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      11-19-2017, 10:03 AM   #1
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Keeping the 2; Adding a Stinger

Time to rebalance the "fleet" and need a larger four door in addition to the 2, where two adults can easily/comfortably ride. Looked at a 4 Series Gran Coupe, but the pricing gave me pause. I'm keeping the 2 as my "fun/toy", but the new Kia Stinger seems to be aiming at the 4 GC, more space than the upcoming 2 GC, but priced about ten grand lower in my comparison. Can a Korean and German peacefully co-exist?
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      11-19-2017, 10:19 AM   #2
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I hope you enjoy it, and the stinger will create some competition price wise. It's hard to argue with the pricing when the 2 grand coupe is going to be FWD. I would take the 365 hp and RWD for less money too. Even if it isn't as "refined".
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      11-19-2017, 11:16 AM   #3
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We purchased a 2012 Hyundai Accent brand new for my daughter several years ago. At the time we compared it to Honda, Scion, Mazda, Kia and a few others. My brother in-law was on his second Hyundai so we decided the Accent was the best choice based on features, size and price compared to the competition. Unfortunately it has been a big disappointment. It just hasn't held up well at all. I know Kia has been rated well as a brand recently and Hyundai hasn't but after our experience would take a lot more evidence for me to trust either of the Korean brands. The Kia Stinger looks like a great car. I've read favorable reviews compared to several of the big guns including the 440i Grand Coupe. I hope it works well for you.
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      11-19-2017, 12:49 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by p912guy View Post
We purchased a 2012 Hyundai Accent brand new for my daughter several years ago. At the time we compared it to Honda, Scion, Mazda, Kia and a few others. My brother in-law was on his second Hyundai so we decided the Accent was the best choice based on features, size and price compared to the competition. Unfortunately it has been a big disappointment. It just hasn't held up well at all. I know Kia has been rated well as a brand recently and Hyundai hasn't but after our experience would take a lot more evidence for me to trust either of the Korean brands. The Kia Stinger looks like a great car. I've read favorable reviews compared to several of the big guns including the 440i Grand Coupe. I hope it works well for you.
My wife had an 11' Accent that was pretty trouble free. Next we leased her a 15' Santa Fe Sport 2.0T. The quality definitely has gone downhill. It has never died but it has numerous trips to the dealer to fix problems like suspension noises, recalls, seatbelts you name it.

The lease isn't up until next January but we've already replaced it with an 18' X1 and the Santa Fe is sitting in the driveway. The Stinger looks great it really does but I would shy away from a first year model. At least with Hyundai, service is a PITA no loaners so you have to drop it off, arrange to pick it up. Just something to think about.
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      11-19-2017, 03:44 PM   #5
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My garage is on it's 3rd Kia since 2006.

2006 Kia Spectra 5 Hatch ( replaced steering wheel due to premature leather finish wear twice, replace O2 sensor) No other mechanical problems in 65K miles. Traded it for a CPO Z4.
2011 Kia Sedona EX V6 minivan (back-up camera issues, nothing mechanical until 59K miles when the A/C clutch pulley rivets finally gave up) tons of over 100mph road trips around Europe. Traded for 2016 Sorento EX V6 when we got back to the states and my older 2 sons were out of the house.
2016 Sorento EX V6 (trouble free mechanically. Headrest on the driver's seat had some plastic side panel that kept coming loose. 37K miles to include a cross country road trip from SC to WA and back. hasn't skipped a beat)

Would I buy the Stinger? Possibly 2nd year production after the bugs get worked out. Randy Probst had a great time in it.
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      11-19-2017, 05:40 PM   #6
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Congrats and good luck! Will be interested to hear a review I'd think about one of those as a DD down the road. Everything you read seems very positive.
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      11-20-2017, 10:13 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
Time to rebalance the "fleet" and need a larger four door in addition to the 2, where two adults can easily/comfortably ride. Looked at a 4 Series Gran Coupe, but the pricing gave me pause. I'm keeping the 2 as my "fun/toy", but the new Kia Stinger seems to be aiming at the 4 GC, more space than the upcoming 2 GC, but priced about ten grand lower in my comparison. Can a Korean and German peacefully co-exist?
I too was interested in the Kia Stinger. Looks like a nice car, however, with the larger engine (GT I think) it starts getting awfully close to the BMW price point.

