…nice car, I have to admit. I’d love to have one (!wings of course… and yes that is plural, they have another wing for '06), I just can’t see spending $30k plus.
Car pulls very hard, has tenacious grip and amazing brakes. Impressively smooth ride and a “well put together” feeling I didn’t get from past WRX/STis I’ve been in. Though my buddy’s '05 Saab(aru) 92x has the same feeling. I know the Saab(aru) has more sound deadening material but I would imagine the STi actually has less… right?
I hated the new front end when I saw it online… in person I actually prefer it. The extra wing though, fugly. :doh: And the “old” wing we’re all familiar with is still present and still waaaaay too big. Oh, and there’s an under body rear diffuser now too (that appears to be way too small to do jack or shit, but I’m no aerodynamicist).
I like the new fronts. I like the big wing. I think it sets it apart and it IS functional at higher speeds. I’ll stick with my 05 STi till the complete redesign supposedly coming in 07. I haven’t driven a 06, but I do know they change the suspension a bit to make it a bit more civil for regular driving. Also the brake bads are less aggressive. One road test I read said that after 2 laps on a track the brakes started to fade, whereas the 05 didn’t. The little wing is supposed to help throw more air at the big wing for more downforce. The hood scoop is now smaller cause of the new front end’s aerodynamics, which allows more air to flow over the hood so no big flappy scoop.
I would probably buy a new STi in about a year, but I can’t stand the interior. The blue is hideous and the seats are too wide for me. The interior on the Evo IX looks a lot better with the dark alcantra (sp?) seude-like material.
I drove SMort’s regular WRX and I was impressed both with performance and the huge ammount of space inside for the driver. I would definitely consider buying one as an alternative to VW/Audi. I can’t wait to t/d an STI, not a big fan of the wing but everyone knows whats up when they see it haha.
The '06 interior is a little nicer, seemed plenty nice to me. I liked the seats a lot, though I’m not a small guy (6’0 215ish) so I could imagine the seats being too loose for team skinnie. The stock system was pretty impressive too.
Haha, yeah. I don’t see how anybody could pay the same $ for a R32 as a STi (and I have riden in a friends R32 at the AutoX, it was impressive for what it is but certainly lacking now that I’ve driven the competition).
the extra wing and the taillights are hideous!! i also didn’t like the front end when i saw it online but in person it looks pretty good. but i’d much rather have an EVO 9. i just think it looks much cleaner and more mature.
Isn’t it weird how bad the new front end looks in pics but in person it looks way clean.
As for the Evo 9, it is much better than the previous but I prefer the Subi though for the 25% great displacement (and therefore quicker spool) amongst a few other things. I can’t wait to see one w/ a subtle drop and de-rice-afied.
If I were to get a '06 STi I’d have to de-wing it and get '05 or previous tail-lights. In fact, if I were thinking about buying one that would be part of the deal (of course I’d keep the stock shit to sell on Ebay). I know of at least one person locally who worked the de-wing into the deal on his '05 and sold it for bank on Ebay.
the sti doesn’t really do a thing for me…old or new…its ok & i got nothing against them, but would i spend 30+K on one…probably not.
i use to like the evo, but i’m getting tired of it like the STI, cause it seems like every guy on the street rockin a stock Evo/Sti thinks he’s gods gift to the road & got the hottest/fastest thing on the planet.
its similar to teh syndrome that viper/stang/TA/camaro people have.
its sad but a lot of cars i end up not liking because of the people who own them
I think the stock system is ok. The speakres aren’t good at all. Now the in-dash 6 cd changer is real nice! They really could have better speakers. They seem to distort very easily. I pay more attention to my catless Suby growl anyways! WOOT!
I AutoXed this car this weekend. The owner and I co-drove getting 5 runs each. For a bone stock car I have to say it was impressive. Obviously the pull was very good and I didn’t find myself shifting constantly like I was afraid I might. The brakes are exceptional. But the car will get into some really bad push in sweapers. I’m sure part of that was my driving style… I’m not used to steering into a push and flooring it. In my car that’d just make it waaaay worse. In the STi it’ll help pull it around the corner. For reference I got a 54.5 out of it and the owner got a 54.9. I got a 50.3 in my car.