Prospective New Owner

[Blueangel]

So...I just sat in a brand new 2021 GT1 which had the 9-speaker stereo system, connected my phone via Bluetooth and played around a bit. Sound was very good IMO.

I know that for 2021/2022 Kia moved the 15-speaker harman/kardon to the GT2 trim only.

Gotta say though...I was plenty surprised by this 9-speaker system, for what I need it was great.

Now I'm back on the fence, and very tempted to contact my Vroom rep and get into the GT instead. Really don't need the sunroof, I have Google maps via Android Auto for nav if/when I need it, and I reallllllly like this car sitting on the OEM 19's instead of 18's.

Ugh!

Lol..you’re a trip!! I don’t know why some people thumbs down the GT base unless your adamant about having the higher options understandable. I often have to turn down the volume before getting out the car to pump gas. Speakers have great clarity and sound attracts more attention than I care to admit. Either way get what makes you feel good.

 

[Fiveiron]

I had not heard about the 2021 GT1 having the 9 speaker system. As far as I know, the GT1 with the 9 speaker applies to the face lifted 2022 with the wide screen, with the 2021 GT1 having the HK standard.

Having said that, I maintain that the benefit of the HK will be diminished unless you drive on perfect asphalt--especially if you are listening to compressed audio over bluetooth.

It would be ideal if you could spend some driving time in both a pre-facelift GT and GT1 to get some real impressions. I had plenty of preconceptions busted when I did that, and it made my choice extremely easy.

Lol..you’re a trip!! I don’t know why some people thumbs down the GT base unless your adamant about having the higher options understandable. I often have to turn down the volume before getting out the car to pump gas. Speakers have great clarity and sound attracts more attention than I care to admit. Either way get what makes you feel good.

I know...I'm all over the place in my head LOL. But I really do appreciate everyone that's replied and offered their thoughts.

hummus is absolutely correct...what I sat in earlier today was a 2022 GT1 with the 10" touchscreen interface and a "Harman/Kardon 9-speaker" system.

What I'm wondering now is...

Is that system the SAME as the 9-speaker system found in the 2020 GT (or any GT really) or is the older 2020 not a Harman/Kardon 9-speaker system? In other words...have both the 9-speaker and 15-speaker systems been Harman/Kardon all along and the differences are just speaker count and a bigger amp?

 

[MerlintheMad]

Is that system the SAME as the 9-speaker system found in the 2020 GT (or any GT really) or is the older 2020 not a Harman/Kardon 9-speaker system? In other words...have both the 9-speaker and 15-speaker systems been Harman/Kardon all along and the differences are just speaker count and a bigger amp?

If Kia is calling the nine speaker system a Harman Kardon now, I reckon it has always been so. My assumption has been that the difference is in power and number of speakers, and some features like ClariFi, "on stage" or "audience" settings; and not a difference in quality of hardware, i.e., sound quality is the same. I proved the power difference recently when a local guy @ryno5514 and I compared the bass output on the same music track: first in my car, then in his GT: bass output was noticeably stronger in my car, but not dramatically more. The subs under the seats in the nine speaker system push really good, impressive bass: the difference in mine was more like overkill, to be candid.

 

[B1ackAlloy]

So...I just sat in a brand new 2021 GT1 which had the 9-speaker stereo system, connected my phone via Bluetooth and played around a bit. Sound was very good IMO.

I know that for 2021/2022 Kia moved the 15-speaker harman/kardon to the GT2 trim only.

Gotta say though...I was plenty surprised by this 9-speaker system, for what I need it was great.

Now I'm back on the fence, and very tempted to contact my Vroom rep and get into the GT instead. Really don't need the sunroof, I have Google maps via Android Auto for nav if/when I need it, and I reallllllly like this car sitting on the OEM 19's instead of 18's.

Ugh!

Take my opinion with a grain of salt as well. I was battling between a 21 GT and GT1. Test drove them back to back and barely found any difference as it came to suspension. However another user mentioned that just the base GT felt a tad better and I actually agree on that front but it is a very slim margin.

The HK system was nothing spectacular to me it did sound a tad bit better but was the car worth the extra 5k or whatever it was. To me not really.

The main thing that bothered me when it came to the GT was the thick ass bezels on the infotainment screen. At the end of the day infotainment system gets the job done but that’s the one thing I have a huge gripe about.

Just like you mentioned having a sunroof is not really a requirement. All it would do is mess up my hair so I never wanted one but I read some users complained about having rattles at some point.

The last thing for me was I didn’t want all the nanny features. Even tho you can turn them off I just did not want them on my car. It is really preference if you value certain features at the end of the day. I’ve always been told the more you have the more things could go bad. Stinger seems to be reliable among the members that are high in mileage. I’m still on the low end but had no issues either.