Base on 440i GC is $49,500 - decently optioned $53,500 (premium pkg/w leather or 54,100 w/ a HUD added.

Loaded Stinger $52,595

Dunno, but for that price diff, I'd rather be driving a BMW 4 series GC than a KIA. You'd likely see more than that price diff returned when you trade.

But as they say, variety is the spice of life.......
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      11-20-2017, 11:10 AM   #8
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Forgive me ... but every time I see the Stinger, my brain's stereo sample archive looks up and plays this:

"Keh - keh - keh - Kiah!" (to the Chia Pet jingle)

I just can't get over that. Kudos to those who can, though ...

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      11-20-2017, 11:10 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USA-RET View Post
I too was interested in the Kia Stinger. Looks like a nice car, however, with the larger engine (GT I think) it starts getting awfully close to the BMW price point.

Base on 440i GC is $49,500 - decently optioned $53,500 (premium pkg/w leather or 54,100 w/ a HUD added.

Loaded Stinger $52,595

Dunno, but for that price diff, I'd rather be driving a BMW 4 series GC than a KIA. You'd likely see more than that price diff returned when you trade.

But as they say, variety is the spice of life.......
Agree with your analysis, and I'm actually aiming at the $38,000 MSRP, which is the loaded 4 cylinder car. As with the 2 Series, I'm more motivated by the balance of the lighter front end and think the 255hp engine will be very satisfactory for me. The 430i GC I comparably optioned was about $50k....more modestly contented, still $45,400. The Stinger 2.0 Premium has quite a standard content list to match.
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Last edited by Sportstick; 11-20-2017 at 11:20 AM..
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      11-20-2017, 11:12 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Viffermike View Post
Forgive me ... but every time I see the Stinger, my brain's stereo sample archive looks up and plays this:

"Keh - keh - keh - Kiah!" (to the Chia Pet jingle)

I just can't get over that. Kudos to those who can, though ...

Darn! I hadn't considered that critical factor!! Now what do I do????
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      11-20-2017, 11:32 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
Agree with your analysis, and I'm actually aiming at the $38,000 MSRP, which is the loaded 4 cylinder car. As with the 2 Series, I'm more motivated by the balance of the lighter front end and think the 255hp engine will be very satisfactory for me. The 430i GC I comparably optioned was about $50k....more modestly contented, still $45,400. The Stinger 2.0 Premium has quite a standard content list to match.

That makes sense. About a $5K spread @ the base 430i GC and $10K decently optioned Add another $1100 for the HUD so $11K if you buy the Stinger as a base w/ nothing added.

Surprising, both Hyundai and Kia option their base vehicles well enough that when I purchased two Santa Fe's, I only had to add a trailer hitch. Both came w/ most everything I cared about.

That being said, I have grown to enjoy keyless entry, Nav, dual climate control, home link, and few other options that I wouldn't want to sacrifice.

C&D did an evaluation on the Stinger that you may find interesting.
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      11-20-2017, 11:35 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USA-RET View Post
I too was interested in the Kia Stinger. Looks like a nice car, however, with the larger engine (GT I think) it starts getting awfully close to the BMW price point.

Base on 440i GC is $49,500 - decently optioned $53,500 (premium pkg/w leather or 54,100 w/ a HUD added.

Loaded Stinger $52,595

Dunno, but for that price diff, I'd rather be driving a BMW 4 series GC than a KIA. You'd likely see more than that price diff returned when you trade.

But as they say, variety is the spice of life.......
That price on the Stinger is the GT2 trim model that has every option on it (minus AWD). Spec out a 440 GC the same as the Stinger GT2 and the Stinger will come in considerably less.

I believe they have GT, GT1, GT2 trims. All have the same engine, but you get upgraded brakes, upgraded leather, mechanical LSD, HUD etc as you move up in trim.

I do love the Stinger. You may also want to wait for the new Genesis G70 to hit the dealers. It runs on a slightly shorter Stinger platform.

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      11-20-2017, 08:52 PM   #13
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My first new car was a 2012 Kia Optima that I leased my first year out of college while working for a Fortune 500 company. As my references for vehicle reliability, the car it replaced was a hand-me-down 2005 Chevy Equinox that had 150k on the clock when I traded it towards the Kia. Before that, it was a 2001 Nissan Xterra with 140k on the clock when I handed it down to my younger brother, who racked it up to 162k before he traded it due to a (believed) exhaust manifold gasket failure. Both of these reference vehicles were purchased new in my family and only saw engine oil, brake pad/rotor, spark plug, and filter changes as preventative maintenance - sometimes not even preventative and more like deferred depending on the family member using it.

