Test drove a new wrx
 

Kinda would like a commuter with better mpg than my f250. Looking at all sorts of things from cayman to cayenne to outback and today drove a wrx.

Premium model 6spd no options. These are approx 275hp turbo 4 with awd. Never drove a wrx before. Too boy racer but these new models are maybe a bit toned down.

First impression is I fit and have room for a helmet. Second thought is surprisingly smooth.

Wonderful clutch, decent gearbox, not obnoxious sounding. Not wild about torque steer on front and that 1-2 shift needs a blip to be smooth. I haven’t owned a manual in quite a few years but this was a very easy car to drive. Nice power.

I’m impressed. Wonder how much $$ it would take to get a go kart feel.

I had a 2018 that I bought new. It was the 6 speed manual and I liked the sportiness, performance, relative comfort for my commutes and 600+mile drives in it. It had room for the whole family and adults could sit in the back comfortably. It was incredible in the snow and ice with Michelin winter tires on it.

I owned it for 4 years, put a few hundred miles shourt of 100,000 miles on it and sold it for $3000 less than I paid.

I did not like the road noise, there was a tuning issue with it that was finally resolved (I was the first in North America to get the new tune) that resulted in it spending months at the dealer, and I think it was starting to use coolant in the last 2500 miles - the dealer said 'no'. I didnt want to own it off warranty so put it up for sale. i was tired of tire kickers and dealer calling so I decided to keep it and then out of the blue a guy showed up and made an offer I could not refuse.

If I could do it all over again, I would.

I know the new version is a bit bigger and has a bit more power than mine.

I'm guessing you could probably get the go-kart feel or most of it with some sway bars. Although at 3400# it's not going to be super go-kart-ish.

They can be fun :cool:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719964284.jpg

I'm in the market for a 2015-2017 STI.

These damn things get in your blood.

rjp

Why not a 2018 - 2022 STI? There was a bit of an update in 2018.

I didn't notice road noise but honestly was thinking more 'could this be a weekend ax and DE car' than I was 'would I enjoy this on a 2hr trip'.

Did some quick searching for a non drifty flat brim hat crowd performance shop online for these but not having a ton of luck yet.

I don't imagine it would be easy to pull 200-300 pounds out of these things.

Where did you find a hill that big in Florida?

These things don't feel 'heavy'. Put some sticky tires on it and some performance pads and take it to the track. That torque vectoring is incredible.

Mine was the best handling car I've owned, except for my Spec Miata race car.

uncle have you driven the new version (22 and up)?

pads only is good enough for track day?

sway bar thoughts?

I liked this car more than I wanted to. not sure there is a comparable vehicle out there (sedan-ish size, manual, non-fwd, sub $40k).

My local p-car guy used to b$% about wrx engine bearings 24/7.

Something like "The are okay stock, but don't go souping it up" I don't know if there is anything to that, but, I'd research it before doing any souping up.:D

Other than the boi-toy looks to some of them, I really like the drivetrain layout. Good luck!

I have not driven the 22 up WRX. When I got mine, I was gobsmacked how good it handled.

Back in the day when I ran my 911 in Time Attack, I was in a run group with a 70 911 with a 2.6 short stroke engine (andrew15 and he sold the engine to Magnus Walker), a lotus Elise, and a couple WRX and STIs.

I called Andrew the first day I had the WRX and said, ‘If this car is anything like the Subarus we used to race against, those guys in our run group should have be A LOT faster.’

I think pads and sticky tires and you could hang with almost anything at a DE, even a cayman. Maybe not a GT4.

I like the old pre-facelift front end, and I think the Brembos are adequate (new ones are 6 piston and therefore cost more $$$ to repad) and the 18's - especially the forged wheel, not a fan of 19' on these cars nor the design.

The trick is, finding a used one that hasn't been beaten to death by it's owner. You bet I'll be doing full compression check, cooling pressure check for exhaust gasses, leaks, and of course any signs of "tooning"

This will be my 3rd VA (2015-20210 if I do this... My last STI. Should've never have gotten rid of it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719977955.jpg

rjp

My 22 VB was fun to drive, but the Starlink system on my Premium+ model totally sucked. It would freeze up, shut off and the ac wouldn't blow 70 degrees when it got dark. My dealer only allowed so much time to work on the Subys and they could not get it sorted out. I figured it had to be some kind of sensor that was acting up because it happened in the dark. Nope. The tech said they ran a diagnostic and everything is operating as usual. So, I lawyered up. End of story.

I had an 03, an 07, and an 04 STI. Probably did a total of 250k miles in wrx variants.

If you need manual 4wd sedan its your best and only option. It still a good car but if you don't but a huge premium on 4wd there are other more compelling options to me. Wouldn't do any power mods.

If you are looking at a cayman and a wrx, have you considered a brz?. Its as if those 2 cars had a baby. Worse daily than a wrx but much better as a sports car. Elantra N is supposed to be fantastic is is more hardcore sports sedan than wrx.

Civic type R or Integra S is the top choice in sport compacts if you can get one without ADM.

WRXs make great do everything cars. IMHO they fall a little short when you start modding them or trying to turn them into something they are not. I did a lot of suspension stuff, it really helps but they will always understeer at the limit. Also found working on them just a little more of a PITA than most regular cars.

After watching a number of videos from this guy....
https://www.youtube.com/@motoiq
I'm not a big fan of the Subaru motors, in stock form. I definitely would not mod. for more power.

