When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
You will not be disappointed. The 3.0T is arguably one of the best engines Audi has made as far as power / reliability are concerned.
Did I mention very easily tuned?
It will take every ounce of willpower not to tune it. I'm hoping my plan to buy an extended warranty for it will combat my impulsiveness. Then again I said the same thing about the TL "well you can't even tune it, so i won't mod it" ...then i had to paint the ugly beak/rear boomerang. black out the headlights and tint the tail lights, 20" wheels, which then needed an upgraded coilover suspension... Thats why i've resigned to drive it another year. Has a 2-year old suspension system, and 31k on a new transmission that blew up with 500 miles left on the CPO warranty... It still drives great, no issues, which is why even though im ready to buy the next car im going to drive this thing until i find the perfect situation for replacement.
It will take every ounce of willpower not to tune it. I'm hoping my plan to buy an extended warranty for it will combat my impulsiveness. Then again I said the same thing about the TL "well you can't even tune it, so i won't mod it" ...then i had to paint the ugly beak/rear boomerang. black out the headlights and tint the tail lights, 20" wheels, which then needed an upgraded coilover suspension... Thats why i've resigned to drive it another year. Has a 2-year old suspension system, and 31k on a new transmission that blew up with 500 miles left on the CPO warranty... It still drives great, no issues, which is why even though im ready to buy the next car im going to drive this thing until i find the perfect situation for replacement.
I'm seriously considering a B8 S4 as my future upgrade route after my B5 or S2000 leaves - that's the problem with guys like me, I never know what I want.
Thread update, ended up picking up a 2018 Kia Stinger GT, loving it so far, its a bit flashier than i was originally looking for but its a great all around car. Good passenger space, great cargo space, amazing performance, etc etc.
The Stinger was top of my list, but just outside of my budget (Stinger Premium + tech).
Still looking hard at the GTI Autobahn, need to start getting some quotes/dealer competition going as we get closer to month-end.
I still stand by my belief that you will get accustomed to whatever you drive daily so to really keep things fresh, you should just go for a wildly impractical sports car.
This is a very good point. And one I'll likely follow when I'm ready to upgrade my stable in the near future.
This may be sacrilege to state on any car enthusiast forum but....currently I'm dailying a 2018 Prius (long-term rental car, been exchanging rental cars for about 1 year now for work) and honestly it's a great daily driver. I've tried many other rental cars and as fun as some of the sportier cars were...you're right in that the novelty factor wears off and I find myself looking for the next fun car to get into. The Prius gets great MPG, nice and quiet, good visibility and roomy enough for my needs and I feel more calm driving it. Obviously it's not sporty at all but then again my short commute has no route to be sporty anyway.
And I can reserve the weekend for the fun car/bike. I can see myself having a garage that consists of a Prius, Yamaha VMAX, and a very fun sports car [C7 or C5 Z06/Camaro ZL1, GT350, Viper, Miata/S2000, etc....]
edit: Interestingly, someone over on flyertalk just posted that the rental car company that I use has stocked a brand new Audi S7 for the taking as part of Emerald Aisle with National, this is usually a VIP/reserved only level of car so I might be very tempted to try to snag that if I can next month......
Get a Hyundai or Kia, they are making some great cars these days. Nissan isn't bad (as long as it doesn't have a CVT) and neither is Honda. Toyota is trying to be UBER sporty with the type-r Camry. I'll move this to car-talk so you get some varied advice!
Haven't had the chance to take much for photos of it yet but here is a quick teaser. It's a great looking car, next time its out for a wash I will snap some better photos. The torque on this car is just insane, I've seen baseline dynos and the car is putting down about 310hp and around 360ft/lbs to the ground. The torque to the ground almost matches the advertised flywheel torque figures so I think they underrated it. It makes the torque really low like 1400 rpm so it really throws you in your seat when you're pulling away on the throttle.
I really liked the Stinger, but the GT1/GT2 were out of my budget & dealers weren't budging on 2.0T Premiums.
What trim is yours? I see the GT2 shifter, but no cooled seats & what looks like the smaller infortainment screen?
Mine is the Canadian base GT. The trims in Canada are quite a bit different than in the US. We only got two trim models in 2018, both wthe 3.3TT with AWD. The only thing I really wish I had that my TL had is homelink.
I agree shifting is a blast when you're not stuck in traffic but some of those DSG transmissions out there with paddle shifters are a blast to drive as well. The Golf R gets a cool launch control when you get the DSG equipped model good for a 4.5-4.6sec 0-60! The MT Golf R is something like 5.2-5.3sec.
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
Don't care, would still get manual. I'm not buying a track/race car, I want a fun daily and having a manual is a huge part of that.
Oops...
Congrats on the Stinger! Definitely a unique car, don't see too many out there yet.
Couple updates. I'm officially in love with this car, the way it drives, the drivetrain, the storage, the look. I can't really think of anything wrong with it. It's a very confidence inspiring car and in sport mode the acceleration just throws you in your seat. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy this car all over again.
I've done a couple small mods.
I picked up some really nice floor liners for the car by a company called Tux Mat. If you're looking for an alternative to Weather Tech these are about the same price but have a much more premium look and feel to them.
I also picked up the Euro rear Stinger badge and installed that. It replaces the Kia badge on the back of the car with a 14" script "Stinger" badge.
Finally, I picked up a winter wheel/tire package. I went with a set of gloss black FAST wheels that are confirmed to fit over the stock Brembos. Went with a square setup of 225/45r-18" +30 offset on a 8" wide wheel versus the staggered OEM 19" setup. The plan is to avoid winter driving as much as possible but it will get driven some.
Wheels aren't installed yet I just parked one in front of the OEM wheel to see roughly how they'd look.
What trim is yours? I see the GT2 shifter, but no cooled seats & what looks like the smaller infortainment screen?
I look forward to following your ownership experience.