The Chevy was the most reliable car I had/have ever seen. Literally 1 problem that whole time - gas cap seal went bad. Nothing else. And the car was abused to hell in every conceivable way during my college years. (LOL). Only reason I bothered to trade it towards the Kia was because I hit a deer at speed and it suffered too much cosmetic damage for me to bother fixing it myself either out of pocket or through insurance! Who knows how much longer that car would have gone...

The Nissan was also utterly reliable from new up to 162k miles except for a burned out AC fan motor and a burned out passenger window motor. Again, not a single issue other than those 2 electrical components burning out, which IMHO, were understandable physics-limited failures.


On to the Kia Optima...


It impressed me back in 2011 when I test drove it because it had a nice ride and all the features I needed (i.e. integrated bluetooth and a steering wheel ) along with the low price and perceived reliability stats. However, my nearly 4 years of ownership told a different story. For starters, the Khumo tires were absolute junk. They wore so unevenly and so quickly that they needed to be replaced at 22k miles, just after the 1st year. Next, my battery was dead at just over the 3-year mark. Went to get a generic battery at Autozone and they told me they don't make a generic battery that fits the Optima's battery compartment. Went to Kia dealership and paid just over $200 for a new battery, and while I was there heard another person was in for the same thing! Apparently, Kia batteries don't last past ~3.5 years. Never seen any other car batteries die before 5-6 years. Finally, at some point between 20k and 40k miles, my steering rack started to loosen or something happened to cause steering feel to get really loose and sloppy. I never bothered to have it looked at and just drove it as-is until I eventually bought out the lease and sold it.

I will end my long-winded rant by saying I will not be buying another Kia... ever. Did it get me from point A to point B without killing me? Yes. But it barely had any miles on it and I still experienced a few too many annoying issues during the short time I owned it. IMHO, they do not build a *quality* car. They build an appliance-grade passenger vehicle that saves you some money up front, but gets you in the end anyway from all the BS wear items along the way and God knows what other shortcuts might have been taken by the Koreans. .

(Oh jeez.. and one more noteworthy word: depreciation! And you think BMW is bad. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way with my Kia! YMMV)

Cheers!

Last edited by CP911; 11-20-2017 at 08:59 PM..
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      11-20-2017, 09:08 PM   #14
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I thought the base was a 4 cyl, and the GT was a 3.6 six cyl. Dunno
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      11-20-2017, 09:27 PM   #15
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I thought the base was a 4 cyl, and the GT was a 3.6 six cyl. Dunno
There are 5 models...two with 4 cylinder, three with 6 cylinder. I'm aiming for 2.0 Premium, second from left...MSRP=$38k with content shown.

https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/model...atures#stinger
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      11-20-2017, 09:32 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
My first new car was a 2012 Kia Optima that I leased my first year out of college while working for a Fortune 500 company. As my references for vehicle reliability, the car it replaced was a hand-me-down 2005 Chevy Equinox that had 150k on the clock when I traded it towards the Kia. Before that, it was a 2001 Nissan Xterra with 140k on the clock when I handed it down to my younger brother, who racked it up to 162k before he traded it due to a (believed) exhaust manifold gasket failure. Both of these reference vehicles were purchased new in my family and only saw engine oil, brake pad/rotor, spark plug, and filter changes as preventative maintenance - sometimes not even preventative and more like deferred depending on the family member using it.

The Chevy was the most reliable car I had/have ever seen. Literally 1 problem that whole time - gas cap seal went bad. Nothing else. And the car was abused to hell in every conceivable way during my college years. (LOL). Only reason I bothered to trade it towards the Kia was because I hit a deer at speed and it suffered too much cosmetic damage for me to bother fixing it myself either out of pocket or through insurance! Who knows how much longer that car would have gone...

The Nissan was also utterly reliable from new up to 162k miles except for a burned out AC fan motor and a burned out passenger window motor. Again, not a single issue other than those 2 electrical components burning out, which IMHO, were understandable physics-limited failures.


On to the Kia Optima...


