I had my 1st actual “on the road” taste of a Stinger yesterday. It occurred to me that the participants in this forum might be (interested? amused? provoked?) by my observations/impressions.
Background: For several months I’ve been searching for a replacement for my 2015 Volvo V60. The search began after a brief drive in Audi A5 hatchback made it quite clear that although the Volvo is, in most respects, a very good car the chassis design is well behind current standards. A number of factors defined the scope of the search. I am a retired single apartment dweller and want only one car to serve my various needs. These include routine errands, perhaps a dozen weekend excursions and one or 2 multi-day trips per year – in total typically 5 to 7000 miles. As a very experienced driver with some competition days in the distant past, I drive quickly but not “hard.” (My tires typically have a long life span and my brakes even longer. 13 years of driving a (nonturbo) Mercedes diesel taught me a lot about anticipation)
As I looked at alternatives, they fell into 2 groups divided by size. The 1st group, similar in size to my current V60, included the Porsche Macan, Audi A5 hatchback, Mercedes GLC 300 and the Genesis GV 70. The 2nd group, defined by a larger footprint included the Audi A7 in the Porsche Panamera. I was initially completely unaware of the existence of the Stinger! It is clearly patterned after the A7 and Panamera and, accordingly, added to the range. The Mercedes and the Genesis have been eliminated as being too “soft” for my taste. (I’m aware of the fact that the GV 70, G 70 and Stinger share a platform)
With that lengthy preamble, here is my “take-home” from yesterday’s drive:
My experiences with 3 Kia dealers had not been good ones. One look like a used car lot, a 2nd had no Stingers and, while the 3rd had a GT 2 (my preference based on the standard equipment list) it was on the showroom floor, had a flat battery and a sales force that knew nothing about the car. While on my Thanksgiving day rounds I passed what appeared to be a very large Kia dealer. This particular dealer had not shown up on any of the various search engines that I have used. Mindful of mindful of the fact that lack of satisfaction with various dealerships might have contributed to my negative impression of the car, I decided to search them out.
Well, it turns out that they are indeed a large dealership and, what’s more, they actually had a GT2 in stock. On the off chance that I might actually get to drive one (my total hands-on experience up to this point being limited to sitting in one with a flat battery on the showroom floor) I decided it was worth a 30 minute drive.
2 surprises – (1) when I walked into the showroom and saw what I initially believed to be the car in question, a white GT 2 Stinger, closer inspection revealed that it was actually a CPO 2020 model and (2) with no prodding at all the salesman immediately offered to bring the new 2022 – also white – around so I could drive it.
I climbed in and started playing with the seat controls. My judgment on my previous encounter was that the seat good but did not match the Porsche or Audi standards. Perhaps I was in a better mood, perhaps I spent a little more time fiddling with the controls or was influenced by the fact they were red leather rather than black, but I managed to find a setting that was very comfortable indeed. Further impressions of the interior: overall I would say that the level of fit, finish and a general “luxe” feeling is a little above that of my Volvo but not on a par with the Porsche or Audi. Would I like a few bits of nicely finished wood scattered about? Sure - but is it a go/no go? The controls are well-positioned and, for the most part, conventional in action. Most things beyond actual driving are accomplished through a touchscreen. It would certainly take some learning but, beyond initial setting of the car parameters and the occasional use of the navigation system is not something that I would need to mess with frequently. In general the implementation of this function and the options available are equal to that of the Audi and well beyond the Porsche.
On the road: this was interesting. It is very good. It is very smooth, quiet and comfortable. The steering is good and the Brembo brakes are easily modulated and very powerful. There is an interesting but difficult to describe comparison with the Porsche. The Macan goes about its business in a way that it is so competent that one almost does not realize how good it is. The Stinger comes very close in terms of performance but with a little more of a “look what I can do” attitude. Now, some of this may be due to the fact that I am not accustomed to driving anything with the kind of power and straight-line responsiveness that the V6 provides. That thing is a rocket! The Macan is a very sophisticated package while the Stinger is perhaps more versatile – sort of like a comparison between Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra.
I wonder if some of th "edge" that the Macan enjoys stems from front end design The Macan (and the A7 and Panamera as well) has a double wishbone front end while the Stinger uses McPherson struts which impose some limits on geometry.
On the outside the Macan, despite the burden of its SUV function, is very sleek and sculptured (it is the only SUV that I would consider) The Stinger has a beautiful overall shape – the car in white with all black roof was quite striking but also exudes a little bit of a “bad girl (or boy)” aura.
And then there is this: I have always enjoyed poking a stick at the balloon of convention. I really don’t need a badge on the front or back of my car to tell me who I am so the Porsche crest doesn’t mean anything to me. On the other hand, the prospect of a few raised eyebrows and “what the hell is that's” tickles me a bit.
At this point, there is only one clear checkmark on the negative side of the ledger for the Stinger – with my modest annual mileage, fuel consumption is not really an issue for me but range is and that 15 gallon fuel tank is just stupid.
