What did you cross-shop with the Stinger? (440i, A5, G70)

[eflyguy]

Hehe... he gave them a gronk score..

Personally I drove the Lexus RC-F, BMW M3 & M4, and AMG C43. I also had the LS-500, C65 AMG, Mazda Q50 and Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio on the list.

This was before I knew the Stinger was coming, after which I also looked at the G80(V8) and Sport (TTV6), but didn't bother driving them until I had driven a Stinger.

The RC-F feels very heavy compared to the Stinger, and has no rear leg room. It feels like you would think the Stinger should, but doesn't.
M3 drives great, noticeably more agile, but is also too small. Sounds great.
M4 drives about the same as the Stinger, and sounds awesome. Stayed on my list.
C43 drives the same as well, and has a bi-mode exhaust with sounds lovely. Was at top of my list.

I didn't bother with the C65 as I wanted to wait until the LS-500 came out, but reviews of the LS were enough to turn me away, and so I scratched the C65 off as well.

Never bothered driving the Q50 or Alfa, no rear leg room. I won't bother with the G70 either, because I already know there's no rear leg room.

... and I scratched the bigger Gennys because they are no more roomy, and far less exciting, than the Stinger.

I'm single and rarely carry passengers BUT when I do, it needs to be comfortable and easy to enter/exit. I work in a high tech industry and occasionally drive executives to/from lunch, hotels, or the airport. Most of these that I say are "too small" allow most people to get comfortable for a long drive, but getting in and out is difficult. I tried with the Alfa, RC-F, Mazda and M3, and they just wouldn't work for me.

 

[Waynerm002]

The G80 is roomier than the Stinger, not as exciting but not too bad. Drove it before the Stinger and while I liked it, it certainly didn't feel like the Stinger on the road and to me, the steering wheel was small which felt strange. That said, it would be nice if the Stinger had a beefier steering wheel.

 

[westcoastGT]

Hehe... he gave them a gronk score..

Personally I drove the Lexus RC-F, BMW M3 & M4, and AMG C43. I also had the LS-500, C65 AMG, Mazda Q50 and Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio on the list.

This was before I knew the Stinger was coming, after which I also looked at the G80(V8) and Sport (TTV6), but didn't bother driving them until I had driven a Stinger.

The RC-F feels very heavy compared to the Stinger, and has no rear leg room. It feels like you would think the Stinger should, but doesn't.
M3 drives great, noticeably more agile, but is also too small. Sounds great.
M4 drives about the same as the Stinger, and sounds awesome. Stayed on my list.
C43 drives the same as well, and has a bi-mode exhaust with sounds lovely. Was at top of my list.

I didn't bother with the C65 as I wanted to wait until the LS-500 came out, but reviews of the LS were enough to turn me away, and so I scratched the C65 off as well.

Never bothered driving the Q50 or Alfa, no rear leg room. I won't bother with the G70 either, because I already know there's no rear leg room.

... and I scratched the bigger Gennys because they are no more roomy, and far less exciting, than the Stinger.

I'm single and rarely carry passengers BUT when I do, it needs to be comfortable and easy to enter/exit. I work in a high tech industry and occasionally drive executives to/from lunch, hotels, or the airport. Most of these that I say are "too small" allow most people to get comfortable for a long drive, but getting in and out is difficult. I tried with the Alfa, RC-F, Mazda and M3, and they just wouldn't work for me.

...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm tell us more about the Mazda Q50 ..............................

 

[eflyguy]

Oh yeah sorry.. they're all the same anyway!
(Is that the car equivalent of being racist?)

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

Hehe... he gave them a gronk score..

Personally I drove the Lexus RC-F, BMW M3 & M4, and AMG C43. I also had the LS-500, C65 AMG, Mazda Q50 and Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio on the list.

This was before I knew the Stinger was coming, after which I also looked at the G80(V8) and Sport (TTV6), but didn't bother driving them until I had driven a Stinger.

The RC-F feels very heavy compared to the Stinger, and has no rear leg room. It feels like you would think the Stinger should, but doesn't.
M3 drives great, noticeably more agile, but is also too small. Sounds great.
M4 drives about the same as the Stinger, and sounds awesome. Stayed on my list.
C43 drives the same as well, and has a bi-mode exhaust with sounds lovely. Was at top of my list.

