So I finally got to test drive a Stinger...

[pantheman75]

I'm happy to report that I was able to finally test drive a 2019 Stinger GT2... here's my impressions:

• I was a bit surprised at how low the seats of the car are. They're not too low, they were just lower than I expected.
• The seats were supportive, comfortable, and infinitely customizable.
• Unbelievably fast... REALLY strong of the line... an instant smile appeared on my face.
• The enhanced exhaust sound is a nice touch... but I wish there was a more throaty exhaust available from the factory.
• The car handles like a dream, but the wheels in front feel VERY far forward which results in a different steering radius feel than I'm used to. Overall though the steering is great.
• I noticed the distinct smell of coolant in the cabin.
• The car was SILENT. No squeaks. No rattles. No vibrations. (And I even drove it on some ROUGH roads.)
• No offense whatsoever, but the "Ceramic Silver" isn't my cup of tea. It's an extremely popular color from a lot of manufacturers right now, but I just think that the metallic red, blue, and gray exterior colors are far more striking on the car.
• I was all set to pull the trigger on a leftover 2018 model, but the surround video was INCREDIBLY cool & helpful so I'm now set to wait for the 2019 prices to fall a bit more.
  
• This car has instantly shot to the top of my shopping list. It's the perfect car. Performance, small car handling with big car usefulness, looks, warranty... I'm in. (BTW... I'm the son of a UAW worker and have NEVER looked at import cars... this is a big deal to me.)

 

[Kamauxx]

What other cars are you shopping against it?

 

[SteveCo]

Thanks for sharing your positive experience. I'm coming up on year's ownership and still look forward to driving the car ... she's a nice ride!

I noticed the distinct smell of coolant in the cabin.

Other people have mentioned that as well, but I believe that in most if not all cases are people smelling the factory-fill windshield washer fluid - which has a very pungent, glycol-like smell. If you're back in one soon, give the windshield washers a squeeze and see - the smell is very evident in the cabin as the air intakes are below the windshield.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I was a bit surprised at how low the seats of the car are. They're not too low, they were just lower than I expected.

And they can be directly attributable to incidents of curb rash. Be generous in the amount of room you allow for turning and parking near curbs!

The enhanced exhaust sound is a nice touch... but I wish there was a more throaty exhaust available from the factory.

This I continue to not understand. The Stinger is a Gran Turismo, not a hotrod or muscle car. I want my interior quiet. And I am not driving around blatting, burbling or popping to attract attention.

I noticed the distinct smell of coolant in the cabin.

Never experienced this.

The car was SILENT. No squeaks. No rattles. No vibrations. (And I even drove it on some ROUGH roads.)

That is my experience after nearly a year.

No offense whatsoever, but the "Ceramic Silver" isn't my cup of tea. It's an extremely popular color from a lot of manufacturers right now, but I just think that the metallic red, blue, and gray exterior colors are far more striking on the car.

Talking about aesthetics is fun. The Ceramic Silver/Grey is a terrific color. I love all the Stinger's colors without prejudice.

the surround video was INCREDIBLY cool & helpful

That is the single feature my car lacks that I miss. I'd never curb a wheel if I had 360 camera.

This car has instantly shot to the top of my shopping list. It's the perfect car. Performance, small car handling with big car usefulness, looks, warranty... I'm in. (BTW... I'm the son of a UAW worker and have NEVER looked at import cars... this is a big deal to me.)

That is an interesting "confession"! And I feel the same way about "perfect" (for me).

 

[Ucinn]

The seat is adjustable up and down.

 

[pantheman75]

What other cars are you shopping against it?

Considering I'm eligible for the Fiat / Chrysler employee discount I've looked at the Charger, Challenger, and Wrangler (and I currently drive a Mustang). I started to browse BMW's too but that didn't go very far once I saw what they cost.

 

[Kamauxx]

Considering I'm eligible for the FCA (Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist) employee discount I've looked at the Charger, Challenger, and Wrangler (and I currently drive a Mustang).

The forums software automatically insets "Forward Collison Avoidance Assist" whenever we type F C A. But I understand what you meant.

 

[pantheman75]

The seat is adjustable up and down.

I played with the vertical adjustments quite a bit... if the seat is too high my head hits the roof. With the seat positioned at the maximum height without my head touching the ceiling I found it to be a bit lower than I expected it would be.

 

[pantheman75]

Thanks for sharing your positive experience. I'm coming up on year's ownership and still look forward to driving the car ... she's a nice ride!


Other people have mentioned that as well, but I believe that in most if not all cases are people smelling the factory-fill windshield washer fluid - which has a very pungent, glycol-like smell. If you're back in one soon, give the windshield washers a squeeze and see - the smell is very evident in the cabin as the air intakes are below the windshield.

Interesting... that might explain the smell as I did in fact use the wiper fluid during the ride and it didn't continually smell for the duration of the whole test drive.

 

[SteveCo]

If you used the washers, that is what you smelled - there is nothing subtle about the odor of the factory supplied washer fluid.

