2022 Stinger vs. C43 Wagon or S5 Sportback

[Geebucks]

Update! The dealer loaned me a 2022 Stinger GT for the weekend. Overall, it's a great car, but there are a few detractors that might rule it out. I found the road noise pretty significant, and I say in comparison to my Golf R, which has identical tires, so I know it's not a tire difference.

The transmission is "meh" - even in sport mode or when using the paddles. Some small interior annoyances - couldn't fit my wife's iPhone in the wireless charging cubby. Not enough USB ports in the front or the rear. Kids booster seats make the rear seat belts impossible to latch without adult assistance - I'd have to get skinnier booster seats (I tried the fancy one I have for my Porsche 911 and it solved the issue - just not sure I want to spend $800 on new booster seats).

On the upside - plenty of power. The suspension was surprisingly well-sorted in both the soft and firm modes. In fact, I'd say considering this is a 4,000 lb car, they did one hell of a job on sorting out the suspension tuning. The updated interior with the more "rectangular" nav screen is really a big improvement over the previous model years. The switches/buttons are all well thought out and placed. One odd button tho - to skip forward one music track, you have to press *down* on the steering wheel toggle. Never come across a vehicle where this is the case.

I'm driving two contenders today (Volvo V60 Polestar hybrid + Audi S5 Sportback). I think, at the end of the day, it's going to come down to whether or not these other vehicles are appreciably better, especially with the large price gap. Will report back!

Let us know what you think of the V60. I've only sat in one - and it's beautiful - but I've heard the drive is much more FWD-esque than any of the others you've considered, due to the nature of the powertrain (ICE powering front wheels, electric powering back). Cool car though.

 

[jays2000]

Before I bought the Stinger, I checked out to S60. The Inscription trim especially has some nice luxury features. Beautiful car, but it's just so austere - I immediately felt 10 years older just climbing in.

Funny you mention the iPhone not fitting into the wireless charging pad. My 12 Pro Max used to fit until I bought a bulkier case. Perhaps a new case would work? Take it out and give it a shot first.

If price was no object (within reality) I would have gone for an S5 Sportback. Enjoy the hunt!

 

[koala]

Well, yesterday, I drove several vehicles back-to-back, albeit they were all short drives.

A5, V60 R-Design and V60 T8 Polestar.

There were things I loved and hated about all 3.

The A5 was surprisingly quick enough, and the 7-speed dual-clutch was fantastic - but I knew this going in as my brother has a MK7.5 Golf R, and that 7-speed DSG is so much better than the 6-speed DSG in my current MK7 Golf R. The deal-breaker for me is that giant screen floating on the dash. My god is that ugly. I can't get past it. The A5 did have a well-sorted suspension for sure. Better than the Stinger.

The Volvo transmission is even laggier and more terrible than the Stinger... but the plug-in hybrid, wow, what a system they have there. The idea of 35 km on pure electric is intriguing. The published HP and TQ are BS figures for sure, as it really wasn't any faster than my Golf R in stock form. The seats? Probably the most comfortable car seats I've ever been in. The R-Design felt slow AF, probably a lot of that is artificial as it's way quieter than the A5, and the laggy transmission probably doesn't help, either. That said, the Volvo's were hands down the best ride quality and interior fit/finish of everything. Not even a close comparison, IMO. If they had a dual-clutch transmission or an auto that didn't feel horrible I would have purchased the car on the spot yesterday.

So, I'm back to square one. I think I've ruled out every car I've looked at so far (The V60 R-design is going to need one more look, and I might take it overnight to get more seat time in it). I still need to test the pair of Mercedes wagons, so hopefully, there is something intriguing there.

One other car that I hadn't even considered is an A7. I feel dumb, but I didn't realize it is a liftback.

Is there anything else I'm missing? I'll consider any wagon or liftback out there. Just so long as it's not an SUV. The only other car I can think of is a Panamera Sport Turismo, but, frankly, it's just way outside my budget as spec'd the way I'd want one it is $190k and that just seems absolutely absurd to me. Would rather trade my current 911 for a 992 GT3 touring if I can get an allocation on one.

 

[Geebucks]

One other car that I hadn't even considered is an A7. I feel dumb, but I didn't realize it is a liftback.

Is there anything else I'm missing? I'll consider any wagon or liftback out there. Just so long as it's not an SUV. The only other car I can think of is a Panamera Sport Turismo, but, frankly, it's just way outside my budget as spec'd the way I'd want one it is $190k and that just seems absolutely absurd to me. Would rather trade my current 911 for a 992 GT3

I think you're going to have to compromise on something. Kia is good at everything, best at none. Volvo is best inside but the performance doesn't stack up to everything you're looking at (especially considering the price of the polestar). A5 is a slower stinger that's a bit nicer, S5 is a slightly faster stinger that's a lot more...