 

[monusa]

When testing the Supra, the only request I had was: "It has to have CarPlay"...had to purchase the Safety/tech package to get it but dealer was offering a deal that basically paid for the $3500 option. No roof option on the Supra and upgraded sound came with package.

If I were in Wisconsin, AWD would be the only requirement but then, I would be looking at the Stinger instead of a Supra........ For me, all the other "bells/whistles" are personal preference but I have already had a bum experience because of "technology" as I had to leave my ride overnight at the dealer to get the d@mn NAV system activated!!!!!!!!

I will agree that more options make a difference on trade-in so when I go to trade in the Supra for a 911, it should make a slight difference......(I wish a 911....LOL)

 

[Fiveiron]

Well...

I cancelled my Vroom purchase because I'm impatient and couldn't wait another 2-3 weeks for delivery. Decided to visit a local dealer that was advertising a brand new 2022 GT1 for 44K (cheapest new I've seen in months). Had to see it in person.

I couldn't get past three things:

1. The 2022 GT wheels are hideous and way too busy
2. The 2022 rear tail light setup felt too dodge charger to me
3. The 2022 exhaust tips are way too big. Nothing worse than massive tips that when you look inside you can see the actual muffler tips that look like the cardboard sleeves from paper towel rolls

I was about to leave in disappointment when I saw a rather dirty Micro Blue in some far corner. It had no window sticker or anything to indicate its year. My salesman looked it up and saw it was a 2018 GT2 with only 8800 miles and the beige interior. Was a recent trade-in. I fell in love with it. They matched my trade-in offer from Vroom, and I was able to get the car "certified wrap" (extending ALL warranties on the car to 10yr/100K) at a discount and drove it home as its new owner. Beyond thrilled right now!

 

[RM7]

You get ventilated seats with the GT1 as well. These are a game changer if you've never had them before. For Winter, the GT1 will also have a heated steering wheel. I'm not sure if the AWD GT's got that option.

Allegedly the 18" wheels also provide better ride quality (my GT2 is on the 18" all-season setup), though I've not driven a stinger on 19" wheels yet.

Hmm, I have to disagree. My last two cars had/have ventilated. No matter the climate (I travel to Texas a lot in the summer and rent cars with ventilated there too) I don't find it to be a game changer. Ventilated systems, except for extreme high end stuff in Mercedes and a few others, simply suck in air from the footwell area. If you are pumping AC down to the footwell (like when using the auto function) then it's going to send that air to the seats, but it's not really taping off the AC directly. Nice for ventilation, but not a game-changer IME and not really all that "cool".

With Reynaud's, I do find heated steering wheels to be a game changer. My hands get cold even in warmer weather. Heated seats are nice too when you can't auto-start or the car is still cold even though it's been running for 10 minutes. Heated seats+heated steering wheel can damn near make up for not having auto-start for the cold. Auto start kind of does the same thing, but in real cold climates the car won't warm even if you let it run for 15 minutes. Auto start can get the A/C going much faster in the summer though.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

Congrats!!!

I prefer the giant exhaust tips on the 2022+ models compared to the 2017-2021 models...

I do agree with you about the tail lights... I like them a lot but prefer my 2020 tail lights to the newer ones.

I do wish my car came with ventilated seats though!

 

[DekCan]

Congrats on finding the great match!

 

[RedCal]

Well...

I cancelled my Vroom purchase because I'm impatient and couldn't wait another 2-3 weeks for delivery. Decided to visit a local dealer that was advertising a brand new 2022 GT1 for 44K (cheapest new I've seen in months). Had to see it in person.

I couldn't get past three things:

1. The 2022 GT wheels are hideous and way too busy
2. The 2022 rear tail light setup felt too dodge charger to me
3. The 2022 exhaust tips are way too big. Nothing worse than massive tips that when you look inside you can see the actual muffler tips that look like the cardboard sleeves from paper towel rolls

I was about to leave in disappointment when I saw a rather dirty Micro Blue in some far corner. It had no window sticker or anything to indicate its year. My salesman looked it up and saw it was a 2018 GT2 with only 8800 miles and the beige interior. Was a recent trade-in. I fell in love with it. They matched my trade-in offer from Vroom, and I was able to get the car "certified wrap" (extending ALL warranties on the car to 10yr/100K) at a discount and drove it home as its new owner. Beyond thrilled right now!

Congrats!! Looks Great!

 

[GenesisG70]

Congrats beautiful. Wheels can be changed, rear twilight will be 100 percent more reliable than ant dodge let alone the whole car, exhaust tips can be upgraded. Again congrats!