Why compare Stis and evo's to G's????Two different leagues....Few sti's or evo's are left stock...17.5....23lbs of boost....Mod a G to 23 lbs of boost(yes with the right internals)...then see where the evo's or sti's are.....case in point imprezas are cheap....lancers are cheap......anyone can dump 15k into a cheap car and make it go fast...what is the price of a base lancer??? or a base impreza....how can you people keep doing this.....I have a dune buggy with a 225 slant six cost $4000.....I will beat an sti 0-60 ...Do you see low it can go?

 

The point is that a kid who's put $350 into his STi (manual boost controller and a downpipe) will quite probably beat a guy in a G35 who's got 5 times that invested in plenum, catback, Z-tube, K&N filter, ECU reflash, etc.

It's the unbelievable mod friendliness, an excellent AWD system, and exemplary handling that attract buyers to the Evo and STi. Yes, the insides are cheap, relatively speaking (especially the Evo), but the money was put elsewhere.

 

Cheap?...The STI and Evo has more performance related hardware than the G! Most of which you can't see!

 

blah u dont know what ur talking about research before posting

 

I Agree!!

 

You've got to love the ricer comment, "Mod a G to 23 lbs of boost..." why not just say "If the G was faster than an STi or Evo, it would be the faster car." no kidding. Money's not an issue either...some of you spent close to $10k more for your car than Evo/STi owners spent for theirs...do you know what $10k sunk into a factory turbocar like the Evo or STi can do?

these cars are not $15k imprezas and lancers with $15k of mods.

You got that right. I have occasion to drive my father's Coupe when i visit and its a really nice car. Luxurious, quick, sporty...in fact, it does a pretty good job at all three...and hand down it's one of the nicest looking cars on the road. Driving it, however, you feel more isolated from the road and from the feeling of a good spirited drive than in a car like the STi or Evo. To me, the Evo feels like an extension of the driver...similar to the STi, though not the same...I didn't like the STi as much as the Evo (obviously)...i think, for what it's worth that the Evo is more of a no-nonsense car...i hear a lot of complaints about the interior and i will concede that the STi gauges are a lot cooler and the seats LOOK cooler...however many owners, including myself changed the stock Evo gauges and the Evo seat feel and support far better than most production cars, including the STi. The steering wheel (look, feel, steering rack performance) of the Evo also comes out a few notches on top of the STi...there's no need for much more in the car...it is a purpose-built machine.

I understand why a lot of you bought your G35s...you have some of the hottest looking cars on the road that can back up their looks with reasonably high-performance attributes. on the other hand i think it takes a true love and enthusiasm for the STi or Evo to be an owner...i love driving, and nothing has helped shape that feeling more than driving my car. Its not easy to drive, its harder to drive well but once you really nail it down, its just a beautiful thing.

my father likes to drive the Evo when i come home...i don't think he's ever hit boost in 1st or 2nd gear but we both know that he enjoys driving it...but i know that he could never live with it as a daily driver...i think owners/fans/and haters alike will agree that these cars arent for everybody. its hard to explain to a luxury-coupe owner, or group, that the lack of amenities is unimportant to you and that you stop noticing the interior the instant that you turn the key and set off.

 

I kinda miss the feeling of 17psi in 1st gear in my modded WRX. The look on a passenger's face the first time you did it was priceless.

 

pics to compare


STi Dash -




My Evo's Dash (white meter faces instead of stock black-




In my opinion, the Evo is less cluttered and easier on the eyes.


I'm sure you all know what the outsides look like and comparing them would be a matter of personal preference.


As to the original poster's questions...how they drive.

The STi is very easy to drive... it seems like torque is avialable in any rev range and the sound of the motor is awesome. Steering is nimble and handling is excellent...the driver-controllable center differential allows you to send up to 70% of the power to the rear wheels, making snow storms a blast and improving turn-in over the 50-50 or front-biased setup. Braking is also fantastic...the brembos feel like they grip from the get go and fade is not really an issue unless you are heavily tracking the car.

The Evo's power delivery is a bit more explosive, when you hit full boost (19.5 lbs) you are really thrown back in your seat but i think the boost builds more slowly than it does in the STi. The steering rack in the Evo is super quick and it feels like you could thread the car through anything. While the STi is more set up like a Rear-drive car with front wheel drive added in to complete the AWD system, the Evo is more like a front drive car with the RWD tacked on after the fact. The Evo's differential can send as much as 50% of the power to the rear wheels and as little as 0% in the case of slippage. You'd expect a front-drive-biased car to understeer more than a rear-biased but this is not the case. the Evo also feels a bit more stable in a corner and even during a slide, as long as you keep your feet where they are (no throttle lift, no panic-braking) it feels more composed than the Subaru. On the downside, i think the Evo is harder to drive in a daily application, it require more throttle and more fine clutch control to get moving without a stall, bog, or clutch chatter. The brakes on the Mitsu, although also Brembos, feel like your are pushing two blocks of wood together to stop the car...this is an unnerving feeling at first but once you're used to it you begin to realize that braking control is precise, the car only stops as hard as you push the pedal. In other applications, often times i find that keeping the brake pedal as a constant pressure results in variable brake force...it seems as though the brakes grip harder and harder as you stop...I assume this is because, at higher speeds, the brakes are less effective than at lower speeds (common sense)...this phenomenon isnt (as) apparent in the Evo.