It impressed me back in 2011 when I test drove it because it had a nice ride and all the features I needed (i.e. integrated bluetooth and a steering wheel ) along with the low price and perceived reliability stats. However, my nearly 4 years of ownership told a different story. For starters, the Khumo tires were absolute junk. They wore so unevenly and so quickly that they needed to be replaced at 22k miles, just after the 1st year. Next, my battery was dead at just over the 3-year mark. Went to get a generic battery at Autozone and they told me they don't make a generic battery that fits the Optima's battery compartment. Went to Kia dealership and paid just over $200 for a new battery, and while I was there heard another person was in for the same thing! Apparently, Kia batteries don't last past ~3.5 years. Never seen any other car batteries die before 5-6 years. Finally, at some point between 20k and 40k miles, my steering rack started to loosen or something happened to cause steering feel to get really loose and sloppy. I never bothered to have it looked at and just drove it as-is until I eventually bought out the lease and sold it.

I will end my long-winded rant by saying I will not be buying another Kia... ever. Did it get me from point A to point B without killing me? Yes. But it barely had any miles on it and I still experienced a few too many annoying issues during the short time I owned it. IMHO, they do not build a *quality* car. They build an appliance-grade passenger vehicle that saves you some money up front, but gets you in the end anyway from all the BS wear items along the way and God knows what other shortcuts might have been taken by the Koreans. .

(Oh jeez.. and one more noteworthy word: depreciation! And you think BMW is bad. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way with my Kia! YMMV)

Cheers!
I understand the negative passion...the same way I feel about Audi, and that's just from a 2016 model! Thanks for taking the time to share all that experience. I do hope it works out better all these years later.
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      11-20-2017, 09:44 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
I understand the negative passion...the same way I feel about Audi, and that's just from a 2016 model! Thanks for taking the time to share all that experience. I do hope it works out better all these years later.
Of course! FYI, my intent wasn't to deter you or anyone from the brand, as they clearly offer a compelling product. I simply felt the need to share my experiences with a fellow 2er fan since a) I had the time to do so and b) as German car enthusiasts, I figure the expectations we have might always be higher than what some of the non-premium brands can offer, and really thought my feedback could provide useful for awareness-sake if nothing else.

Cheers and happy driving!
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      11-20-2017, 10:08 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CP911 View Post
My first new car was a 2012 Kia Optima that I leased my first year out of college while working for a Fortune 500 company. As my references for vehicle reliability, the car it replaced was a hand-me-down 2005 Chevy Equinox that had 150k on the clock when I traded it towards the Kia. Before that, it was a 2001 Nissan Xterra with 140k on the clock when I handed it down to my younger brother, who racked it up to 162k before he traded it due to a (believed) exhaust manifold gasket failure. Both of these reference vehicles were purchased new in my family and only saw engine oil, brake pad/rotor, spark plug, and filter changes as preventative maintenance - sometimes not even preventative and more like deferred depending on the family member using it.

The Chevy was the most reliable car I had/have ever seen. Literally 1 problem that whole time - gas cap seal went bad. Nothing else. And the car was abused to hell in every conceivable way during my college years. (LOL). Only reason I bothered to trade it towards the Kia was because I hit a deer at speed and it suffered too much cosmetic damage for me to bother fixing it myself either out of pocket or through insurance! Who knows how much longer that car would have gone...

The Nissan was also utterly reliable from new up to 162k miles except for a burned out AC fan motor and a burned out passenger window motor. Again, not a single issue other than those 2 electrical components burning out, which IMHO, were understandable physics-limited failures.


On to the Kia Optima...


It impressed me back in 2011 when I test drove it because it had a nice ride and all the features I needed (i.e. integrated bluetooth and a steering wheel ) along with the low price and perceived reliability stats. However, my nearly 4 years of ownership told a different story. For starters, the Khumo tires were absolute junk. They wore so unevenly and so quickly that they needed to be replaced at 22k miles, just after the 1st year. Next, my battery was dead at just over the 3-year mark. Went to get a generic battery at Autozone and they told me they don't make a generic battery that fits the Optima's battery compartment. Went to Kia dealership and paid just over $200 for a new battery, and while I was there heard another person was in for the same thing! Apparently, Kia batteries don't last past ~3.5 years. Never seen any other car batteries die before 5-6 years. Finally, at some point between 20k and 40k miles, my steering rack started to loosen or something happened to cause steering feel to get really loose and sloppy. I never bothered to have it looked at and just drove it as-is until I eventually bought out the lease and sold it.

