audience (well, at least this one 😊) on a new level. Combining the stories on you+Kia and you+RU-vid was a brilliant idea, but how you delivered them was even better. As a non Brit, brittish journalism can to me sometimes feel a bit distant (big generalization of course). Maybe it is a language thing, English is not my first language so I guess I don't get all the nuances but I often see focus on a lot of information, a lot of words. Very correct and "jolly" but a bit strict and you have to read between the lines to find the passion, the real feelings. In this video, when sharing your amazing experience from the trip to USA, you were brave enough to let your guard down and shared openhearted your emotions from this important time in your life. By doing do, you invited us to to take part in that experience on a new level. It was like I was there with you and for me, that is the difference from a good story and a great one. So thanks again and keep up the great work. 👍

I bought my GT the first month available for purchase after James may reviewed it on GT in 2018. I still love it. I have done some stuff to it. Makes over 500Hp and does mid 11s. gets up to 30mpg, seats 4 comfortably. Done many road trips in it. Its fun and reliable. people still look at it like they've never seen one. blows peoples minds when they realize how fast it is. Its just a great underdog car.

Brilliant video and a good recap on how the channel has grown. I was actually half expecting you to say that you decided to buy one because of what the car represents to you and the channel. I personally like the Stinger GT, it pretty much has got everything I would need in a car.

the most underated vehicle of all time. I didnt get a chance to buy it at the right time. but they were going for 29K here in the states at one point... it got that bad

I love how your story intertwines with this car... And, that makes me like it even more, and makes it even cooler than just the car I fell for in the JayEmm & Friends video. Great stuff!

This is your best video by far. The stories, your journey and the Stinger all came together beautifully. I appreciate the in depth journey.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story. I always appreciate it when a company takes a chance on you when they don't have to. I've had similar experiences with certain companies in the past and I'll never forget how well they treated me when I wasn't doing quite as well as I am now.

I think this is a a brilliant upload. I'd never really given the Stinger the time of day until now... It has to be said though, that you really come across well in this. A really emotional and enjoyable watch... Many thanks for sharing.