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The joys of a heated steering wheel on a ?? winter day!
- Thread starter Triumvph
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![[histerical]](/images/smilies/histerical.gif "Histerical [histerical]")
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I almost didn?t by the Stinger because they only include the heated steering wheel on the GT2, I didn?t need limited slip, and that was the only valid reason for wanting the GT2, because I couldn?t order that feature on a GT1 almost had me leaving KIA. I had the Optima SC/Turbo ?Launch Edition?, which was about 5-6k cheaper than the SX-L but had some key upgrades as heated and vented seats, heated steering wheel, blind spot detection, etc. There was no option like this on GT1... bummer
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![[bawling]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_bawling.gif "Bawling [bawling]"){kind=icon}
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And this specifically almost kept me from buying a Stinger. I felt like they were trying to manipulate access to certain features in a way to where you had to buy the top-of-the-line model. In the beginning, around 2012, Kia impressed me by making ?standard? many features that Toyota and Honda were charging extra for. But, in the last couple of years they stop giving you the option to add those features, creating instead packages that you had to choose from. Personally I think that was the wrong move. How KIA decides to do this in the future will honestly affect my next purchase.
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On the other hand I look at the top line Stinger in Canada and see everything it comes with at the price point and feel that's a bargain to the other cars that have the same performance and luxury. We only have 2 models in Canada both the 3.3L AWD. Back on topic....Love my heated steering wheel on those cold mornings and since having a 2009 Ram Laramie with it, it's something I search for in a car now. I found it funny that if you want a D steering wheel in an Audi that they can't heat it.
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Well, with all due respect, [MENTION=430]DBurd[/MENTION], I have stuff on my GT2 I did not want and didn't want to pay for. I tried to order a GT1 AWD DriveWise 19" but the order got deleted somewhere along the line and rather than try again after 3 weeks with the same results, I just bought the GT2. Here's what I do NOT like about the GT2:
Power lift gate - more complex and likely to cause problems after warranty
HUD - the HUD is OK but it's all right there in the gauge cluster anyway, so what's the point? The windshields for the HUD are about $1,000 to replace.
SBW (Shift By Wire) shifter is like some of the high end cars, but it's a gimmick that does nothing to enhance the car's performance, and I wanted a solid linkage for better manual control
Nappa leather seats - nice, but I'll bet the regular leather will wear better in the long haul
Low beam assist - cutesy stuff for slow turns in city streets, but again, complexity is the enemy of reliability. How much to repair that system out of warranty?
All that cost me another $3,900 over the GT1 I wanted and has added potentially expensive maintenance or repairs down the road. If you throw your cars away after a year or two, it doesn't matter because you're always under warranty. I keep my cars for a decade or longer and these repairs can eat you up over time. I buy the car for what it is -- it's essence and handling and performance -- not for the toys and "nanny tech" junk hanging all over it. I'm a driver, not a dash-swiper, parking lot cowboy or stoplight champion. I couldn't care less about a 360? camera or wireless charger (just to eliminate a cable?!) or heated rear seats since no one will likely ever sit back there in the winter. Drive what you like and like what you drive, but I'd never refuse to purchase a car because it lacked one piece of fancy gadgetry. JMHO.
Power lift gate - more complex and likely to cause problems after warranty
HUD - the HUD is OK but it's all right there in the gauge cluster anyway, so what's the point? The windshields for the HUD are about $1,000 to replace.
SBW (Shift By Wire) shifter is like some of the high end cars, but it's a gimmick that does nothing to enhance the car's performance, and I wanted a solid linkage for better manual control
Nappa leather seats - nice, but I'll bet the regular leather will wear better in the long haul
Low beam assist - cutesy stuff for slow turns in city streets, but again, complexity is the enemy of reliability. How much to repair that system out of warranty?
