Test drove a new wrx

[berettafan]

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.

[unclebilly]

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.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by berettafan

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'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.

[CurtEgerer]

They can be fun

[RANDY P]

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

These damn things get in your blood.

rjp

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

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.

[berettafan]

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.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by masraum

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.

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

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

They can be fun

Where did you find a hill that big in Florida?

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by masraum

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.

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.

[berettafan]

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).

[LEAKYSEALS951]

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.

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

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by berettafan

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).

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.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

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

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.



rjp

[WPOZZZ]

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.

[aschen]

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.

[hcoles]

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.

[berettafan]

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?

[berettafan]

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

[aschen]

Originally Posted by berettafan

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?

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.