Dilemma: AWD or RWD GT2? Help

[Showkhin]

Hey guys, I'm hoping you can help with this dilemia I'm having, I'm torn between the 2018 AWD or RWD GT2. I've searched these forums and know the benefits/drawbacks of both but still can't decide.
So here's my situation:

I'm opting for the 2018 instead of the 2019 because the heated rear seats/surround camera aren't a deal breaker, and there are some very good deals on the 2018s right now. In specific, Kia is offering almost 2,000 more lease cash on the AWD over the RWD, which brings the cost of both to be about the same (I'll do a lease buyout)

I live in southern cali so AWD isn't necessary. I'll be getting either one with the 19" summer tires for sure.

So it just comes down to driving dynamics. Are either forms much MORE fun to drive than the other? I'm not a crazy car enthusiast so I don't go drifting on the tracks, but I love good road trips and hitting these curvy roads. I understand the RWD has a LSD, as the AWD does not, but the AWD has torque vectoring to give a RWD feel. From everything I've read, people say just go with the RWD. I plan to keep this car for a very long time so I'm wondering if I should lean towards the AWD in case I move back to the east coast or want to give the car to a family member in the east. Plus in cali you never know when you might find yourself on a gravel road... hehe

Any feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated guys! What do you guys think? Are the driving dynamics of the RWD that much worth it? Thanks!!

 

[NickUK]

depends how likely the scenarios are of moving to another location or giving it to a family member I suppose? I guess as they are playing on your mind, they are not that remote then?

 

[Kamauxx]

I would get RWD because it's faster (you know, for bragging rights) and you won't see snow/ice.

If you give the car to a family member back east they can just foot the bill for a good set of snow tires.

 

[Showkhin]

Hey Nick! It's likely the car will be on the east coast after 5 years. I just don't want to feel like I'm missing out on RWD fun (from all the youtube videos I've watched, they all say go RWD)

Kamauxx, thanks! Those are very good points So you'd say the RWD is def better irregardless of price?

 

[Menissalt]

Also worth noting that the RWD is a bit lighter by 194 pounds. That plus the LSD makes it faster and a bit more fun. You do lose out on the heated steering wheel though. For some reason that's only on the AWD.

Kia is also testing an updated platform with a heavily rear biased AWD with LSD for a future models but haven't confirmed it'll come to market yet.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Cost is c. the same, as you point out. So pleasure driving is the main or even only factor. RWD is for "purists": you've already admitted that you're like me, not really a car guy. Kia made the RWD standard on all trims simply to stay true to the "retro gran turismo": all of them were RWD cars "back then". The "gran turismo reinvented" schtick allows everything else, especially including AWD.

I got AWD simply because of its availability: had it not been an option, I'd still have a Stinger, and I'd adjust back to driving as I began, RWD only. I'm fine with RWD. Going directly to FWD for many years only made driving mostly easier. Combining both into AWD is simply common sense. The future driving conditions do not come into play when you have AWD: it is prepared for anything.

AWD fun? In Sport mode, you have 80% to the rear wheels, more than enough emphasis to model RWD "feel". AWD is the best of all possible worlds. This car is nothing less than FUN to drive, all the time. RWD would be different, but not more fun; unless, again, a purist "drifter" "burnout" sort of driver can't stand any power to the front.

AWD was fourth on my list of things I wanted, but it was negotiable: that is to say, as long as 1, 2 and 3 were offered, I could forget AWD if necessary (necessary being, at the time, driving away with my new car TODAY). I told the dealer my four wants (or, in the case of the first three, must-haves), and he found them and fetched the car for me (trading to get the Silky Silver from another dealer).

So, get an AWD.

(Oh, and the RWD is not "faster", it is quicker, which is not the same thing at all; a whole two or three tenths quicker zero to sixty. If you really want to shine at the drag strip, then by all means go RWD only; those venues are a Must Have RWD.)

 

[Kamauxx]

Kamauxx, thanks! Those are very good points So you'd say the RWD is def better irregardless of price?

No, I wouldn't say that. If I lived somewhere that saw a lot of snow/ice I would get AWD. But I wouldn't pass on RWD simply because there's a chance I might give the car to someone in the snow belt one day.

 

[Ucinn]

I got the AWD because of winters here.. if I wasn't worried about AWD, I would have gotten the 800hp Mustang from Lebanon Ford.

 

[Doel]

I would go with the RWD honestly. It's a little faster, it's lighter so better fuel economy, less wear parts in the drive train, and it's simply more fun when you want to drive aggressively. People seem to think an AWD just automatically has more grip than a RWD at all times, that just not the case. The AWD only has more grip when you're accelerating. It will not have more grip when you're braking, swerving to miss an obstacle, or just cruising.

The only times you're going to see a benefit from AWD is if you're accelerating out of a corner at the traction limit of the car, launching the car hard, or if you're on a road surface with very low traction and you're trying to get moving (sandy, icy, snowy, muddy, etc.)

