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

[Montanaman]

I was really only looking seriously at the G70 but knew they had a new version coming out and that would have been closer to 60k loaded up like the GT1 AWD that I got. I'm 60 years old and while yes the G70 looks more "mature" I think it looks more boring. The Stinger is a totally unique look and heads turn with the Ceramic silver. I love that it has not sold well because I don't see one in every parking lot. I also like the "Grand Touring" aspect of it with a longer wheel base and the hatch back. It is a practical sports sedan that when you give it the whip it has a ton of power.

My last sports car was a C7 Corvette and I really liked it for awhile but as good as it was, I got sick of always worrying about curbing it and the ride was a bit loud and not a car I would want to do big miles in (even though it can). I've already had my fill of BMW's, Audi's and Porsche's and their associated costs so I wanted something different and getting this much car for about 43k is amazing to me. I say a G70 in the same color the other day and it did nothing for me. Yes it's a great car and has a bit more luxury to it but for me it was the Stinger.

 

[Transmetal]

Cross shopped a WRX, Nissan Maximum, Camry xse v6. Needed to stay under 40k. The wrx (which I see almost daily) start around 33k. Interior has a much cheaper look and feel, Subaru's don't have a very long warranty. Then there was the fact that I'd see them ALL THE TIME, still do. Maxima was over 40 for the sporty model. Has the weird CVT transmission and is still fwd. Camry interior was more spacious than the Stinger was decent, especially with the red seats. Still fwd, at least the price of a base awd gt or a bit more, looks a bit sporty but is still a Camry.

 

[7Andrei7]

I was looking at the VW Arteon R-Line 2.0l 280hp AWD and the Alfa Giulia 2.0l 200hp RWD. I ended up with the Stinger GT-Line 2.0l 245hp RWD.
I eliminated the Arteon because I decided to go for a RWD based platform and I was also coming from a VW Passat Sportline so I wanted something different.
Second, I really wanted all the confort stuff like premium sound system, sunroof, 360 cameras, leather ventilated seats + alcantara lining, LED or xenon adaptive headlights etc.. Adding all that to the Alfa made it about 8K more expensive than the fully loaded Stinger so the choice was pretty easy.
I was also considering the GT, which was only 7K more expensive and while the brembo brakes, adaptive suspension, LSD and more power looked like a nice upgrade, the 2000 EUR/year in extra tax&insurance made me think it's not worth it

 

[Montanaman]

I did have my heart set on the 2021 G70 as there are a plethora of them out here in the Phoenix area and I could have gotten the "sport" version loaded up for not much more than the Stinger. I did a test drive and of course could not get the full idea of what it can do but the acceleration and feel in a straight line felt the same to me. It feels and handles smaller than the Stinger because it is. Personally I don't like the over all exterior styling as much as the Stinger. It kind of looks bland to me like an Infiniti Q50. No real vents. The exhaust treatment is not as ballsy etc.

The Stinger has much more personality looks wise. The interior of the G70 is a bit more plush but not a game changer. Same infotainment and many of the buttons are similar. The biggest difference is the badge on the hood and that just was not important to me. A loaded up BMW 440i with AWD would have been 10-15k more and as much as it is a great car I still think the Stinger looks better. Not a fan of that new grill on the Beemer and no way would I buy a used Grand Coupe....

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

I did have my heart set on the 2021 G70 as there are a plethora of them out here in the Phoenix area and I could have gotten the "sport" version loaded up for not much more than the Stinger. I did a test drive and of course could not get the full idea of what it can do but the acceleration and feel in a straight line felt the same to me. It feels and handles smaller than the Stinger because it is. Personally I don't like the over all exterior styling as much as the Stinger. It kind of looks bland to me like an Infiniti Q50. No real vents. The exhaust treatment is not as ballsy etc.

The Stinger has much more personality looks wise. The interior of the G70 is a bit more plush but not a game changer. Same infotainment and many of the buttons are similar. The biggest difference is the badge on the hood and that just was not important to me. A loaded up BMW 440i with AWD would have been 10-15k more and as much as it is a great car I still think the Stinger looks better. Not a fan of that new grill on the Beemer and no way would I buy a used Grand Coupe....