Well this is all just theoretical right now. If any newer car makes sense for us right now it's probably a non turbo Outback. For sporty stuff I just can't get excited about a front wheel drive anything and don't see a lot of other options.

Aschen are you saying the wrx just doesn't want to rotate? Is it all just understeer in and power out or can you add some negative camber to the front end and improve the turn in?

hcoles thanks for that link, watching the EJ vs FA video now. This guy is pretty cool.

Front end camber definitely helps, rear roll stiffness and toe settings help. IN the early 2000s me and a dozen other friends were into autocrossing wrxs. Some of those guys really worked on setup and got into the science. They made the cars fast and loose, but never really get a car that has natural neutral handling. So much weight far forward its like driving a Carrera 4 in reverse

One fast guy made his car crazy loose with rear alignment and fought it in the faster bits, another fast guy seemingly overdrove his to an extreme and somehow that worked, tires screaming the whole run.

Anyways I am talking about 15+ yo models so maybe things are different, wrx popularity in motorsports has decreased since that time, I think better options just became available.

There is a lot of interesting info. out there regarding these engines and how well they hold up. The later versions seem to have addressed many of the past issues. I like the later version that uses cam chains and hydraulic lifers with the finger followers. There might still be an oiling issue for the middle connecting rods - that was discussed in the video. I also like the custom exhaust that was mentioned that eliminates the "Subaru" exhaust sound.

If Subaru would ditch the black plastic cladding and offer a hatchback with a stick shift for the WRX, I'd throw money at them for a new one. Even more for an STi. We bought a BRZ two years ago which has been a great car.

the new VB looks a lot like a VA once the cladding is body matched. Not bad.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720105064.jpg

really doesn't seem to be many alternatives out there. manual transmission (or really good smg), good headroom, sub $40k, room for golf clubs or dogs...

if they'd do a wagon version I would be unable to resist. doubt we'll see that though.

Watched the entire video, possibly the best engine walk through I've ever seen. soooo well done.

My 04 WRX with 311,000 miles has been a really fun car. It badly needs some suspension work but on a recent road trip it got 33 mpg. Besides some irritating oil leaks it has been a great car.

So every comparison I find says civic si or Hyundai Elantra. I had a civic and loved it but I can’t see buying fwd if I have a choice. No thanks on a Hyundai.

I feel lost here. Nothing fun for cheap that isn’t fwd other than the wrx?

Mazda 3?

4 wheel drive and 250 hp (premium fuel turbo, about 190 hp non turbo). Nicest interior in a compact. Nice Bose system. Drives fine. Imo infotainment controls suck. I little on the high side for the top trim 4 wheel drive and 250 hp. They will deal on 2024 price.

Golf R?
Civic R?

Those were the 2 competitors that I saw when I bought my WRX.

I'll mosey over to the Mazda site and see what's up on that.

Stopped at the VW dealer after driving the WRX. To me the materials/feel of the interior were pretty cheap feeling and I didn't see anything without a sunroof. will dig more on the R.

Civic R way too pricey and still fwd right?

I think only the base and premium WRX come without a sunroof (optional on the premium). It's standard on the limited and GT.

I still don't understand why VW can't make a Golf R with a stick that isn't a rolling ipad. Just make a good old basic three door hot hatch. They've tried everything else and wonder why it isn't working...

If they want to go for bonus points, they've made an AWD stick shift Sirocco and sell it in the US.

Well, so much for the hunt.
 

2019, 25K, base. only issue is the obnoxious ricer exhaust-NO MODS. Otherwise immaculate.

it's everything I swore I didn't want (newer, silver) but I love it :). Looked at 3 others in town (Roaches, all of 'em) and this thing was below KBB at the local Audi dealer.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720323552.jpg

Nice!

These newer models are a bit less boy racer than they were a while back IMO (which is a good thing to me).

Thanks!

Of course, it being a new-to-me car means it must test me on the way home. I hit the mother of all nails and managed to roll into my garage, on a flat. New car, of course, I did.

Oh and my ears are ringing from the awful ricer (But $$$) exhaust. Going away, I'll probably advertise for a trade with a local with a backwards baseball cap.

shortlyhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720325167.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720325167.JPG

Destroyed tire. ****.
 

New tire on order :/

Oh and a PSA:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720372778.jpg

watching some s4 videos on YouTube. pretty nice drivetrain it seems. maybe too low roof for helmet and at newest gen prices I'd have to trade my truck on it. don't want that.

gonna see if I can drive a civic si to rule that out (or fall in love, anything is possible I guess).

I have an 08 WRX, currently has 298K on the clock...

The interior is cheap.. there is a lot of road noise..I once put Nokian  Hakkapeliitta winter tires on it when I was spending a lot of time in Vermont, and the road noise drove me crazy...

It really has been a reliable sleeper.. the 4WD and traction control takes the car places you can't imagine...

It did lunch the turbo at around 250K spun the impeller right off

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1720382506.jpg

I found a replacement blueprinted turbo for $450.. Which isn't bad

https://hillcountryforcedinductions.com/mhi-td04l-subaru-2008-wrx/


And Ill buy another one when this one wears out...I'm looking forward to 500K

I think the torque of the new 2.4 motor makes it very easy to putter around mid RPM range and not redline at every shift every day. It certainly felt that way when I drove it. Perhaps that will contribute to a 200+ thousand mile motor

They need to work on low-end grunt. Everyone (at least for a 4 pot) has more TQ and HP figures. Perhaps a limitation of the flat layout like the 911.

Turbo Lag was required before, not now.

rjp