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I had this same dilemma. I had a 13 F sport and absolutely loved it, but then I got hooked on the car shopping earlier this year. I test drove a 19 F Sport and it just felt much more disconnected than the 13. I had an extended test drive, and that was it. The search for the Kia began and I lucked out with the exact color combo I wanted. No other Gray on light interior existed at the time. I can say that the power is there and the tech is pretty convenient. I find myself using the 360 camera more than I thought, the auto brake hold is nice, and the power is good fun. With my increased commuting for work, I've put 5000 miles in 3 months already. My wife still has a Gray on light RX 350, so Lexus is still in the family. We recently got rid of an IS250 that was our 3rd car(awesome and hated to see it go).
Since I've driven both, I can confidently say that the Stinger destroys the GS in everything but materials
A fair assessment, But the '19 GS is not quite as far behind as I originally thought.
Originally Posted by jtrue28
Really? A car from 2019 is destroying a car from 2011? Who knew.
For reals, though that doesn't make it hurt any less.
Originally Posted by Nahpun350
Have you considered the Genesis variant? G70 looks damn nice and costs around the same as those two loaded.
I saw one on road and thought it was a Stinger at first. May be worth looking into, but not sure what price difference is yet.
Originally Posted by charley95
Since he's gone silent i wonder if he went with the Kia.
I had a work trip in florida (in middle of no where) past week. Haven't pulled any triggers yet...
Originally Posted by pbateson
Did you test drive on '19 GS350 F-Sport?
Hmm, see previous posts ... And what the guy below said...
Originally Posted by charley95
He had a 19 GS loaner last weekend and a loaner Kia Stinger but went silent from there.
Originally Posted by kgh31386
I had this same dilemma. I had a 13 F sport and absolutely loved it, but then I got hooked on the car shopping earlier this year. I test drove a 19 F Sport and it just felt much more disconnected than the 13. I had an extended test drive, and that was it. The search for the Kia began and I lucked out with the exact color combo I wanted. No other Gray on light interior existed at the time. I can say that the power is there and the tech is pretty convenient. I find myself using the 360 camera more than I thought, the auto brake hold is nice, and the power is good fun. With my increased commuting for work, I've put 5000 miles in 3 months already. My wife still has a Gray on light RX 350, so Lexus is still in the family. We recently got rid of an IS250 that was our 3rd car(awesome and hated to see it go).
The Stinger looks and feels amazing. Other than the 360 camera, what other options do you love that are not on the Lexus? Lexus has auto brake hold, and low speed cruise, which I LOVED on my extended test drive.
The other convenience things between them are pretty similarly equipped: I do like the different wheel cameras, when parallel parking, it's nice to have the screen show any of the wheels(although it's definitely not a necessity). The front camera is a plus when parking in the garage or in parking lots that are tight. The hatch with folded seats has a lot of room to carry stuff(always a plus with kids). Legroom is identical.
THE BIGGEST THING...is the price. When I was looking at a replacement GS F sport, the dealer here looked at me like I was stupid when I said I wouldn't pay $54,000. They would NOT budge below that. I looked at CPO for around $38,000 for a 2017 with 20-30k miles. For the Stinger, the MSRP was $54,000 for the GT2 with all the options. I snagged one on the last day of the month for $38,900 due to rebates, competitive cash, and just dealer discount. With my GS as a trade and cash down, paid it off when the first payment was due.
The more I look at this Stinger the more I came to this realization- it's a great car, but it's still not in the class the GS is in. The interior is just this melange of stuff, it looks like they ripped off an audi interior and it had sex with a mazda until they got the price point to come down. It's definitely flinty compared to the GS's interior. Is the overall value prop of the car high? Sure. Problem is it's still a KIA. I will say this though- even the Stinger's interior makes cars like the Infiniti Q50 almost look like a joke inside.
That said, it's obvious this car wasn't really intended to compete with upper tier lux brands, yet. I give it another couple years or so though and Lexus and the germans are going to start feeling some heat, though... especially once Kia/Hyundai have more recent history under their belt. Remember this is a company that, not much more than 10 or so years ago, was making cars for skinflints that were total gutter trash. They've changed quite a lot but built in perceptions tend to linger, and the massive shift in product improvement between the Korean brands has literally only been in the last few years.
The more I look at this Stinger the more I came to this realization- it's a great car, but it's still not in the class the GS is in. The interior is just this melange of stuff, it looks like they ripped off an audi interior and it had sex with a mazda until they got the price point to come down. It's definitely flinty compared to the GS's interior. Is the overall value prop of the car high? Sure. Problem is it's still a KIA. I will say this though- even the Stinger's interior makes cars like the Infiniti Q50 almost look like a joke inside.