I never actually test drove a G70 after sitting in it when I went to the local dealership. I think it's an incredible machine and definitely handles slightly better (according to reviews) than the larger and heavier Stinger. Unfortunately though, at least for me, I didn't want to shell out another ten grand for slightly/marginally better handling and only a few little more luxurious "goodies" in the car. Also, although I really like how the G70 looks, I prefer the looks of the Stinger much more. But that's just personal preference. If money was no object I would still have gone for the Stinger simply because I prefer the looks. But then again, if money was no object, I would not have purchased the Stinger over the S4 sedan or S5 hatchback lol.

 

[Tenterfieldsaddler]

I traded a 2018 Mustang GT manual in for mine. Looked at M3’s, AMG A45, and the RS3. All were great cars but even though I could have afforded them, once I’d driven the top spec Stinger I couldn’t justify the difference in price. I’ve driven about 15000km since May 2020. No squeaks, no rattles, no problems. Smooth as a baby’s bum.
I was particularly impressed with the feeling, finish and comfort of the interior. I think it matched the more expensive competition. It felt like I was sitting in a BMW.
I don’t use Sport Mode often, but enjoy it on tight winding roads immensely. Love the suspension on normal roads, it’s compliant enough for Australian (poor) roads yet somehow still hangs on like a tight-arse to a $100 Bill.
My only criticism is Kia should build a HP version with an extra 40-50kW and a few mods. Would sell heaps of them.

 

[hayagix]

I didn't need a new car. My Subaru was 2 years old and perfectly fine. I would have laughed if asked if I would buy a Kia before I saw the Stinger.

We knew our main entertainment would be taking drives with covid raging. We decided to buy something fun and exotic-like. Stinger filled the bill. 0 regrets.

 

[Ahillathehun]

We were first looking at an rc-f or rc350.. turned out to be a bad dealer experience with lexus. Well, bad may be extreme. I was just put off with their unwillingness to work with us or haggle. We make good money and have good credit. The rc-f was a stretch for budget, but we could easily afford the 350, but I refuse to pay sticker price. Apparently at lexus, you just pay sticker price lol.. instead of eating some of our negative equity or lowering the sale price a little, they just kept trying to push us into lower trim models. That's how we went from rc-f to 350.. at that point I was bothered by feeling like I had to compromise what we wanted when we didn't really need any favors from them. So we went to kia and bought the stinger a day later.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

We were first looking at an rc-f or rc350.. turned out to be a bad dealer experience with lexus. Well, bad may be extreme. I was just put off with their unwillingness to work with us or haggle. We make good money and have good credit. The rc-f was a stretch for budget, but we could easily afford the 350, but I refuse to pay sticker price. Apparently at lexus, you just pay sticker price lol.. instead of eating some of our negative equity or lowering the sale price a little, they just kept trying to push us into lower trim models. That's how we went from rc-f to 350.. at that point I was bothered by feeling like I had to compromise what we wanted when we didn't really need any favors from them. So we went to kia and bought the stinger a day later.

That's so strange to hear Lexus being so arrogant or difficult with a potential sale. I've been to multiple Lexus dealerships in the last two years alone... probably over a dozen at this point in the last five years... never really had an issue with negotiations or fair treatment. How did you like the RCF and how would you compare it to the Stinger you picked up? I test drove a 2017 RC350F (rwd) but if they had an RCF then I would of absolutely taken a look at that car.

 

[Ahillathehun]

That's so strange to hear Lexus being so arrogant or difficult with a potential sale. I've been to multiple Lexus dealerships in the last two years alone... probably over a dozen at this point in the last five years... never really had an issue with negotiations or fair treatment. How did you like the RCF and how would you compare it to the Stinger you picked up? I test drove a 2017 RC350F (rwd) but if they had an RCF then I would of absolutely taken a look at that car.

