Has Anyone Driven a Stinger Yet?

I sat in one at the Detroit auto show and was really disappointed by the interior dash.  The dash knobs looked and felt like something off a kid's toy or a 90's Subaru.  Also the faceplate looked cheap.  Honestly, the Kia Niro was nicer inside.  Maybe the drivetrain will make up for it.

That dash will help speed up the depreciation.

Yeah, I hear people bitching and moaning over interiors. I don't get it. I own one of the most lamented interiors on the planet (2000's GM truck, basic) and have no problems with it. I thought hte C5's were nice inside. Then again, I also like the look of my 78 eventhough it's worn out. so maybe I'm not a good judge of interior design. My requirements are : Is it comfy? Can I find everythign I need? Does it work? Yes to all 3 and I'm happy. 

Tied for second with BMW's equivalent in latest C&D test......

In reply to Bob the REAL oil guy. :

Hear hear! We got an early production MDX when I was in Tier 1, and my boss, a big interior guy, was all excited. He kept talking about soft touch plastics and interior alignment and blah blah blah, and I sat in it, and said "I dunno, feels like pretty much every other SUV". 

Anyway, I want a Stinger. I love the hatchback/sedan idea. It looks great, it has good space, Kia makes good stuff, and the low tier pricing is pretty great.

759NRNG said:

Tied for second with BMW's equivalent in latest C&D test......

I don't feel like that is as impressive a benchmark as it used to be. Seems like everything beats them lately. The new Camaro SS beat the tar out of the M4 in a Motor Trend comparison. A lot of diehard BMW guys that I know admit that BMW has really gone downhill lately.

Bob the REAL oil guy. said:

Yeah, I hear people bitching and moaning over interiors. I don't get it. I own one of the most lamented interiors on the planet (2000's GM truck, basic) and have no problems with it. I thought hte C5's were nice inside. Then again, I also like the look of my 78 eventhough it's worn out. so maybe I'm not a good judge of interior design. My requirements are : Is it comfy? Can I find everythign I need? Does it work? Yes to all 3 and I'm happy. 

If you want to charge $50k for a vehicle it should look nice inside and out.  To me the Kia was not up to that level on the inside. YMMV.

Do they come in blue? I want to make obscure references to old bizarre Sega games involving an island full of dinosaurs.

In reply to NickD :

Bob the REAL oil guy. said:

I'm a cheap Korean car owner. I wait for the 2-3 year old cars to come out at half price with low miles. So $50k is a lot, but what about that car at $25k? with 3 years of warranty left? That's where these cars are going to be a huge hit. Let the Korean depreciation hit, snap them up all day long. 

EDIT: Also, Randy Pobst loved the car.

This.  Maybe I'll post a "what car" thread later, but in summary I'm about to enter the market to replace my '13 Elantra coupe.  Looking for a midsize to large family sedan (Accord size or larger) that's dead nuts reliable, loaded with luxury (I'm getting older), great highway cruiser with at least respectable handling, 0-60 in around 6 seconds or less and comes in under $20k...car must be 5 years old or less and have under 60k miles.  If you shop hard enough, the '14-'15 Cadenza/Azera is ringing in around $15k, a similar vintage Genesis 5.0 is around $18k and a loaded-to-the-hilt Equus is just starting to creep around the $20-$21k mark.  The Equus was a $70k car brand new.   The '13-'14 Chrysler 300C w/Hemi is also well into the mid-teens price point, so they're very tempting too. 

In reply to Klayfish :

Bingo. We wanted something that got mid-30's mpg for the wife, with cruise, under 50k and around $7-8k. So we ended up with a 41k mile Forte Koup with the 2.0GDI. For $7300.

759NRNG said:

Tied for second with BMW's equivalent in latest C&D test......

It was a 3 car test, so it could also be said that it tied for last...

I enjoyed driving the Stinger and the Genesis G70 looks terrific.  I can't see myself paying $40K for one, but I can't wait for these to start showing up on the used market.

NickD said:

759NRNG said:

Tied for second with BMW's equivalent in latest C&D test......

I don't feel like that is as impressive a benchmark as it used to be. Seems like everything beats them lately. The new Camaro SS beat the tar out of the M4 in a Motor Trend comparison. A lot of diehard BMW guys that I know admit that BMW has really gone downhill lately.

Some of you guys REALLY lay on the hyperbole thick so you can hate on a premium brand. This hardly qualifies as "beating the tar ouf of" more like it finally caught up from a numbers game. 

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/camaro/2016/comparison-2015-bmw-m4-vs-2016-chevrolet-camaro-ss/

I can tell you I just drove a new Camaro SS 1LE just a few months ago. The interior quality, while good, still doesn't match my 5 year 135i. 

In reply to Aspen :

Really?  I sat in it at the Detroit auto show and was impressed.  But then again, I only usually care about the seats, steering wheel and pedals.  The seats were nice in the one I sat in.

Bob the REAL oil guy. said:

Yeah, I hear people bitching and moaning over interiors. I don't get it. I own one of the most lamented interiors on the planet (2000's GM truck, basic) and have no problems with it. I thought hte C5's were nice inside. Then again, I also like the look of my 78 eventhough it's worn out. so maybe I'm not a good judge of interior design. My requirements are : Is it comfy? Can I find everythign I need? Does it work? Yes to all 3 and I'm happy. 

Those same people complain about weight too. Never satisfied. 

But the dashboard didn't touch my houtus softly, and the knobs didn't rub my back telling me how special I am. 

Aspen said:

I sat in one at the Detroit auto show and was really disappointed by the interior dash.  The dash knobs looked and felt like something off a kid's toy or a 90's Subaru. 

Describe it how you will, but that's apparently the 'in thing' in that segment from what I can tell.  Even if it's slightly lower grade than the competition, I can't really blame them for ultimately making it minimally different either.  And when the others also happens to cost $10k+ more in an apples-to-apples comparison, it should come as no surprise that something has to give a little, and some minor shortcomings should be easily forgiven.

Yeah but cheap interior tends to become worn faster than the rest of the car. Plus, you'll look at and touch the interior more than any part of the car. 

Do some of you only buy a house because it has a large garage?

In reply to yupididit :

Well, I’ll sheepishly admit, that I did. But I’m a rare exception among men. I could, actually, live in a garage. 

In reply to yupididit :

Yes

In reply to yupididit :

My ex bought her house mainly for the garage. The creaking, 130 year old house drives her nuts.

I'm amazed by all the interior complaints.... I thought it was pretty nice, and actually liked it better in person than in pics. 

That was a rhetorical question. Considering this is GRM, I already knew the answer! 

Rodan said:

I'm amazed by all the interior complaints.... I thought it was pretty nice, and actually liked it better in person than in pics. 

Agreed, I thought the interior was right on par with the new Alfa Romeo Giulia. Not quite Mercedes or BMW grade, but fine for a car that starts from $32K. I think the Stinger looks best with the red leather interior; too bad that's only an option on the top trim levels.

In reply to Ian F :

I designed our house from the garage forward. might be why when you pull up all you see is garage.....