If the Stinger didn't exist, what would you have bought?

[Dodger Blue]

But enough of me and my intermission. Let's get back to the two stars of this post.......this is gettin' good...I'm still waiting for Jerry Springer/Steve Wilkos to pop on here and say the "DNA test is back and you are!(or are not)! The owner of that car! "
All said in good spirit everyone.

This might be my favorite thread on this forum, full of great flashbacks like yours, and some sleuthing to boot. I always have been a sucker for a good detective story.

 

[Mikia]

C8...wish I would have waited but then again I would still be waiting.

 

[5tinger]

The previous generation Lexus IS (2012 model) felt like a rolling bank vault.
It was so solid feeling. I'm not sure if it's a Lexus thing but honestly that car was so well insulayed & screwed together tightly, felt like a tank.

 

[Gargamel]

If the stinger didnt have existed, i would kept my Volvo V70 Classic 2017.

 

[YEH]

I concur with this. Granted I have only had my M240i for about 3 months now, but within that same time frame my Stinger developed the horrible sunroof popping, and continued to develop more noises thereafter. As of now, so far, the BMW only has a couple noises, none of which are a huge concern yet - little ticks in the plastic accent part on the dash due to heat/cool expansion contraction, goes away after a few miles, and a little tick in the door frame, pretty sure it's those weird hard felt-like seals that German cars use. A shot of Gummi Pflege seems to make it subside for a while.

Just be glad you did get a Benz (11:25 mark).

And there are known BMW rear rattles/noise issue.

This, of course, doesn't excuse the noise issue w/ the hatch on the Stinger, esp. as the no.1 culprit is an incorrectly sized washer, which is cheap fix.

Overall though, the BMW has a few things that feel more refined like the way the back end thuds over bumps (substantially less boomy any more solid sounding than the Stinger). Also the handling is just more planted feeling in the BMW, the Stinger had a weird loose squirminess to it, the back end never felt quite right from the factory, almost sloppy feeling. The interior of the BMW has some higher quality materials like more soft touch surfaces and a little less hard plastic.

Sometimes wonder if the rear squirreliness wasn't intentional (some people like it and think it's fun) as Biermann's team is capable of a more tied down suspension as seen in the G70 (which actually has gotten more praise for its suspension/ride than the 3er).

It's not like HMG isn't known for making running changes either.

For instance, the i30 Fastback N got a diff. suspension tune than the i30N (making it more compliant as there were complaints that it was too harsh on bad roads) - which made its way into the i30N even before its F/L.

Underneath, the adaptive dampers are unchanged, and they continue to play their part in the N’s frankly bewildering variety of driver modes.

The changes come in physical suspension bits, and there are plenty of small modifications. At the front, the wishbone bush angles have been reduced, the bump stops are 7mm longer than before, the spring rates have been reduced by five per cent, and the anti-roll bar is a millimetre slimmer.

At the back, there’s less camber than before and Hyundai has beefed up the mountings for the gearbox and differential, while the stability control system has been remapped – presumably to take into account the vehicle’s different behaviour.

And it does behave differently. We’re not talking a night-and-day revolution here, but this i30 N does feel a little bit more capable on UK tarmac than the original. Weirdly, softening off some aspects of the set-up just allows the car to settle and get its house in order on bumpy British roads. And if it’s not bucking, thudding and skipping around on the rougher stuff, it’s better able to cope with cornering forces and inputs – as well as being just that little bit more open to extra squeezes of the throttle.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/hyundai/i30/101559/new-hyundai-i30-n-2020-review

While agree that that they should have revised the suspension set-up (likely are doing so for the F/L), probably a reason why they didn't do so earlier when they have gone ahead for the i30N (while a big success for Hyundai in Europe, esp. Germany) despite it selling in lower volume.

 

[Dodger Blue]

Sometimes wonder if the rear squirreliness wasn't intentional (some people like it and think it's fun) as Biermann's team is capable of a more tied down suspension as seen in the G70 (which actually has gotten more praise for its suspension/ride than the 3er).

Could be. Fortunately for people who don't like it, rear swaybars are a relatively cheap and easy mod that completely solve that wiggle.