They weren't THAT bad.. ive just mostly been in the power position buying cars in my adult life, and didn't feel that way in this situation. Ive bought so many cars that even if I didn't get what I wanted right away, I'd leave a couple of times and they'd always call with a better deal. I had two visits here and that never happened..
I didnt get to drive the rc-f cause they didn't have one on site. It was kinda the beginning of the push for the 350 on their part. We were willing to wait on one, but they really wanted to sell a car in the lot. I drove the 350 and it was ok. My wife loved it and wanted it, but she didn't care about the v8 lol.. the 350 was the f-sport package, and other than being two doors and feeling more sporty, I think the stinger is much better considering theyre similar price points.

 

[stoopid]

Did a lot of armchair and youtube research. The Stinger isn't a secret since it was the auto review youtuber's sweetheart in 2018 and Kia was tossing Stingers at anyone with 2+ subscribers.

It came down to price and warranty, I wanted to stay within a certain budget and there weren't any steep discounts at the time on the G70 or might have test drove/purchased the Genesis instead. With a 6 year loan I wanted the drivetrain covered while paying it off. My prior vehicle was going to be cutting it close with only 16,000 miles remaining on the warranty and 3 years of payments remaining.

In hindsight, the Stinger GT has everything I really need (power, performance, solid ride, comfy seats, decent stock stereo, interior layout/aesthetic, hatchback). The used car market was peaking and getting out from under my prior vehicle was important, to mitigate the bit of gap in the prior car loan (GM vehicles depreciate very quickly) and the warranty running out. The decision making process was only a week's time from idea to securing the preapproved car loan to new vehicle, but I had been seriously eyeing the Stinger for 3 years.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

They weren't THAT bad.. ive just mostly been in the power position buying cars in my adult life, and didn't feel that way in this situation. Ive bought so many cars that even if I didn't get what I wanted right away, I'd leave a couple of times and they'd always call with a better deal. I had two visits here and that never happened..
I didnt get to drive the rc-f cause they didn't have one on site. It was kinda the beginning of the push for the 350 on their part. We were willing to wait on one, but they really wanted to sell a car in the lot. I drove the 350 and it was ok. My wife loved it and wanted it, but she didn't care about the v8 lol.. the 350 was the f-sport package, and other than being two doors and feeling more sporty, I think the stinger is much better considering theyre similar price points.

I liked the RC350F (rwd) but preferred the practicality of the IS350F (rwd) when I test drove both back to back. The numbers OTD price-wise were fantastic too. My family also has owned multiple Toyota/Lexus products in the past so we were very confident and familiar with their reliability and longevity. Amazing platforms. My only issue, outside of aesthetics, was just how much slower both Lexus cars felt off the line or in a straight. The irony was that I don't even gun it that often but it was very disappointing how weak their performance was for their price-point. I completely understand that most people buy these cars for comfort and luxury, but, when the Accord 2.0T or Camry XSE V6 that I test drove that day felt quicker... I just wasn't sure. I will admit that I found both Lexus cars just as "fun" to drive when it came to some throwing around on the turns but that weak off the line pull was very unfortunate. I also, and perhaps this is more personal preference, do like the looks of the Stinger more than the IS or RC even though I do find both of those vehicles stunning.

Did a lot of armchair and youtube research. The Stinger isn't a secret since it was the auto review youtuber's sweetheart in 2018 and Kia was tossing Stingers at anyone with 2+ subscribers.

It came down to price and warranty, I wanted to stay within a certain budget and there weren't any steep discounts at the time on the G70 or might have test drove/purchased the Genesis instead. With a 6 year loan I wanted the drivetrain covered while paying it off. My prior vehicle was going to be cutting it close with only 16,000 miles remaining on the warranty and 3 years of payments remaining.

In hindsight, the Stinger GT has everything I really need (power, performance, solid ride, comfy seats, decent stock stereo, interior layout/aesthetic, hatchback). The used car market was peaking and getting out from under my prior vehicle was important, to mitigate the bit of gap in the prior car loan (GM vehicles depreciate very quickly) and the warranty running out. The decision making process was only a week's time from idea to securing the preapproved car loan to new vehicle, but I had been seriously eyeing the Stinger for 3 years.