As far as turbo-cars and heat...im sure you all know that these cars are both intercooled...in the STi case, a Top-Mount is used and fed by a hoodscoop (which can become a visual distraction to the driver). Most of the time, this is perfectly adequate but on hot days Heat Soak may become a power robbing factor. to combat this, the intercooler is equipped with a cool-water (windshield washer fluid, actually) misting system. A similar system appears on the Evo but is employed on a Front-Mounted Intercooler which is more effective in cooling the intake charge, granting more power. The downfall of a front-mount? more lag in turbo spool and a front-end collision will cost you a lot more money to repair.

Wings- I hated the wing when i got the car, but more and more ive grown used to it...it perfectly blocks out headlights of cars (SUVs) behind me at night...tho occasionally it hides the lights of a police car. On the Evo, the wing is designed so that it mimics the shape of the body when you're behind it, effectively hiding itself. The Carbon Fiber center piece is a aerodynamically designed wing that provides usable downforce (at mostly un-usable speeds). However, it never shakes or rattles, a complaint that plagues the STi wing. Made of plastic, the subaru wing does tend to vibrate on the highway.


Modifications- the 4G63 motor is a time-tested and proven design. it's incredibly mod friendly. From the factory, a tune can net you as much as 40 WHP. and as with most turbo cars, just adding intake and exhaust, followed by a tune has added as much as 20% WHP (248 WHP to 302WHP, on a dynojet, i believe) There are plenty of 400HP evos running around with just intake, exhaust, boost controller, cams, and a tune.

the Subaru motor has also proven it's worth to the tuner community. similarly it loves breathing mods. the boxer engine sounds incredible with an exhaust and i think the 2.5L responds very well to both bolt on mods and more serious work. once the motor becomes even more familiar to the tuning companies i'm sure even more mods will become available. The Evo has more parts available now as the powerplant is similar to that of the AWD DSMs


designs - personal preference...i think ive tried to cover all of the performance aspects. and I tried to be un-biased.

In closing i would say that the STi is smoother, easier to drive and more refined. Whereas the Evo offers a bit more confidence in turning/braking maneuvers and is a bit more fun to drive.

 

haha the first time i hit full boost in first gear i didnt even shift to second...i just pushed in the clutch, went to neutral and coasted while i regained my composure.


I'm surprised you haven't gone F/I on your G...its hard to get off the boost once you're addicted

 

Just bought the car. I doubt I'll mod it for quite a while, though I'm doing the research. Can't help myself.

The pic of the STi's interior is from an '04, btw. The '05's have a much nicer looking dash. (IMO)

 

Agreed... that metal (metal look?) is really nice

 

I agree 100 %...my point is.....a G is a complete car....the evo...and sti are not much more a drivetrain....turbo + 4wd....after that there is little else to talk about....loox are subjective but....sti is a pig in a wig.

 

I've driven STi, and was going to buy it until I test drove G35... STi just felt so cheap in comparison. I had a hard time deciding but since the car was to be a daily driver and would not see much racing activities, I decided to go with the G and I'm happier than ever I still have some second thoughts about it, since STi is such a fun car, but G also is a fun car as well, although not as much fun as STi, and has luxury, comfort, and class. G is the best compromise there is in $30-40k range if you want both luxury and performance.


Anyway, STi is a damn fun car... it handles damn good and can eaily make 300awhp with few bolt-ons. I sometimes think about trading my G for one. I just wish I had enough funds to go for FI on G... Actually, I just wish I could get another Supra I really miss that car but it's not really practical as my only car

 

For the record , the "floppyness" of the rear wing on the STI's is not a design flaw...there is a disclaimer in the owners manual, that states movement is expected and necessary, i mean aircraft wings move also and they work fine! Too much rigidity is not good ( Think of a a large bridge and wind). Also, please keep in mind that the Wing on the STI is designed more so for slowing down than it is for speeding up. When i bought mine, me and the dealer did a test. At high speeds, if one takes his/her foot of the accelerator the tail end wiggles...the wing keeps it's azz in place! Too, often people think the wing is for speeding up..not so! It's for stability when slowing down from high speeds, and turning at high speeds. See Petter Solberg

 

I think the STi looks great. Except for the big wing. Having said that, I'm now at a point in life where I want my personal car's aesthetics to be about beauty and nice lines, instead of racer boy aggression.