I will end my long-winded rant by saying I will not be buying another Kia... ever. Did it get me from point A to point B without killing me? Yes. But it barely had any miles on it and I still experienced a few too many annoying issues during the short time I owned it. IMHO, they do not build a *quality* car. They build an appliance-grade passenger vehicle that saves you some money up front, but gets you in the end anyway from all the BS wear items along the way and God knows what other shortcuts might have been taken by the Koreans. .

(Oh jeez.. and one more noteworthy word: depreciation! And you think BMW is bad. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way with my Kia! YMMV)

Cheers!
I can understand your frustration, but you basically bash on a brand, because of a dead battery and tires wearing unevenly?
First of all, I have to say you must have been very lucky, because the first generation Nissan Xterra, has one of the worst reputation for reliability.
Second, maybe your car was out of alignment, and dead battery issues, as annoying as you might think is more common than you think, and generally not proper to a brand.
I had a 2012 Kia Optima turbo lease, and absolutely loved the car.
You want to hear about real bad reliability? How about the 2000 Audi A4 Quattro
That went to the dealership every single month, after the first year of ownership.
And that for the remaining 3 years I drove this POS.
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      11-20-2017, 10:41 PM   #19
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Quote:
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I can understand your frustration, but you basically bash on a brand, because of a dead battery and tires wearing unevenly?
First of all, I have to say you must have been very lucky, because the first generation Nissan Xterra, has one of the worst reputation for reliability.
Second, maybe your car was out of alignment, and dead battery issues, as annoying as you might think is more common than you think, and generally not proper to a brand.
I had a 2012 Kia Optima turbo lease, and absolutely loved the car.
You want to hear about real bad reliability? How about the 2000 Audi A4 Quattro
That went to the dealership every single month, after the first year of ownership.
And that for the remaining 3 years I drove this POS.
I should have known my post would become troll bait! I kid, I kid.

Yes, I'm fully aware of Audi's reputation. My Godparents have owned a half dozen by now and despite all their bitching and complaining about the service costs and experiences over the years, they still choose to drive them, so they must be doing something good, right? Also, my old neighbor in NC rather enjoyed his older A4 enough to buy a new A6 last year... still, I have no personal experiences with the marque and can't comment beyond this.

Take it as bashing or however you will, but that was how my 1st experience with the brand went down. Simply sharing my experiences and opinions. Just because I don't plan to buy another doesn't mean you or OP shouldn't...
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      11-20-2017, 10:53 PM   #20
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Not trolling, just trying to be fair here.
That's all.
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      11-21-2017, 05:50 AM   #21
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My current daily driver is an 2018 Audi A4 and I love it. It's the smoothest ride I've ever had in a car, and one of the quietest. On a good road, the interior noise level is just barely over 50 decibels and around 70-75 on mediocre roads. Even without air suspension or an adaptive damping suspension, the ride is very, very comfortable. We take that car when we want to take a road trip or take the family places, since the other car doesn't fit four very well.

The other daily driver that my wife usually drives, is our 2018 BMW M240i. We take that car out when we want to go joy riding. When we go out together, I get to drive it, so I technically have two daily drivers.
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      11-21-2017, 06:03 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northwest240 View Post
My current daily driver is an 2018 Audi A4 and I love it. It's the smoothest ride I've ever had in a car, and one of the quietest. On a good road, the interior noise level is just barely over 50 decibels and around 70-75 on mediocre roads. Even without air suspension or an adaptive damping suspension, the ride is very, very comfortable. We take that car when we want to take a road trip or take the family places, since the other car doesn't fit four very well.

The other daily driver that my wife usually drives, is our 2018 BMW M240i. We take that car out when we want to go joy riding. When we go out together, I get to drive it, so I technically have two daily drivers.
Other than the “lurch-o-matic” trans (“they all do that”, per dealer), I have no issue with the performance of our A6. It’s quite good, in fact. The issues are quality-related and the refusal of AoA to implement a clear warranty repair, instead, having the technician alter the repair order with false information to support their position. The tech apologized but said there was nothing he could do. As far as I’m concerned, AoA is dishonest and deceptive and it no longer matters how nice the cars are. One and done for us.
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