That said, it's obvious this car wasn't really intended to compete with upper tier lux brands, yet. I give it another couple years or so though and Lexus and the germans are going to start feeling some heat, though... especially once Kia/Hyundai have more recent history under their belt. Remember this is a company that, not much more than 10 or so years ago, was making cars for skinflints that were total gutter trash. They've changed quite a lot but built in perceptions tend to linger, and the massive shift in product improvement between the Korean brands has literally only been in the last few years.
-Mike
Yup...props for folks who have the desire to set foot on their lots, but I just can;t get over the carnival atmosphere and $9000 crap-box cars they also sell alongside the Stinger. I'd hate to imagine what the dealer experience would be like if you ever take it in for service.
The other convenience things between them are pretty similarly equipped: I do like the different wheel cameras, when parallel parking, it's nice to have the screen show any of the wheels(although it's definitely not a necessity). The front camera is a plus when parking in the garage or in parking lots that are tight. The hatch with folded seats has a lot of room to carry stuff(always a plus with kids). Legroom is identical.
THE BIGGEST THING...is the price. When I was looking at a replacement GS F sport, the dealer here looked at me like I was stupid when I said I wouldn't pay $54,000. They would NOT budge below that. I looked at CPO for around $38,000 for a 2017 with 20-30k miles. For the Stinger, the MSRP was $54,000 for the GT2 with all the options. I snagged one on the last day of the month for $38,900 due to rebates, competitive cash, and just dealer discount. With my GS as a trade and cash down, paid it off when the first payment was due.
Interesting the dealer wouldn't budge on price. I bought a new 18 and shopped in the regions that stock RWD's. I found quite a few dealers that were competitive on price. Eventually I bought from a dealer by Houston that had the best price. I flew in and drove it home and it was well worth the trip considering what I saved vs. dealers that loved their inventory.
With any new model of any make there will be little things. The rear hatch rattle was resolved for the 2019 and easy fix on the 18's. The brake pads leave brake deposits and brakes go around 30k miles, same brake life with the GS F sport. I cross shopped the M40i and Audi SQ5 and the issues on those forums are huge compared to any I've seen on either the GS or a Stinger. Some new X3 owners have had drive-train failures and been stranded at less than 5k miles. You'll always have a group that will swear to one brand and never own the other. Benz hate BMW, BMW hate Benz, Audi hate both... Germans think Lexus is for old farts, Lexus owners will brag on reliability compared to the German competition. The interesting thing is now Kia has inserted itself in the conversation and folks like Acura have been backed out of these shopping decisions. Hell even among the Lexus group, you'll have the F sport crowd turning a blind eye to the base model, the base model folks saying F sport is overpriced and overrated. The GS threads bash the new ES, the new ES owners love the new ES. Among BMW, the M group will bash the base model group, the base model group will say get a tune and my car is better than the M. The $70,000 C43 and C63 folks won't consider their car to be the same as a C300...bottom line, get what makes YOU happy. There will always be the group who disagrees.
I am a new forum member and the owner of an aging ES-350 and I’m idly shopping for a replacement. I’m looking for something that feels smaller than the ES, is sportier than the ES, has AWD, and, ideally, a hatch (but not necessary). I looked at a bunch of cars. I Discounted the Q50 for being not that great feeling and of dubious reliability, the TLX for being its bizarro infotainment and shifter (and being front-wheel drive biased AWD), and the Genesis G70 for being too small (but magnificent inside).
so I’m looking at the Stinger and the GS. I’d buy either one lightly used. My impressions are based on test drives and reading lots on there internet. The GS has a lot of advantages: objectively “nicer” vehicle. Little things like the way the design prevents you from dropping something in the void between the west and the console. Soft close windows, stuff like that. It is ultra reliable. Fun enough to drive. The 2013-15s are blandly conservative enough looking that they will still look “fine” in 8 years. Also, the GS seems to be noticeably better put-together than the Stinger. Stinger owners and even reviewers are constantly complaining of freaks and rattles.
The Stinger has a lot going for it too. Power, brash style that turns heads, and that hatch! Not quite as nice inside, but we’re talking small fractions here. Like the stingers interior is probably 93% of the GS. The one BIG advantage the Stinger has over the GS is infotainment and tech. The Hyundai/Genesis/Kia infotainment is about the best in the industry. Hard buttons for everything that needs a button. Easy to use touch screen otherwise. And easy access to customization. Like if you want to change the number of times your lane change signal blinks, it’s easy to do from the screen. As opposed to the GS which requires entering a Nintendo style cheat code into the wiper stalk.
the big disadvantage of the Kia, as others have mentioned, is the Kia dealership and the owner experience. For a $50k car, people don’t seem to be getting $50k style service.
