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rumatt · 02-21-2018, 09:26 PM

After work I drove an '18 WRX, '18 WRX STI, then '18 Toyota 86.

The STI was a pleasant surprise. I liked it a lot. The WRX & STI suspensions are surprisingly similar so there's very little harshness penalty moving to the STI. And the STI shifter is better, it doesn't have the ridiculous 1-2 rev hang (still has the twitchy throttle though), the brakes are better, steering is better, exhaust sound is better, and has a superior AWD system. I feel like the STI makes more sense as a package. If you're going to accept the road noise and lack of refinement of a car like this, it might as well go zoom zoom. (And go 30% less far on each gallon of gas)

In terms of engines, the STI didn't feel much faster than the WRX, which was expected since I couldn't rev much past 4500. Then I looked up the torque curves. It seems the WRX is underrated to protect the aging STI . It reminds me a little of an RX8 - V8 fuel economy but without the low-end torque.

The 86 (aka BRZ) was interesting. i liked the car quite a bit, but given the short test drive I'm not sure what it would be like to own. I knew it would have no torque but what surprised me was how much noise the engine made while you're still not going anywhere.

But I really liked the size and feel of the car, the shifter (better than the STI). Brakes were mediocre, but the BRZ performance package fixes that. I felt right at home in it and could see enjoying beating the crap out of one. I'm not so sure if I'd learn to love that engine though.

Side note: Subaru dealers don't care if you beat on their brand new cars. Multiple salesmen told me it was fine to floor it and rev it out, with 4 miles on the car. I just couldn't do it.

02-21-2018, 09:26 PM	#38
rumatt Mugwump Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: E46 330i, Chevy Colorado, Tesla Model 3 Location: NY Posts: 17,475	After work I drove an '18 WRX, '18 WRX STI, then '18 Toyota 86. The STI was a pleasant surprise. I liked it a lot. The WRX & STI suspensions are surprisingly similar so there's very little harshness penalty moving to the STI. And the STI shifter is better, it doesn't have the ridiculous 1-2 rev hang (still has the twitchy throttle though), the brakes are better, steering is better, exhaust sound is better, and has a superior AWD system. I feel like the STI makes more sense as a package. If you're going to accept the road noise and lack of refinement of a car like this, it might as well go zoom zoom. (And go 30% less far on each gallon of gas) In terms of engines, the STI didn't feel much faster than the WRX, which was expected since I couldn't rev much past 4500. Then I looked up the torque curves. It seems the WRX is underrated to protect the aging STI . It reminds me a little of an RX8 - V8 fuel economy but without the low-end torque. The 86 (aka BRZ) was interesting. i liked the car quite a bit, but given the short test drive I'm not sure what it would be like to own. I knew it would have no torque but what surprised me was how much noise the engine made while you're still not going anywhere. But I really liked the size and feel of the car, the shifter (better than the STI). Brakes were mediocre, but the BRZ performance package fixes that. I felt right at home in it and could see enjoying beating the crap out of one. I'm not so sure if I'd learn to love that engine though. Side note: Subaru dealers don't care if you beat on their brand new cars. Multiple salesmen told me it was fine to floor it and rev it out, with 4 miles on the car. I just couldn't do it. Last edited by rumatt; 02-21-2018 at 11:29 PM.