I got the GT instead of the GT1 in part because of the shifter. From a design standpoint, the ham fist Audi thing in the GT2 is just fugly. From a usability perspective, I prefer to have an actual "park" shift, not a weird button setting park mode. The shifter in the GT looks better, and is superior from a functional perspective. As a bonus, it also has a dedicated "manual" mode, so if you prefer that to the
paddles, you've got both options. I don't know if anyone has tested it, but I think on Saabs, the stick changes were input by the car faster than the
paddles. It would be interesting if that were case in the GT. Other benefits the GT has are a mechanical steering adjustment. It's just the standard lever to unlock, you move the wheel where you want, and flip the lever back to lock. Sometimes I'll make a steering wheel adjustment at a red light, and I want that to be instant. With the upper trims, the steering wheel is adjusted by buttons and motors, so that's one more electromechanical thing to break, as well as being slow and cumbersome. I wish it had a real ebrake, which you could use during driving, but none of the stingers do.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to the GT is that it doesn't have that huge sheet of glass above your head, so you get lower cabin noise and a more rigid frame. You also don't have to deal with the glass exploding, as some forum members have experienced in their GT1/2's. The shifter was big for me, but the quieter cabin was the main reason I chose the GT over the GT1. My previous car, a Saab 9-3, had a sunroof I used all of three times. I would have happily traded that functionality for the reduced road noise of a real roof.
My disappointment with the GT would be in its stereo. I think it's rather poor, so will probably be upgrading that. I find it fatiguing, and fiddling with the tone controls didn't help. Switching amps and routing it through a dedicated equalizer should sort it, as I think the speakers should be fine.
There wasn't really anything in the GT2 that interested me except the LSD (Limited Slip Differential), but that is under $1,000 to add at a shop. I also liked the HUD, but you can buy GPS speedometer HUD's on Amazon starting at $30, so neither of those were worth an extra $10,000 to me. Then you're stuck with the glass roof on the GT1/2 and that ham shifter. I liked the larger LCD between the tachometer and speedometer, and might put the GT2 version in my car at some point, but that's pretty minor. I didn't test the sound system in the GT1/2, and reviews say it's decent, so that could be a plus.
I will say, if you're getting a GT, be sure to get the driver safety package. I didn't think I'd have any use for it, but the blind spot warning lights in the
side mirrors are actually quite useful given how limited the rear visibility is. Obviously lane assist and adaptive cruise control and all that stuff is nonsense, but you can turn all that off by pressing a couple buttons to the left of the steering wheel. It also gives you auto wipers, which are actually good (and there is a sensitivity rocker switch you can use to adjust it).
That's a bit long, but, yes, I certainly prefer the "T" style shiftier to the ham fist one.
Learn something new every day.
Also, Thunder Gray is my favorite color for a car. My Saab was was a very similar color. The best we have in the US, for my taste preferences, is Panthera. It's a really nice color, but I'd certainly take Thunder Gray if we had it, and I would have gotten the GT LTD trim too. Count yourself as lucky! 
