sTouring or sGT?

[Velvety]

What are the reasons everyone is opting for the sGT over the sTouring?

I've signed on an sTouring hatch non-premium color for $24,750 not including TTL (don't qualify for incentives). Dealer offered to put me in an sGT hatch non-premium color for $26,000 not including TTL when I went in to sign some updated paperwork. The extra $1,250 shakes out to an additional $17ish/month.

I can't decide if the leather, adaptive headlights, moonroof, and other features justify the cost. I'm 6'2" and haven't sat in a GT with a moonroof - not sure if that will kill the headroom. Help me, internet strangers.

 

[OldSchoolDropout]

I'm 6'2" as well, plenty of headroom in a sGT. I only drove sGT's when looking so can't compare, plan on keeping this car a while for my son who is taller than me and still growing. Just the look and feel of the upgraded interior and function / safety of the adaptive headlights made the cost difference a no-brainer for me.

 

[LH451]

im opting for S Touring cause im not really a fan of sunroofs or leather. I find it a much better deal too. Currently working out a deal for a white S Touring hatch

 

[lowincash]

I got the white sGT hatch for $26,002. The only difference is the sGT has leather seats, adaptive auto leveling headlights, sunroof and auto dimming rear view mirror. Honestly, the leather seats do feel a lot better. It's more soft and just feels more premium. The iGT I tested had the leatherette seats and they were fine but felt a bit plasticky. I tested the iGT first and let me say, after sitting in the sGT there was no way for me to settle with the leatherette seats. I also wanted a sunroof with the bigger engine so I had to get the sGT. The adaptive headlights are pretty cool too, helps light up corners better when turning. It was worth it for me since I always get the top trim in any car I get anyways.

 

[Pengaroo]

Figure out what features you absolutely need, and figure which trim best fits your needs. For most of us the amount of features that you get (leather, adaptive leveling headlights, auto headlights, moonroof, autodim mirror, an interior thats not 100% black, rain-sensing wipers) for the slight bump in price to the gt makes it worth it.

 

[npaladin2000]

What are the reasons everyone is opting for the sGT over the sTouring?

Good question.

I can't decide if the leather, adaptive headlights, moonroof, and other features justify the cost. I'm 6'2" and haven't sat in a GT with a moonroof - not sure if that will kill the headroom. Help me, internet strangers.

This is the answer. I could decide, and the answer was "yes." Especially since I got the lighter "almond" leather, and the movable headlights are amazingly great. Moonroof is nice to have, and while the headroom is tighter I can deal with it, I'm 6 foot.

Part of it was that I wanted nothing to do with black seats, or vinyl "leatherette" seats, and especially not black vinyl "leatherette" seats. The autodim mirror is pretty cool too, though I'm still getting used to it.

 

[Velvety]

Appreciate all the feedback. I realize it's all personal preference and down to my financial situation, but nice to hear other opinions.

The sGT would be meteor gray with the black interior. Or it's an sT in deep crystal blue (my favorite color) with black leatherette. Would love an almond interior, but worried about it showing spills/abuse more easily. Also not sure if I'm willing to wait it out for an almond interior.

Decisions! Really love the autodim (current car has it) and adjusting headlights. Not sold on the moonroof.

 

[LennyR]

Figure out what features you absolutely need, and figure which trim best fits your needs. For most of us the amount of features that you get (leather, adaptive leveling headlights, auto headlights, moonroof, autodim mirror, an interior thats not 100% black, rain-sensing wipers) for the slight bump in price to the gt makes it worth it.

Pengaroo -- What do you mean by "an interior that's not all black" in the sGT?

 

[npaladin2000]

He basically means the availability of the Almond leather interior. All of the "leatherette" options are black-only.

The cloth options (i SV, i Sport, i Touring) also have a non-black options, (grey actually) but those seats are missing lumbar support and are reportedly much less comfortable than even the leatherette seats.

 

[mrkapawutzis]

Appreciate all the feedback. I realize it's all personal preference and down to my financial situation, but nice to hear other opinions.

The sGT would be meteor gray with the black interior. Or it's an sT in deep crystal blue (my favorite color) with black leatherette. Would love an almond interior, but worried about it showing spills/abuse more easily. Also not sure if I'm willing to wait it out for an almond interior.

Decisions! Really love the autodim (current car has it) and adjusting headlights. Not sold on the moonroof.

Like you I'm going for the sTouring in Crystal Blue. I would prefer the sGT because I like the look of the almond interior but my financial situation and the fact that I plan to keep this car for a long while means that maintaining the clean look of the leather would be cost prohibitive for me.

 

[jadnice]

I went with the SGT because I wanted the top of the line 3 with leather and tech package.

 

[concept]

Like you I'm going for the sTouring in Crystal Blue. I would prefer the sGT because I like the look of the almond interior but my financial situation and the fact that I plan to keep this car for a long while means that maintaining the clean look of the leather would be cost prohibitive for me.

Keeping leather looking great is easy if you don't commute for long (20+ mile) distances. I cover my MX5 and Corvette whenever they are driven to work and the Corvette seats look perfect after more than 12 years. To keep them smelling new, I use Zaino "Leather-in-a-bottle" after cleaning with a leather cleaner.

 

[xplorguy]

Velvety! Unless you don't like sunroofs or it is a headroom issue for you....going the sGT route would be an easy call for me. If you checked sunroof, adaptive headlights, auto dim rear view mirror and LEATHER interior on a BMW 3 Series it would cost you thousands. These options are a bargain at your cost of $1,250. You will get this money back, for the most part, when you sell the car. And the $17 per month....comes to about 50 cent a day! Not sure where Murica is but the leatherette seats on the t will be cold and slippery in the cold and hot and sticky in the warmth of summer..............

 

[Reacher]

Contrary to the prior post, the leatherette seats are NOT slippery when cold. They have a tactile feel that seems to have a greater friction than the leather seats. The leather seats feel a bit smoother and being perforated, I think they will breathe better in the summer compared to the leatherette.

That being said, I have an sTouring. I had an auto-dim mirror with compass installed as part of my deal. My dealer didn't have an sGT available when I bought mine. If I had it to do over again, I might have been a little more patient and held out for the adaptive lights and the leather. I don't really care about the sunroof so that's not a deal breaker for me. Mine is Meteor Grey and I love the color.

When the weather turns warm, If I decide, I don't like the leatherette, I'll go to a local shop and have it changed out for the real thing and get a custom color at the same time.