• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 KIA Stinger Forum and KIA Stinger community dedicated to KIA Stinger owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the KIA Stinger Forum today!


2.0L Stinger Premium vs base Stinger GT, which would you choose?

2.0L Stinger Premium vs base Stinger GT, which would you choose?

  • Stinger Premium

    Votes: 9 23.1%
  • Stinger GT

    Votes: 30 76.9%

  • Total voters
    39

Lemmers

New Member
Messages
17
Reactions
2
State
GA
Country
United States
#1
Hi everyone,

First time poster here and in the market for a Stinger. Currently my dealer has a couple of base GT for the price of the Premium 2.0L Stinger and I've been debating if I should choose features over performance. Anyone here gone through the same dilemma? Which one did you end up choosing and why? Thanks.
 
Messages
181
Reactions
60
State
MD
Country
United States
#2
Hi everyone,

First time poster here and in the market for a Stinger. Currently my dealer has a couple of base GT for the price of the Premium 2.0L Stinger and I've been debating if I should choose features over performance. Anyone here gone through the same dilemma? Which one did you end up choosing and why? Thanks.
I think it would help to know what's important to you and priority. I have the GT2, so take my response with a grain of salt. Personally I think a rear wheel drive with the 2.0l is damn quick and will be a pleasure to drive too.

So if I had to make this choice, I would test drive both to see, but then I'd go back and look at other factors. For example, to me, a great sound system is very important. I love music and do a lot of driving. I also really want the safety features. In my experience, they have saved my bacon in other cars, and they're very good in the Stinger. I love the active cruise control because I'm often in stop and go traffic, and it makes that so much more tolerable. I also love the heated/cooled seats, living in DC metro.

So ultimately it depends on what's important to you. I think you won't be disappointed with the 2l performance wise, and in day to day driving in the US, it's very difficult to use the admittedly very fun power of the GT.

Hope that helps
T1

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
Messages
235
Reactions
75
State
UT
Country
United States
What I Drive
2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
#3
If it?s going to be your daily I would go for the 2.0. The options are what you will enjoy day after day. That being said I have the GT2 AWD so I am a bit biased. The options make the car what it is IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Messages
59
Reactions
6
State
CT
Country
United States
#4
i'd go for the 2.0 premium with the tech pkg. THAT is a great loaded car, and fast enough and 10k under the gt2
 
Messages
101
Reactions
22
State
AL
Country
United States
#5
Went with a base GT over a Stinger Premium.

I don't regret the decision, I test drove both (in AWD) and decided I wanted the performance.

The Base GT comes better equipped than the base Stinger. In my mind, the things I lost out in that I notice are the 8-inch navigation UVO, the Harmon Kardon speaker system, and the individual memory seats.

I personally think the 9 speaker system in the base GT is more than adequate and I have Android Auto, so I get all my needs taken care of that way. The only thing that I wish I had were the memory seats.

Other than that, I'm super glad I got the 3.3TT over the base four. I also like the black chrome accents on the car.

My .02 cents.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Messages
125
Reactions
15
State
IN
Country
United States
What I Drive
Kia Stinger GT
#6
I test drove both, ended up with the GT. I'm really glad I made that decision because the extra power is so much fun.
 
Messages
235
Reactions
75
State
UT
Country
United States
What I Drive
2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
#7
Congrats!! Couldn?t go wrong with either!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Messages
428
Reactions
52
State
CA
Country
United States
What I Drive
2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
#8
Tough choice, I would choose the GT but I'm probably biased as a GT owner lol.
 

Stingin' Away

500 Posts Achieved
Staff Member
Messages
611
Reactions
79
City
Dayton
State
OH
Country
United States
What I Drive
2020 Stinger GT
#9
Messages
101
Reactions
22
State
AL
Country
United States
#10
I think I'd go with the Premium. More options, features, and about $6k less than an entry-level GT. Not to mention the resale value will be a bit higher than a GT. Speed is fun and all but we all know about the Hayabusa Effect. If not, take a look >>> https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a33503/the-hayabusa-effect-is-real/
While I don't think base GT resale will be that great, I think it'll fair about as well as a premium will. People are buying more GTs than they are 2.0T versions. I think the percentage was 45 - 55 percent as per another thread. (Or maybe it was the other way around).

