Having a new Subaru dealership open almost across the street from me (right off the ramp of route & 7), and never realy being a fan of Subaru's, I decided to swing by and see what all this WRX hype was all about....

The car from an eye candy stand point looks nice, aggressive, and has all the bells and whistles a "tuner minded" enthusiast could want. When I notticed the 300HP sticker, I was like, wow from a 4 banger. This I HAVE to feel for myself, so I BS'ed the guy into thinking I was REALLY REALLY interested in the car, and after knowing I owned Papa J's across the street, he was more than happy to grab the keys so we can go for a test drive, and I must say I'm impressed!!!

Right off the bat, the car starts up with a roar! It DOES not sound like a 4 banger at ALL! Its low and mean, and I kid you not, you wouldnt be able to tell it apart from a V8 starting up!

The interior is "so so" not my cup of tea (very plain jane) and shifter feels like it should be in an SUV, long and notchy. I pull out and one thing that did surprise me was how smooth the over-all clutch and drivetrain was. For an AWD vehicle it was very smooth.

Once on the street, I began to go through the gears. First time slow and easy, just getting a feel for everything, and then I stopped on it (after all the salesguy said, dont be afraid to push it) and let me say something - for a 4 banger this is not a car to take likley. The son-of-a-b... MOVES! For an AWD car, I think it will give the G a run for its money if not spank it! The power is instant, almost NO turbo lag and the power is strong from 3K and up to 7K. Seems as if it'll keep going if it could.

I have a new found respect for the WRX! Its still not "my cup of tea" form and function wise, but it is in every sense a true contender IMO! So the next time any of you pull up next to one, better not slip on that clutch or miss a shift, because you'll be left in the dust!

 

good review john, i was always a fan of the sti and wanted one when i was shopping for the G and to be honest i still wouldnt mind having one. its an awsome car with lots of power and ton of after market goodies to make it even faster. everytime i see a modiefied sti i drooool.....lol

 

Yeah I saw that new dealership. Did he let you drive it by yourself or did he join the joyride?

 

**** that guy would have been fired for letting duc drive that by himself

 

i believe the STI would spank the G no matter what... but the WRX we could take on a roll but the AWD launch is another story... at least that's what my experience has been... but yea STI is nice but it's not a luxury car at all..

 

just throw on a vortech and the sti will be no problem

 

Duc, u gonna get one as a beater
It would sure as heck wake ur a$$ up on the run from L.I.

For those who like jack rabbits, they're kewl.

 

No, the guy came along for the ride. For the record, he didn't know his head from his A**! I asked if the water injection works (sprays the intercooler to drop the inlet charge - very cool setup) and he was like "the what" - "the windshield washer fluid?" At which point I just kept my mouth shut while he ranted about how good the sound system was - LOL.. I was too focused on the power of that car than care about the CD player.

I was sincerely impressed! You have the ability to adjust the front to rear power ratio from 50/50 to roughly 10 front / 90 rear. It's a lot of fun! in 50/50 mode, the launches are much more powerful than in the G. The tires barely give way, and you get awesome traction. I wish I had it for 10min more (alone) so I could have really opened it up. For an AWD car, you would think the AWD drivetrain would robb a HUGE amount of power, but it doesnt feel that way. It delivers those ponies to thr ground with IMO very minimal power loss.

The ride on the car is not as forgiving as in the G (a stock G that is). Its a lot harder without a doubt. For some its a good thing, as you feel more of the road, but to others who like the G's "cadi like ride" you wont be happy with it. The steering wheel is a bit heavier (expected with an AWD car) but its not that bad. Over-all cornering and handling seemed to be on par if not better than the G. I really didnt get a chance to "beat it" around a turn, but it was stable and smooth off the ramps on route 7. I liked it!

Now, I love my G, but man if something were to happen and I need a quick replacement (and wanted to take the Sedan route), within the G's budget, I would highly consider the WRX STI!

I also just did some research, and it not only is easy, but it seems to be quite afordable (less than half of what we would have to spend as G owners to go FI) to crank up to 400HP out of that 4 safely! NUTS!

 

While I think the car looks bad a$$, I do have one gripe with the STI - that hideous wing is just out of whack imo. If it only had something more subtle, I would probably consider it as a good alternative to the G.

 

I considered the WRX before I got the G (STI wasn't out yet) and as much as the car impressed me, it still looks like an econobox. As much as I like the subtle styling, I fgured by the time I pay it off, I'll be 30yrs old and what 30yr old wants to be driving that. I mean it's still a nice car, but for going to weddings and $hit like that....I dunno, the G is just a crazy sexxxxxy biatch!!!