 

[RLittle]

The "coolant" smell is normal. it apparently is some sort of spray they put on the motor to ward off corrosion on the boat trip over.

Mine did the the same for a while and went away, the coolant level never dropped.

 

[eflyguy]

"Ceramic Silver" isn't my cup of tea. It's an extremely popular color from a lot of manufacturers right now, but I just think that the metallic red, blue, and gray exterior colors are far more striking on the car.

The grey is called Ceramic Silver, so there might be some confusion here.

I've posted this many times, I love the red, I wanted the blue with a passion, but the way I drive, I didn't need a car that screams HEY OFFICER LOOK OVER HERE.. so I bought boring blend-in white. Which is gorgeous in the sun.. Panthera Metal is beautiful as well, but I regret going against my "I'll never buy a black car again" mantra with my 2015 Sorento purchase.

 

[GRStinger]

I'm happy to report that I was able to finally test drive a 2019 Stinger GT2... here's my impressions:

• I was a bit surprised at how low the seats of the car are. They're not too low, they were just lower than I expected.
• The seats were supportive, comfortable, and infinitely customizable.
• Unbelievably fast... REALLY strong of the line... an instant smile appeared on my face.
• The enhanced exhaust sound is a nice touch... but I wish there was a more throaty exhaust available from the factory.
• The car handles like a dream, but the wheels in front feel VERY far forward which results in a different steering radius feel than I'm used to. Overall though the steering is great.
• I noticed the distinct smell of coolant in the cabin.
• The car was SILENT. No squeaks. No rattles. No vibrations. (And I even drove it on some ROUGH roads.)
• No offense whatsoever, but the "Ceramic Silver" isn't my cup of tea. It's an extremely popular color from a lot of manufacturers right now, but I just think that the metallic red, blue, and gray exterior colors are far more striking on the car.
• I was all set to pull the trigger on a leftover 2018 model, but the surround video was INCREDIBLY cool & helpful so I'm now set to wait for the 2019 prices to fall a bit more.
  
• This car has instantly shot to the top of my shopping list. It's the perfect car. Performance, small car handling with big car usefulness, looks, warranty... I'm in. (BTW... I'm the son of a UAW worker and have NEVER looked at import cars... this is a big deal to me.)

Wow! I could've written that after my first drive (except for the coolant-smell thing). Yep, the seating is low, and it can be a sight-line inconvenience in this world of SUV's. But the seats in the GT2 are awesome - I love the power bolsters and especially the thigh supports. And, when you get the car out on a long fast freeway run, the seating along with the character of the car will make you feel hunkered down on the road like a tick on a dog. I was all-but ready to buy an A5 or a Q50, but one drive of the Stinger and I was sold. I really would like the 360 camera too. On the other hand, I don't miss what I never had.

 

[pantheman75]

The grey is called Ceramic Silver, so there might be some confusion here.

I've posted this many times, I love the red, I wanted the blue with a passion, but the way I drive, I didn't need a car that screams HEY OFFICER LOOK OVER HERE.. so I bought boring blend-in white. Which is gorgeous in the sun.. Panthera Metal is beautiful as well, but I regret going against my "I'll never buy a black car again" mantra with my 2015 Sorento purchase.

I was referring to "Panthera Metal" when I said "gray".

 

[BlueBrick]

I'm happy to report that I was able to finally test drive a 2019 Stinger GT2... here's my impressions:

• I was all set to pull the trigger on a leftover 2018 model, but the surround video was INCREDIBLY cool & helpful so I'm now set to wait for the 2019 prices to fall a bit more.

I don't know what incentives are around right now but I just looked up the trim and color I wanted on Autotrader and some similar sites, found a few at decent prices and then had the dealers bid against each other. I think I ended up at over $8,000 below MSRP give or take. Of course you have to be willing to go get it then if its far away or pay to have it shipped to you.

 

[pantheman75]

I saw that too... but I'm betting that those prices will be even lower later this year when the 20's are announced. I want to see what they have in store for 2020 before I pull the trigger. As much as I want one NOW I can hold out until the announcement this fall.

 

[BlueBrick]

I saw that too... but I'm betting that those prices will be even lower later this year when the 20's are announced. I want to see what they have in store for 2020 before I pull the trigger. As much as I want one NOW I can hold out until the announcement this fall.

That is always a good plan. I did the exact same thing last year. It was a long wait, but I was happy I did it when I saw they added in the features I wanted for 2019.

 

[Mike04SVT]

The "coolant" smell is normal. it apparently is some sort of spray they put on the motor to ward off corrosion on the boat trip over.

Mine did the the same for a while and went away, the coolant level never dropped.

I am at 11k miles and still have coolant smells.

 

[Ucinn]

I don't have the coolant smells, but the windshield solvent smell is very strong if you use the washers

 

[RLittle]

I am at 11k miles and still have coolant smells.

If it has been leaking coolant for 11k miles your coolant level will have certainly dropped.

Is it dropping?