Either way, the stinger over all was never meant to bust sales records, but I think they're selling more GTs than anticipated which means that customers are willing to spend way more money to get the GT. Also, the base GT is pretty well equipped, doesn't have the 8 inch system, 14 speakers, and individual memory seats like the premium does, but it also comes with almost everything else. The 8 inch wasn't enough to sway me away from the 3.3T engine.

This is just one man's opinion, however. I'm sure there are plenty of opposing ones.



Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Messages
181
Reactions
60
State
MD
Country
United States
#11
I think this is such a personal decision. It's really difficult to advise on unless we know what the OPs priorities are.

For me, maybe it's my age (45), which makes me more conservative, or the number of car accidents I've narrowly avoided because of others, but I wouldn't get a car in 2018 without the full safety features suite. The forward collision warning and braking, the lane departure, etc. If I had to pick between the 2.0 with that vs. The GT without, I'd pick the former every time. If there is a way to option the GT just with that feature set above the basics, I'd do that. Second is the sound system. But that's just me, and that's my point. Really depends on what's more important to a buyer.

On the safety nannies, I can tell you that there is now ample evidence that they save lives, and dramatically reduce the risk of accidents.

Cheers


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Stingin' Away

500 Posts Achieved
Staff Member
Messages
611
Reactions
79
City
Dayton
State
OH
Country
United States
What I Drive
2020 Stinger GT
#12
While I don't think base GT resale will be that great, I think it'll fair about as well as a premium will. People are buying more GTs than they are 2.0T versions. I think the percentage was 45 - 55 percent as per another thread. (Or maybe it was the other way around).

Either way, the stinger over all was never meant to bust sales records, but I think they're selling more GTs than anticipated which means that customers are willing to spend way more money to get the GT. Also, the base GT is pretty well equipped, doesn't have the 8 inch system, 14 speakers, and individual memory seats like the premium does, but it also comes with almost everything else. The 8 inch wasn't enough to sway me away from the 3.3T engine.

This is just one man's opinion, however. I'm sure there are plenty of opposing ones.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
I like opinions that differ from mine. It gives different perspectives. For a car to start at $43k and not have Navigation or cooled seats is a bit off putting. There should have only been one or two GT trims. The "base" GT should have started at $38k and the GT1 should have been the top trim level topping out at $45k. That would put the Premium somewhere around $35k and the base at it's starting point at $32k.
 

DFW Mike

New Member
Messages
2
Reactions
1
State
TX
Country
United States
#13
I dealing with same delima yesterday went with GT over 4 banger it's unfortunate no sunroof available in GT base
 
Messages
102
Reactions
38
State
TX
Country
United States
#14
I'm holding out for the 2.5 Premium. [;)]
 
Messages
110
Reactions
17
State
Non-US
Country
Canada
What I Drive
2018 Stinger
#15
In canada, base GT come with sunroof, AWD.... There just some little difference between Base vs Limited, like directional headlight, driving sensor assistence, ventilated front seat, GPS and harman kardon audio system. I choose base model for 8k less.
 
Messages
27
Reactions
1
State
IN
Country
United States
#16
I went through the same decision and decided to get a low mileage used GT.
 
Messages
37
Reactions
4
State
FL
Country
United States
What I Drive
Porsche Cayman S
#17
Test drove both the V6 and V4, to me the V 4 is powerful enough to smoothly commute, I have an R8 and a Cayman S so don't need a show off car, need a smood and awesome daily.
 
Messages
48
Reactions
4
State
AK
Country
United States
#18
I had the same choice and went with the 2.0. It’s fast enough for daily driving. Like someone else said, the options make the car. Adaptive cruise is pretty awesome. This is coming from someone whose previous cars are a 17 and 14 Chevy SS, Pontiac g8 and 4 LS1 f bodies.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Messages
79
Reactions
18
City
Needham
State
MA
Country
United States
What I Drive
21 Miata club (me), 19 GT1 (wife)
#19
If your pocket book says you can only afford the 2.0L then don't test drive the 3.3. I did and to tell you the truth if I couldn't have afforded the 3.3 I would have bought a different car. I wouldn't have been happy with the 2.0 after driving the 3.3
 


Top