All that cost me another $3,900 over the GT1 I wanted and has added potentially expensive maintenance or repairs down the road. If you throw your cars away after a year or two, it doesn't matter because you're always under warranty. I keep my cars for a decade or longer and these repairs can eat you up over time. I buy the car for what it is -- it's essence and handling and performance -- not for the toys and "nanny tech" junk hanging all over it. I'm a driver, not a dash-swiper, parking lot cowboy or stoplight champion. I couldn't care less about a 360? camera or wireless charger (just to eliminate a cable?!) or heated rear seats since no one will likely ever sit back there in the winter. Drive what you like and like what you drive, but I'd never refuse to purchase a car because it lacked one piece of fancy gadgetry. JMHO.
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@mldavis we are actually saying the same thing.
I wanted heated steering wheel, and vented seats, on the car I have, the GT1, as opposed to having to spend 3-4k and buy features i didn?t want. My contemplation to not buy a Stinger was more because I felt KIA was trying to force a serious up-sell, based on keeping some key ?vanity? features away from anything but the top $$$ car. I specifically would not like the heads up display, I dislike the Napa Leather by design and I agree it looks too easy to tear. The only feature on the GT2 I actually consider significant is the limited slip, but that?s because I prefer real wheel drive. You have a bunch of features you don?t want in your Stinger because KIA sells packages of features as different models, one cannot pick and choose which features they would like to add to their car.
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I wanted heated steering wheel, and vented seats, on the car I have, the GT1, as opposed to having to spend 3-4k and buy features i didn?t want. My contemplation to not buy a Stinger was more because I felt KIA was trying to force a serious up-sell, based on keeping some key ?vanity? features away from anything but the top $$$ car. I specifically would not like the heads up display, I dislike the Napa Leather by design and I agree it looks too easy to tear. The only feature on the GT2 I actually consider significant is the limited slip, but that?s because I prefer real wheel drive. You have a bunch of features you don?t want in your Stinger because KIA sells packages of features as different models, one cannot pick and choose which features they would like to add to their car.
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As an old timer who custom-ordered my first car in 1970 (Plymouth GTX), I remember going through a multiple-page list of options available. You could build one to your specs and avoid paying for stuff you didn't want. That changed decades ago with increased robot usage and automated assembly lines. There are still cars you can "build" like that (Corvettes come to mind) but they aren't what you'd call "mass produced" cars.
My own theory, aside from simplifying the process, is that it's a profit incentive. (I have no proof of this, JMHO.) Repair shops today are mostly R&R shops. They don't "repair" anything, they just replace stuff. We used to rebuild starters, alternators, transmissions, brake cylinders, etc. Today those components are less likely to ever need replacing. There is also a lot less maintenance. Where we used to make money on brake jobs, hoses, belts, lube jobs, transmission services and such, today you can go a couple hundred thousand miles before needing any of that. Shops have to make money doing something else, so they deal with the complexity of what is essentially a rolling computer. The factory pays for replacement which is usually fairly simple, the parts department makes a bit of profit on the parts, and only those of us who keep cars beyond warranty periods get hosed on maintenance.
So what we see today on used car lots are cars with toys that are too expensive to replace -- like heated steering wheels, damaged park and blind spot assists in bent bumpers, rear view mirrors burned out with a careless button press after an ice storm. You really have to think about what these toys cost to maintain after assembly and whether or not the car is worth the repair.
My own theory, aside from simplifying the process, is that it's a profit incentive. (I have no proof of this, JMHO.) Repair shops today are mostly R&R shops. They don't "repair" anything, they just replace stuff. We used to rebuild starters, alternators, transmissions, brake cylinders, etc. Today those components are less likely to ever need replacing. There is also a lot less maintenance. Where we used to make money on brake jobs, hoses, belts, lube jobs, transmission services and such, today you can go a couple hundred thousand miles before needing any of that. Shops have to make money doing something else, so they deal with the complexity of what is essentially a rolling computer. The factory pays for replacement which is usually fairly simple, the parts department makes a bit of profit on the parts, and only those of us who keep cars beyond warranty periods get hosed on maintenance.
So what we see today on used car lots are cars with toys that are too expensive to replace -- like heated steering wheels, damaged park and blind spot assists in bent bumpers, rear view mirrors burned out with a careless button press after an ice storm. You really have to think about what these toys cost to maintain after assembly and whether or not the car is worth the repair.
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| Thread starter | Similar threads | Forum | Replies | Date |
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