And another thing - It's pretty well agreed in the automotive press that '22 is the last year for the Stinger. A future collectible?
To be continued……
Background: For several months I’ve been searching for a replacement for my 2015 Volvo V60. The search began after a brief drive in Audi A5 hatchback made it quite clear that although the Volvo is, in most respects, a very good car the chassis design is well behind current standards. A number of factors defined the scope of the search. I am a retired single apartment dweller and want only one car to serve my various needs. These include routine errands, perhaps a dozen weekend excursions and one or 2 multi-day trips per year – in total typically 5 to 7000 miles. As a very experienced driver with some competition days in the distant past, I drive quickly but not “hard.” (My tires typically have a long life span and my brakes even longer. 13 years of driving a (nonturbo) Mercedes diesel taught me a lot about anticipation)
As I looked at alternatives, they fell into 2 groups divided by size. The 1st group, similar in size to my current V60, included the Porsche Macan, Audi A5 hatchback, Mercedes GLC 300 and the Genesis GV 70. The 2nd group, defined by a larger footprint included the Audi A7 in the Porsche Panamera. I was initially completely unaware of the existence of the Stinger! It is clearly patterned after the A7 and Panamera and, accordingly, added to the range. The Mercedes and the Genesis have been eliminated as being too “soft” for my taste. (I’m aware of the fact that the GV 70, G 70 and Stinger share a platform)
With that lengthy preamble, here is my “take-home” from yesterday’s drive:
My experiences with 3 Kia dealers had not been good ones. One look like a used car lot, a 2nd had no Stingers and, while the 3rd had a GT 2 (my preference based on the standard equipment list) it was on the showroom floor, had a flat battery and a sales force that knew nothing about the car. While on my Thanksgiving day rounds I passed what appeared to be a very large Kia dealer. This particular dealer had not shown up on any of the various search engines that I have used. Mindful of mindful of the fact that lack of satisfaction with various dealerships might have contributed to my negative impression of the car, I decided to search them out.
Well, it turns out that they are indeed a large dealership and, what’s more, they actually had a GT2 in stock. On the off chance that I might actually get to drive one (my total hands-on experience up to this point being limited to sitting in one with a flat battery on the showroom floor) I decided it was worth a 30 minute drive.
2 surprises – (1) when I walked into the showroom and saw what I initially believed to be the car in question, a white GT 2 Stinger, closer inspection revealed that it was actually a CPO 2020 model and (2) with no prodding at all the salesman immediately offered to bring the new 2022 – also white – around so I could drive it.
I climbed in and started playing with the seat controls. My judgment on my previous encounter was that the seat good but did not match the Porsche or Audi standards. Perhaps I was in a better mood, perhaps I spent a little more time fiddling with the controls or was influenced by the fact they were red leather rather than black, but I managed to find a setting that was very comfortable indeed. Further impressions of the interior: overall I would say that the level of fit, finish and a general “luxe” feeling is a little above that of my Volvo but not on a par with the Porsche or Audi. Would I like a few bits of nicely finished wood scattered about? Sure - but is it a go/no go? The controls are well-positioned and, for the most part, conventional in action. Most things beyond actual driving are accomplished through a touchscreen. It would certainly take some learning but, beyond initial setting of the car parameters and the occasional use of the navigation system is not something that I would need to mess with frequently. In general the implementation of this function and the options available are equal to that of the Audi and well beyond the Porsche.
On the road: this was interesting. It is very good. It is very smooth, quiet and comfortable. The steering is good and the Brembo brakes are easily modulated and very powerful. There is an interesting but difficult to describe comparison with the Porsche. The Macan goes about its business in a way that it is so competent that one almost does not realize how good it is. The Stinger comes very close in terms of performance but with a little more of a “look what I can do” attitude. Now, some of this may be due to the fact that I am not accustomed to driving anything with the kind of power and straight-line responsiveness that the V6 provides. That thing is a rocket! The Macan is a very sophisticated package while the Stinger is perhaps more versatile – sort of like a comparison between Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra.
I wonder if some of th "edge" that the Macan enjoys stems from front end design The Macan (and the A7 and Panamera as well) has a double wishbone front end while the Stinger uses McPherson struts which impose some limits on geometry.
On the outside the Macan, despite the burden of its SUV function, is very sleek and sculptured (it is the only SUV that I would consider) The Stinger has a beautiful overall shape – the car in white with all black roof was quite striking but also exudes a little bit of a “bad girl (or boy)” aura.
And then there is this: I have always enjoyed poking a stick at the balloon of convention. I really don’t need a badge on the front or back of my car to tell me who I am so the Porsche crest doesn’t mean anything to me. On the other hand, the prospect of a few raised eyebrows and “what the hell is that's” tickles me a bit.
At this point, there is only one clear checkmark on the negative side of the ledger for the Stinger – with my modest annual mileage, fuel consumption is not really an issue for me but range is and that 15 gallon fuel tank is just stupid.
And another thing - It's pretty well agreed in the automotive press that '22 is the last year for the Stinger. A future collectible?
To be continued……