Honestly, I'd look at a last-gen S/RS7. It feels dated but solid; it's still nicely put together and has enormous performance and a great transmission.

For around the price of the Polestar, you could also look at an E53 wagon? It would probably be a bit more $$. I like the E class interior much more than the C, but you may be different.

I can't get in your head though - the R-Design is like 2.5 secs slower to 100 than everything else on your list, and yet it seems like it's still in the running. Go with what you can't stop thinking about!

 

[RedCal]

Well, yesterday, I drove several vehicles back-to-back, albeit they were all short drives.

A5, V60 R-Design and V60 T8 Polestar.

There were things I loved and hated about all 3.

The A5 was surprisingly quick enough, and the 7-speed dual-clutch was fantastic - but I knew this going in as my brother has a MK7.5 Golf R, and that 7-speed DSG is so much better than the 6-speed DSG in my current MK7 Golf R. The deal-breaker for me is that giant screen floating on the dash. My god is that ugly. I can't get past it. The A5 did have a well-sorted suspension for sure. Better than the Stinger.

The Volvo transmission is even laggier and more terrible than the Stinger... but the plug-in hybrid, wow, what a system they have there. The idea of 35 km on pure electric is intriguing. The published HP and TQ are BS figures for sure, as it really wasn't any faster than my Golf R in stock form. The seats? Probably the most comfortable car seats I've ever been in. The R-Design felt slow AF, probably a lot of that is artificial as it's way quieter than the A5, and the laggy transmission probably doesn't help, either. That said, the Volvo's were hands down the best ride quality and interior fit/finish of everything. Not even a close comparison, IMO. If they had a dual-clutch transmission or an auto that didn't feel horrible I would have purchased the car on the spot yesterday.

So, I'm back to square one. I think I've ruled out every car I've looked at so far (The V60 R-design is going to need one more look, and I might take it overnight to get more seat time in it). I still need to test the pair of Mercedes wagons, so hopefully, there is something intriguing there.

One other car that I hadn't even considered is an A7. I feel dumb, but I didn't realize it is a liftback.

Is there anything else I'm missing? I'll consider any wagon or liftback out there. Just so long as it's not an SUV. The only other car I can think of is a Panamera Sport Turismo, but, frankly, it's just way outside my budget as spec'd the way I'd want one it is $190k and that just seems absolutely absurd to me. Would rather trade my current 911 for a 992 GT3 touring if I can get an allocation on one.

The only other fast wagons I can think of are the Jaguar XF-S, and the CTS-V wagon and I think both are discontinued

 

[RIck-F]

Hi all,



The upsides to the Stinger, for me, are that it is $30k cheaper than anything else on my list and that it (should) be cheap and reliable. To be fair, doing my own maintenance work is a hobby, so the "expensive service" on the German cars isn't really that relevant. Even my Porsche 911 is pretty cheap to maintain when I'm doing most of the work myself.

Has anyone cross-shopped the Stinger vs. C43 / S5?

In 2019 I traded my 2017 M-B E400 Coupe in on a 2019 Stinger GT2. I really like driving the Stinger more than the E-Class. Before the M-B I had a 5-Series BMW, and before that another M-B . . . well this year, I traded the 2019 Stinger in on another Stinger!! And I did not do it to save the $20-30K-- I really like the Stinger.

 

[stoopid]

Is there anything else I'm missing? I'll consider any wagon or liftback out there. Just so long as it's not an SUV. The only other car I can think of is a Panamera Sport Turismo, but, frankly, it's just way outside my budget as spec'd the way I'd want one it is $190k and that just seems absolutely absurd to me. Would rather trade my current 911 for a 992 GT3 touring if I can get an allocation on one.

Based on what you have and your appreciation for a refined driving experience, it sounds like the Stinger (despite being good all around) is going to come in under the bar. From current models being produced (new), I'd say the RS Wagon is going to be the best fit for usability and performance. It's arguably overpriced, but unique for the level of performance offered.

2024 Audi RS 6 Avant performance | Luxury performance wagon | Audi US

With 621 HP and plenty of cargo room, the 2024 RS 6 Avant performance offers a fusion of sport and utility.

www.audiusa.com

 

[KAS]

In 2019 I traded my 2017 M-B E400 Coupe in on a 2019 Stinger GT2. I really like driving the Stinger more than the E-Class. Before the M-B I had a 5-Series BMW, and before that another M-B . . . well this year, I traded the 2019 Stinger in on another Stinger!! And I did not do it to save the $20-30K-- I really like the Stinger.

Interesting, I know someone who traded a 2017 M-B C300 on a Stinger and two other Aussie forum members traded their M-B C250s for Stingers too.

 

[Devin]

Well I sure hope @koala has made up their mind by this point, a year later!