I remember watching countless videos about the Stinger on YouTube and I genuinely could not believe that a Kia would be so amazing to be compared to other phenomenal brands. I am very impressed by the Stinger as a whole but Kia needs to step up their customer service and support if they want to be taken seriously by those coming from higher brand names in the market.

 

[stoopid]

I remember watching countless videos about the Stinger on YouTube and I genuinely could not believe that a Kia would be so amazing to be compared to other phenomenal brands. I am very impressed by the Stinger as a whole but Kia needs to step up their customer service and support if they want to be taken seriously by those coming from higher brand names in the market.

While I agree (see past posts), I feel like that point is becoming a dead horse. I didn't buy the car to be pampered every 5-6,000 miles, and I've already determined where else I could get my service (non warranty) done if I did.

They're not losing the people already buying them, they're just not getting a foothold into the existing market of buyers that favor those other existing luxury brands. Maybe they don't even care to? Maybe they're carving out their own car buying demographic with the car?

F$%#, you sucked me into this discussion again.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

Love you too buddy! Lmfao!

 

[GenesisG70]

They weren't THAT bad.. ive just mostly been in the power position buying cars in my adult life, and didn't feel that way in this situation. Ive bought so many cars that even if I didn't get what I wanted right away, I'd leave a couple of times and they'd always call with a better deal. I had two visits here and that never happened..
I didnt get to drive the rc-f cause they didn't have one on site. It was kinda the beginning of the push for the 350 on their part. We were willing to wait on one, but they really wanted to sell a car in the lot. I drove the 350 and it was ok. My wife loved it and wanted it, but she didn't care about the v8 lol.. the 350 was the f-sport package, and other than being two doors and feeling more sporty, I think the stinger is much better considering theyre similar price points.

Yeah agree so bizarre think Lexus is thinking they make they cars in Maranello.

 

[YEH]

We were first looking at an rc-f or rc350.. turned out to be a bad dealer experience with lexus. Well, bad may be extreme. I was just put off with their unwillingness to work with us or haggle. We make good money and have good credit. The rc-f was a stretch for budget, but we could easily afford the 350, but I refuse to pay sticker price. Apparently at lexus, you just pay sticker price lol.. instead of eating some of our negative equity or lowering the sale price a little, they just kept trying to push us into lower trim models. That's how we went from rc-f to 350.. at that point I was bothered by feeling like I had to compromise what we wanted when we didn't really need any favors from them. So we went to kia and bought the stinger a day later.

That's odd because last quarter, Lexus averaged over $6k in incentives per vehicle sold.

 

[Chark]

Saw this article about the new K8. I see a lot of influences from the Stinger in it. Not many details about the powertrain, but it's a nice looking vehicle. Kia K8

 

[MerlintheMad]

Saw this article about the new K8. I see a lot of influences from the Stinger in it. Not many details about the powertrain, but it's a nice looking vehicle. Kia K8

Not for the US market, apparently; at least not anytime soon. That grille! Blech.

 

[stoopid]

Not for the US market, apparently; at least not anytime soon. That grille! Blech.

What's funny is that as the entire market pivots to electric vehicles in the coming years, grilles are going to become passé almost immediately since the electric vehicles don't need any air intake in the front for cooling, and by design wouldn't want much there to keep the drag coefficient down. So the very few who like the look and are driving the older gas powered cars are going to want them, but largely they're going to be a novelty like we look at cars from the 1950s and '60s with huge wings/fenders.

 

[Stingin' Away]

I'm all over the place in terms of cross-shopping... Here's evidence:

GC SRT, S7, S5 Sportback, Panamera, Stelvio, Guilia, Macan, Charger SRT, and a G80 Sport.

I like practicality with speed and I like sedans but also SUVs and so on.... This was the list back when I purchased in June '20. in '18 when they first came out, I lived in SD so it had to be the AWD GT but they were asking $48k for that, no thanks. I made the right choice, especially after having it and seeing the value you get.