I just went for a ride in a friend's 2012 WRX.

ZOMG!!!!

We drove around for a bit, making our way to a more rural area and he stopped ( No, he didn't pull the old "We're out of gas" trick ) and launched it at around 4000 revs. The tires churned the tarmac and that thing shot off with such ferocity that my belly had a tickle in it like I was dropping down a hill on a roller-coaster!

That felt like more than 265hp. There was no turbo lag AT ALL!! The power was so immediate, smooth and linear it felt more like a small V8 than a turbo 4.

DO FRIGGIN WANT!!!!!

Wait! you are in Pekin?!

Who's scooby? (I might know them)

ok, dnace got an '06, never-mind false alarm

I have a '12 WRX. I bought it last fall and now that winter seems to be finished, I'm thinking I'll go back to driving my mazdaspeed miata. The WRX was way more fun in the snow and the few gravel roads I've taken it on were also fun, but I think I much prefer my Miata. We'll see how it works out because I haven't driven the Miata since November. Maybe I like the WRX more than I think.

AWD is boring on dry pavement besides launching. Subaru's for winter/gravel, V8 powered domestics for pavement in the spring/summer. Driving a 4th gen camaro of any year with a 6 speed is AWESOME in the summer (and you're driving a bitchin' camaro).

HiTempguy wrote: Driving a 4th gen camaro of any year with a 6 speed is AWESOME in the summer (and you're driving a bitchin' camaro).

especially when the T-Top is off and wind is blowing through your mullet

Or when the last person in the car didnt close the t-top latch all the way and it flies out at 70, as happened to me..

and then lets the wind blow through your mullet. lol.

Carro Atrezzi. Or the OP fomerly known as A401CJ wrote: especially when the T-Top is off and wind is blowing through your mullet

Your smilie face indicates sarcasm, but you haven't REALLY lived until you've had the t-tops off a Camaro and the wind is blowing through your mullet!

The_Jed wrote: ZOMG!!!! We drove around for a bit, making our way to a more rural area and he stopped ( No, he didn't pull the old "We're out of gas" trick ) and launched it at around 4000 revs. The tires churned the tarmac and that thing shot off with such ferocity that my belly had a tickle in it like I was dropping down a hill on a roller-coaster! That felt like more than 265hp. There was no turbo lag AT ALL!! The power was so immediate, smooth and linear it felt more like a small V8 than a turbo 4. DO FRIGGIN WANT!!!!!

just so ya know....the 09+ wrx is marketed at 265hp, but dyno after dyno have shown that they're more in the 285-290 range. They dyno just a few percent under the STi. Not that it really matters, its good power either way.

that said, I have an 09 (same exact drivetrain/engine/turbo as the '12) and it definitely feels like a turbo, and the VF52 isn't the fastest-spooler out there. If you get caught off-boost is sure as hell doesn't feel like a V8. It feels like a 2.5L 4-banger .....

Does the STI out perform its factory rating on the dyno too?

In reply to irish44j:

Admittedly I don't have much experience with turbo cars, but, when he was putting around town it pulled smoothly from about 1,500 rpm. He was skipping gears too, just being goofy and it never complained. I don't have much experience with new cars either and this one only had 800 miles. Also keep in mind I DD a normally aspirated 2.2 with 120,000+ miles so almost anything is going to feel fast and torquey!

I drove my stepson's '11 WRX STi last week. Absolute rocketship, and AWD was fun for the twisties in the dry as well, getting it to exceed the limits of traction but still pull you around like it was on a guide rail.

Actually very easy to drive at lower throttle settings, too, with smooth clutch action and a light shifter. Very impressive car. He's also got a tune on it so it was making about 30 hp more than stock.

So, I drove the Miata Sunday on some errands and Monday to/from work. I drove the WRX today. For my commute, which is about 30 miles all on 2 lane country roads, the WRX is better than I thought and/or my beloved Miata is worse than I remembered. Since they both require premium fuel and get similar (but crappy) mileage, I suspect I will spend more time driving the WRX back and forth to work. If I commuted along some real twisty roads, I'd change my mind, but in my case the WRX seems to make a better daily driver.

New cars are awesome. I don't realize how bad the integra sucks till I drive the fit for a couple days. I can't imagine if it had 3X the HP. A lot to be said for all-new suspension/steering components...and A/C. That's nice too.

docwyte wrote: Does the STI out perform its factory rating on the dyno too?

not that I can tell, it's about right.

mine wasy dyno'd about an hour after a stock 08 STi (the dyno shop owner's car, no less) and my 09 (also stock) was only a couple whp/wtq below his. He commented that they had seen similar suprising power from most of the 09 WRX's they had dynoed.

The_Jed wrote: In reply to irish44j: Admittedly I don't have much experience with turbo cars, but, when he was putting around town it pulled smoothly from about 1,500 rpm. He was skipping gears too, just being goofy and it never complained. I don't have much experience with new cars either and this one only had 800 miles. Also keep in mind I DD a normally aspirated 2.2 with 120,000+ miles so almost anything is going to feel fast and torquey!

don't get me wrong, it does pull smoothly from a stop as well - I mean, a 2.5L engine isn't bad even off-boost. I came out of a torquey V6 with no lag, so maybe I feel the lag more than others who previously had turbo cars ?