I didn't bother with the C65 as I wanted to wait until the LS-500 came out, but reviews of the LS were enough to turn me away, and so I scratched the C65 off as well.

Never bothered driving the Q50 or Alfa, no rear leg room. I won't bother with the G70 either, because I already know there's no rear leg room.

... and I scratched the bigger Gennys because they are no more roomy, and far less exciting, than the Stinger.

I'm single and rarely carry passengers BUT when I do, it needs to be comfortable and easy to enter/exit. I work in a high tech industry and occasionally drive executives to/from lunch, hotels, or the airport. Most of these that I say are "too small" allow most people to get comfortable for a long drive, but getting in and out is difficult. I tried with the Alfa, RC-F, Mazda and M3, and they just wouldn't work for me.

Yeah, I’m ocd about research, so had to make a scorecard. So you were looking at cars that cost a lot more money, at least new. The S5 is my favorite among the competitors, but can’t see spending $65k on a weekend car. Are you happy with the level of luxury in the Stinger given you’ve tested very high end competition?

 

[eflyguy]

Yes. My GF has a CLS and it's comparable.

My budget was around $100k, so, yeah..

Do you know what a DougScore is?

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

Yes. My GF has a CLS and it's comparable.

My budget was around $100k, so, yeah..

Do you know what a DougScore is?

Thanks...Now I do! I like the Alex on Autos guy.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Do you know what a DougScore is?

Yes. It's when I win another slot car race!

 

[westcoastGT]

Oh yeah sorry.. they're all the same anyway!
(Is that the car equivalent of being racist?)

I think it may be anti brand snob , but this is a work in progress

 

[washguy]

We cross shopped a Sonata with the Stinger My GF was turning in her lease 350 lexus...I never grasped the lease thing....so she needed a car that would fit her budget.....so a few Saturdays ago went and looked at Sonatas....it was raining so no test drive...Monday for sure....landed on the Kia site Saturday nite and then landed here and I was hooked....read all I could here and was ready for the car pusher on Monday....raining on Monday just as we rolled out of dealership in a gt2 for a test drive....once around the block for each of us....got sick Tues /weds...and Thursday drove the car off the showroom floor to our garage.....How in the heck did this happen? Got the badges from Sal on Saturday...ok my name is Wash..and I am an addict....how many steps are in this stinger program? lol Wash

 

[westcoastGT]

wel

We cross shopped a Sonata with the Stinger My GF was turning in her lease 350 lexus...I never grasped the lease thing....so she needed a car that would fit her budget.....so a few Saturdays ago went and looked at Sonatas....it was raining so no test drive...Monday for sure....landed on the Kia site Saturday nite and then landed here and I was hooked....read all I could here and was ready for the car pusher on Monday....raining on Monday just as we rolled out of dealership in a gt2 for a test drive....once around the block for each of us....got sick Tues /weds...and Thursday drove the car off the showroom floor to our garage.....How in the heck did this happen? Got the badges from Sal on Saturday...ok my name is Wash..and I am an addict....how many steps are in this stinger program? lol Wash

wecome to the addiction centre !

 

[eflyguy]

I think it may be anti brand snob , but this is a work in progress

One day, we'll be known to be as bad as BMW drivers..

(wait.. I almost bought one....... )

 

[TV3]

I really wanted a Chevy SS but they were out of production by the time i was ready to buy and the Stinger was at the top my list too.

 

[westcoastGT]

One day, we'll be known to be as bad as BMW drivers..

(wait.. I almost bought one....... )

I've got that t shirt , I had 9 !! I could teach the course !!!

 

[eflyguy]

Well, that explains a lot!

 

[Metalmania82]

As soon as I saw that it was definitely being produced and coming here to the states, I decided I definitely wanted one, barring any major issues at launch. I've worked at several dealerships and driven a variety of cars of all sorts of power numbers and luxury and comfort and quality. I currently work at a BMW dealer and have driven the 340 and 440 and have definitely decided the Stinger is a better all around car, for sure.

 

[GRStinger]

First, thanks for everyone's insights. This site is a goldmine for a prospective Stinger owner.