Currently, I’m window-shopping a 2013 GS-350 AWD with the luxury package (silver with brown interior) and a 2018 Stinger GT Limited, Thunder grey with red nappa (canadian version of the GT2 trim).
With any new model of any make there will be little things. The rear hatch rattle was resolved for the 2019 and easy fix on the 18's. The brake pads leave brake deposits and brakes go around 30k miles, same brake life with the GS F sport. I cross shopped the M40i and Audi SQ5 and the issues on those forums are huge compared to any I've seen on either the GS or a Stinger. Some new X3 owners have had drive-train failures and been stranded at less than 5k miles. You'll always have a group that will swear to one brand and never own the other. Benz hate BMW, BMW hate Benz, Audi hate both... Germans think Lexus is for old farts, Lexus owners will brag on reliability compared to the German competition. The interesting thing is now Kia has inserted itself in the conversation and folks like Acura have been backed out of these shopping decisions. Hell even among the Lexus group, you'll have the F sport crowd turning a blind eye to the base model, the base model folks saying F sport is overpriced and overrated. The GS threads bash the new ES, the new ES owners love the new ES. Among BMW, the M group will bash the base model group, the base model group will say get a tune and my car is better than the M. The $70,000 C43 and C63 folks won't consider their car to be the same as a C300...bottom line, get what makes YOU happy. There will always be the group who disagrees.
Ain't that all the truth! haha. I loved the look of the GS when I had my 2 ES's (back to back) but never understood why it was more expensive... Until I drove my GS.
Originally Posted by jtrue28
Sounds like you have your mind made up. Good luck!!
Well, not entirely, but chances are VERY small I end up with a Kia, or anything other than another Lexus. The deals on this GS are rather crap, even with 5k on the odometer. Currently they are trying to talk me into a ES.
Originally Posted by norinse
I am a new forum member and the owner of an aging ES-350 and I’m idly shopping for a replacement. I’m looking for something that feels smaller than the ES, is sportier than the ES, has AWD, and, ideally, a hatch (but not necessary). I looked at a bunch of cars. I Discounted the Q50 for being not that great feeling and of dubious reliability, the TLX for being its bizarro infotainment and shifter (and being front-wheel drive biased AWD), and the Genesis G70 for being too small (but magnificent inside).
so I’m looking at the Stinger and the GS. I’d buy either one lightly used. My impressions are based on test drives and reading lots on there internet. The GS has a lot of advantages: objectively “nicer” vehicle. Little things like the way the design prevents you from dropping something in the void between the west and the console. Soft close windows, stuff like that. It is ultra reliable. Fun enough to drive. The 2013-15s are blandly conservative enough looking that they will still look “fine” in 8 years. Also, the GS seems to be noticeably better put-together than the Stinger. Stinger owners and even reviewers are constantly complaining of freaks and rattles.
The Stinger has a lot going for it too. Power, brash style that turns heads, and that hatch! Not quite as nice inside, but we’re talking small fractions here. Like the stingers interior is probably 93% of the GS. The one BIG advantage the Stinger has over the GS is infotainment and tech. The Hyundai/Genesis/Kia infotainment is about the best in the industry. Hard buttons for everything that needs a button. Easy to use touch screen otherwise. And easy access to customization. Like if you want to change the number of times your lane change signal blinks, it’s easy to do from the screen. As opposed to the GS which requires entering a Nintendo style cheat code into the wiper stalk.
the big disadvantage of the Kia, as others have mentioned, is the Kia dealership and the owner experience. For a $50k car, people don’t seem to be getting $50k style service.
Currently, I’m window-shopping a 2013 GS-350 AWD with the luxury package (silver with brown interior) and a 2018 Stinger GT Limited, Thunder grey with red nappa (canadian version of the GT2 trim).
I'd say if looking at used you'd be crazy not the go with the GS. Only reason I'd even give the Kia a chance is due to factory warranty, and them working some of the bugs out. No offense to the Kia, but I'm not touching a used one at all. Plus a '13 GS is perfect for getting your feet wet and really enjoying...
Why not consider the KIA K900? You can even get a 3.3L Twin-Turbocharged V6 that delivers 365 hp/376 lb-ft of torque. Granted, the materials, fitment, technology, reliability and dependability may not be the best. Can you live with the KIA brand reputation?
08-25-19, 09:04 PM
I had a work trip in florida (in middle of no where) past week. Haven't pulled any triggers yet...
... And what the guy below said...