 

[Flameangel]

I was tossing up between a Mustang Gt and the Kia Sorento, then when the Stinger appeared I tossed up between that and the Sorento.

 

[eflyguy]

I was tossing up between a Mustang Gt and the Kia Sorento, then when the Stinger appeared I tossed up between that and the Sorento.

Love my 2015 Sorento. Not one issue in over 65,000 miles. Plan to keep it until the wheels fall off..

 

[Nasscar]

I was tossing up between a Mustang Gt and the Kia Sorento, then when the Stinger appeared I tossed up between that and the Sorento.

Sorento....I know they are a good family car but can't hold a candle to the Stinger for obvious reasons. Having said that, I will probably buy the next generation Sorento to replace my Jeep Cherokee.

 

[NIU_Huskies]

No offense to anyone who likes Mercedes but I find their styling to be so ugly--on their cars and SUVs.

 

[Flameangel]

Sorento....I know they are a good family car but can't hold a candle to the Stinger for obvious reasons. Having said that, I will probably buy the next generation Sorento to replace my Jeep Cherokee.

I was considering it for practical reasons, we have two dogs, it has lots of room, never owned an SUV and had that high driving experience.
Hubby hates SUV's ( you can't see around the bloody things ) lol but he does drive a Cerato hatch .
One day in the future when I'm feeling more sensible and old maybe I'll get one. I really like the new gen Sorento GT Line, it looks gorgeous inside, has really nice ambient lighting ( better than the Stinger's ) and I like it's new front and rear lights. The new gen Kia's rear lights are reminiscent of the Mustang's lights.

 

[Alphazone]

At the time I was car shopping.. IS 350, Acura TLX, and GS 350.. I somewhat looked into SUV's as well (RDX and RX) since literally all my family members were telling me to, but ended up not getting it since its just myself and why do I need a huge car, maybe when I'm older i'll consider a SUV

 

[MisterMac]

This is what I traded my Stinger for and I'm so happy I made the change. It's like driving a piece of heaven, quiet, wicked fast, comfortable. It is everything I had hoped my Stinger would be. The Stinger is a good automobile. It just isn't refined enough for me.

 

[Nasscar]

This is what I traded my Stinger for and I'm so happy I made the change. It's like driving a piece of heaven, quiet, wicked fast, comfortable. It is everything I had hoped my Stinger would be. The Stinger is a good automobile. It just isn't refined enough for me.

Booooo....on a Stinger forum too. A Mercedes, that's sacrilege.

 

[Nasscar]

As John Cadogan would say, the 3 pointed swastika.

 

[MisterMac]

As John Cadogan would say, the 3 pointed swastika.

Fear the S Class star, it's the ultimate car. Once you drive an S Class, every flaw in your current ride will be forever magnified.

 

[Nasscar]

Fear the S Class star, it's the ultimate car. Once you drive an S Class, every flaw in your current ride will be forever magnified.

Yes but I am sure you paid an inflated price for that 'refined' ride.

 

[MisterMac]

Yes but I am sure you paid an inflated price for that 'refined' ride.

Not really. I got $38k trade value on my Stinger GT2 AWD (25,000 miles on it) and paid $43k for the S with 34,000 miles on it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the Stinger a bunch. It was my back that made me find something more refined.

 

[stingerbeagle]

Yes but I am sure you paid an inflated price for that 'refined' ride.

I think the way I would put it is that if you were willing to spend the money on a Merc/BMW/Lexus/etc. before, then you should be very careful when bargain-hunting on a Stinger, that it still meets your baseline requirements for refinement.

But if you were going to spend Accord/Camry money, then the Stinger is an incredible step up for a very small premium (e.g. I barely paid more for my GT2 than an Accord Touring).

P.S. I'm referring only to what you're willing to spend and am not commenting at all on how much money you have in the bank. There are lots of millionaires driving 10-year old Corollas. In fact, that's why they're rich and I am not

 

[Nasscar]

Not really. I got $38k trade value on my Stinger GT2 AWD (25,000 miles on it) and paid $43k for the S with 34,000 miles on it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the Stinger a bunch. It was my back that made me find something more refined.

Fair enough. At least you saved thousands by buying second hand. Those luxury car prices drop like a stone after they drive out the dealership.