Having driven all these cars (except the yet to be released G70), here's my highly subjective evaluation.
View attachment 11840
I've seen some comparative posts get heated, so hoping to avoid that here and keep it respectful. Of all the things I'm looking at, the Stinger is unquestionably the most fun and seriously wins bang for buck. That's not my only criteria and I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around a $50k Kia, as I'm sure some of you might have. All of these cars will get hammered on depreciation, so I didn't include that, but it's a bit of an unknown with the Stinger.

What are your thoughts? How did you decide to pull the trigger on the Stinger? We are buy and hold car owners, so I want to go into this with as much info as possible.
Thank you.

I like that you went thru the rating system on your cross-shops. Cool. Just a couple of nits to pick. IMHO: I think the reliability score is bit low. Yes, it’s a first model year, but KIA is way up there in JD Power rankings, plus you get huge piece-of-mind with the KIA 10yr/100,000 warranty (I’ve had my GT2 since May, have put 12k miles on it, and not one problem, creak, or rattle). I also cross shopped the A5 Sportback, and yes, the Audi’s have great interiors, but again, I think your score for the Stinger – especially the GT2 - is comparatively too low. Bigger deal for me was that the Stinger GT blows the doors off the A5 power-wise. You’d have to move up to the S5 for the same power, and you’re going to pay $15-$20k more for the S5. Oh, and I believe the Genesis 3.3T will go from $52,000 - $57,000. I also cross-shopped the Infiniti a Q50 3.0 V6 turbo. First drive was the same day as my first drive of the Stinger GT2. The Q50 was nice/snappy, but the Stinger absolutely blew it away, in my opinion. Like I said, I’ve had mine since May and have driven it a lot. I love the car, especially for it’s true GT characteristics: power, performance, style, luxury – plus, the added utility of the hatch and room for 4 adults. Absolutely no regrets. Some of the tech is a bit quirky to me, but that would also be nit-picking.
My 2 cents.

 

[NobleCrow]

I drove nothing but Audis for a time. Ended up getting a truck, but wrecked it. I was considering getting another Audi until I saw one of these driving down the highway.

After researching, i realized i could get more out of the Kia than an Audi, at half the cost. Plus, Kia really stepped outside the box on the design. Most companies have been playing it safe with their cookie cutter products.

 

[westcoastGT]

Well, that explains a lot!

now , now , now try to be kind .............I'm in German car rehab !! Bawaaaaaaa

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

I like that you went thru the rating system on your cross-shops. Cool. Just a couple of nits to pick. IMHO: I think the reliability score is bit low. Yes, it’s a first model year, but KIA is way up there in JD Power rankings, plus you get huge piece-of-mind with the KIA 10yr/100,000 warranty (I’ve had my GT2 since May, have put 12k miles on it, and not one problem, creak, or rattle). I also cross shopped the A5 Sportback, and yes, the Audi’s have great interiors, but again, I think your score for the Stinger – especially the GT2 - is comparatively too low. Bigger deal for me was that the Stinger GT blows the doors off the A5 power-wise. You’d have to move up to the S5 for the same power, and you’re going to pay $15-$20k more for the S5. Oh, and I believe the Genesis 3.3T will go from $52,000 - $57,000. I also cross-shopped the Infiniti a Q50 3.0 V6 turbo. First drive was the same day as my first drive of the Stinger GT2. The Q50 was nice/snappy, but the Stinger absolutely blew it away, in my opinion. Like I said, I’ve had mine since May and have driven it a lot. I love the car, especially for it’s true GT characteristics: power, performance, style, luxury – plus, the added utility of the hatch and room for 4 adults. Absolutely no regrets. Some of the tech is a bit quirky to me, but that would also be nit-picking.
My 2 cents.

Awesome, thanks for the reply. Nothing makes me more comfortable than hearing from real-world examples of current owners. I try to triangulate that with whatever is available through the survey companies (JD Power, Consumer Reports, et al). Many of my Audi friends have told me they've had very great reliability there too. I do like the security of the warranty, as we have tended to be buy and hold folks.

Maybe we could put the Stinger at a 4 for luxury, but there are some parts that bug me a little; for example, the seatbacks with the net seem a bit hard and cheesy.

I agree with you on the power. I'd have to step up to S5 for a similar feel and that's way, way more money.

Just curious, what do you pay for an oil change?