 

[MerlintheMad]

The only times you're going to see a benefit from AWD is if you're accelerating out of a corner at the traction limit of the car, launching the car hard, or if you're on a road surface with very low traction and you're trying to get moving (sandy, icy, snowy, muddy, etc.)

That's like saying "yes" to AWD, from my worldview. Those situations happen a lot, anywhere, everywhere, anytime.

 

[MisterMac]

The AWD Stinger is my 79th car. I'm 53. I swap about every 6 months. Most of my cars have been RWD, several front wheel drive, and a few AWD/4WD. The Stinger is among the best AWD platforms available. Even with AWD, you have a sub five second car with a ton of fun factor in sport mode.

 

[MisterMac]

FWIW, I'm four months and 6,000 miles into my AWD Stinger and I still love it more than my tuned SRT 392 Charger. I'm not even close to thinking about going to something else.

 

[Showkhin]

Wow! Thank you everyone so far for reading this and sharing your thoughts and experiences. It's really helped a lot!

I actually drove the GT2 AWD (with summer tires) at one of the kia stinger experience events with the cones and stuff and absolutely loved it. You guys are right, I guess I'll have to try out a RWD car also and get a feel for both to see if I notice a real difference between the two.

From what everyone's said, it sounds like AWD might be better suited for me -- I'll love this quick car but won't notice a tenth off 0-60. My current car is a ford fusion with a 0-60 of like, 10 seconds hahaha. And the AWD system might be more beneficial if I find myself in a sticky situations the road. And it sounds like both drivetrains handle corning very well.

There were also some great points about safety between the two drivetrains I didn't consider. From what I've understood, AWD doesn't necessarily equate to more grip and safety, as that's more based on the tires. So a RWD in rain would be just as safe as an AWD in the rain with the summer 4s tires.

My question is, is there any determent to safety in the AWD system? Would it ever be bad to spin both the back tires and front tires in certain situations that would make it not safe?

 

[Menissalt]

My question is, is there any determent to safety in the AWD system? Would it ever be bad to spin both the back tires and front tires in certain situations that would make it not safe?

In any situation the AWD will have more grip while on the gas vs FWD/RWD, making it more slip resistant by comparison in this one situation. Short of that the safety is the same. If safety is more of your goal, try out both still, but you'll probably want the AWD if the added cost doesn't matter to you.

 

[Callum]

My situation isn't unique, but there was a science behind my decision. I did NOT want AWD, but ended up with it after a night of thinking and one or six pints.

My thought was performance GT Sedan with a 10 year warranty? It's a keeper, and we do see snow every now and then. So I'll have a AWD DD that is awesome to drive and go buy a performance car for the track days.

Win win!

 

[GRStinger]

In my neck of the woods we get a lot of snow, so the AWD was a no-brainer for me. In fact, none of the ½ dozen Kia dealerships with 50 mi. even had a RWD available at the time I bought, so I didn’t test drive the RWD. The pure enthusiast will prefer pure RWD dynamics, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out too much. Some of the reviewers prefer the AWD because of the sure-footedness and the broader application of power, and I like that. That said, it would be fun to kick the rear-end out and steer with the throttle occasionally. If I lived in an area with better weather and roads, it would be a tough decision for me too. On the bright side, I don’t think you can go wrong either way. My $.02.

 

[MisterMac]

In my neck of the woods we get a lot of snow, so the AWD was a no-brainer for me. In fact, none of the ½ dozen Kia dealerships with 50 mi. even had a RWD available at the time I bought, so I didn’t test drive the RWD. The pure enthusiast will prefer pure RWD dynamics, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out too much. Some of the reviewers prefer the AWD because of the sure-footedness and the broader application of power, and I like that. That said, it would be fun to kick the rear-end out and steer with the throttle occasionally. If I lived in an area with better weather and roads, it would be a tough decision for me too. On the bright side, I don’t think you can go wrong either way. My $.02.

I'd be remiss not to mention that with my Tune, I have awesome drift ability in Sport mode.

I test drove a RWD GT2 at lunch today and I feel like I am missing nothing by having an AWD.

Perhaps you won't get tuned, but if you did......

 

[Ruturaj]

I would go with AWD. I like to push my car (current one is FWD) and I am not skilled. So a torque vectoring AWD would be much smarter and faster than me to keep the car going in the direction I want it to go. (Not sure how effective is torque vectoring in Stinger, I had Acura RDX in mind before Stinger and it has pretty smart AWD system).

 

[Jwolf]

Just from following the heavily tuned crowd, if you ever suspect you will want to do performance tuning that will push the limits of the stock turbos or beyond, it's looking more and more like AWD is the way to go.

At around stock power levels the RWD is faster in every scenario, but once you get up to 100 whp+ over stock, the RWD is not putting the power down as effectively.

If/ when hybrid and big turbos come around, I'm almost certain the AWD will be a better choice (although RWD might be more fun still).

Just a consideration though as not too many go that crazy with power.

 

[Paul32]

Sounds so complex, I only have one consideration: If I live in Michigan I would get AWD but I live in Florida so it's RWD and I get a little benefit in MPG.