2015 WRX vs. STI

Base model vs. base model. Which one would you get and why?

STI Pros: Ej25xxxx is tried and true with decent HP, the interior is a bit nicer (seats especially), LED headlights (I love lighting so I think this is cool), bigger brakes, residual value is going to be better, unequal length headers.

Cons: Same 305hp from 2004, same 2.5L, same truck like gas mileage, boy racer wing, slightly higher insurance....

WRX Pros: cheaper, new 2.0 Direct Injection Turbo, now has 6-spd, 268hp,

Cons: new engine (who knows about long term reliability), crappy H11 headlights, no brembos and really thats all I can think of.

I'm unsure of any vehicle I want right now but after driving one of these I'm seriously considering. It's really hard to not want to jump in one of these instead of a jalop for a DD.

Personally - WRX

Yes the FA is not proven, however the EJ in the previous STi has a history of problems. I think that little bit extra that the STi is pushed seems to hurt the reliability.

WRX fuel mileage isn't great the STi must really suck the hi-test down.

268 and the 6 spd. is enough for me.

WRX doesn't have real differentials. Still has the same brake fade inducing garbage as the last car. They try to trick you by saying it's an "electronic differential" like it's something from a Corvette. It is not.

STI is worth is alone due to the real differentials that would be very costly to put into a WRX. Unlike where you can just buy 2004 STI brembos and bolt them on a WRX.

The 2.5 is fine so long as you get a safe tune on it. The "boy racer wing" you can take off.

Yea the drivetrain is the main difference between the two. And the brakes. It really depends on what you want to do with the car. Just dd? Wrx will be fine. If your gonna get serious about some kind of racing go STi.

Mileage isn't the best but it really depends on how it's driven. I've gotten anything from 15 to 28 in my 06 wrx. 15 was after a bunch of autocross runs. 28 was on a road trip from San diego to Canada. Average? About 21mpg.

It'd be a DD/autox/PDX car. I wouldn't touch it with a tune, I'm not a HP junkie or a forum signature whore. Dad and I are finishing his gasser project so I've got my hands full on that in terms of a project then we're going to work on a crapcan racer for Lemons or Chumpcar or one of the bunch. After much debate over spec miata or an IT car we decided this was the best bet. Figure a DD with a bit more uuummppph than the Si would be great for all this.

The FA seems like it has a ton of potential with the DI and twin scroll turbine. I know the 2.5L has been plagued as well but the diffs, brakes, etc seem like they would compliment what I'd like to sport with.

Bought a 15 WRX and couldn't be happier in comparison to drives in earlier STi's and a ride/drive in a 15 STi. I also owned a 02 WRX sedan and 05 Saab 92 X both modified. The new car is quite impressive. Understeer and handling are so much better than the earlier cars. I always ran big adj rear swaybar and the older cars rotated nicely. This new car almost doesn't need it and the front bites better right from the factory than my earlier cars that had performance alignment, better tires,anti lift kit and braces. The new car is so much quieter,smoother and more luxurious it is a serious improvement in every area. Plenty of power and torque everywhere except when way low in the rev range and it doesn't take long for power to come in. Gearing is very good and grip is excellent bone stock.

As far as headlights I drive 2 hours from midnight to 2 am every other week and even with base model with no fog lights I don't see there being a problem or weakness with lighting at all. I also work nights and have for almost 20 years and have had plenty of cars with various lighting systems( S2K with HID, same with Focus plus regular Focus lights all were good, 09 Si,Saab and Subaru listed,Neons 1st and 2nd gen,Talon,Jetta etc..) The 15 WRX lights are as good as any I have experienced.

I'm not planning any mods to mine but JSC SPeed did pretty well in the Ultimate Street car challenge or whatever it is called the Optima battery series. They are running a 15 WRX in the AWD class with AP brake pkg and fairly mild suspension and engine mods. Surprising how well they did compared to GTR's and similar high HP heavily modded cars.

Personally, I would go with a STi. Subaru made a ton of changes between the two, including a stiffer chassis (for the STi). I wouldn't prefer either for a track car, but if I bought one, I would end up at least using it for some auto-x events and some track days, so I would want the more performance oriented platform. I like the wing, and people that don't can get it taken off. The WRX does have real differentials, but they're not as good as in the STi. Plus, I think that the WRX has an open center diff, and the STi has a locking center diff.

If you want the STi consider waiting for the 2016 models in case the STi moves to the FA engine family.

The diffs and slightly thicker powerband make the STI a whole lot more fun to drive in an autox environment, especially tight courses.

The stock tune on the STi is still garbage. They're also blowing motors with an uncomfortable amount of frequence.

So you're stuck using the stock tune for certain warranty coverage, yet wondering when the rod knock is going to come.

kanaric said:

WRX doesn't have real differentials.

OK... I realize this thread is very old. But WTF does this mean?

X2

b13990 said:

kanaric said:

WRX doesn't have real differentials.

OK... I realize this thread is very old. But WTF does this mean?

STi has a torsen LSD front & rear, with an active mechanical (torsen-ish) center diff (DCCD).

WRX has open diffs front and back (earlier ones have a viscous rear diff), and a viscous center.

b13990 said:

kanaric said:

WRX doesn't have real differentials.

OK... I realize this thread is very old. But WTF does this mean?

 

 

The WRX has a front and rear open differential with a viscous coupling that distributes torque between front and rear axles. What this means in real terms is when you're accelerating on track or a slippery surface, the WRX relies on "electronic LSD", which is just the brakes being actuated to slow the slipping wheel and transfer torque to the wheel with grip. What's undesirable about that is really specific to the track where you'll start to get signs of brake fade much sooner, as using the brakes to simulate a proper limited slip differential puts more heat in the brakes.

The STI gets front and rear torsen with a driver-adjustable, clutch-type center diff. On a slippery surface, that means all 4 wheels will get power, and the torque can be distributed between front and rear axles within a range of 41/59 and 50/50 F/R. Also, less likely to overheat the brakes mid-corner at the track due to the use of limited slip diffs.

Caveats to all of the above is that BOTH the WRX & STI have some type of brake-based torque vectoring. Not to be confused with the presence of a LSD ("real diff"), but a system of yaw and accelerator sensors that will brake the inside wheels to improve turn-in and cornering ability. So in the end, both cars suffer from premature brake fade, just the WRX encounters it a bit earlier than the STI due to e-LSD, smaller brakes, etc. (source: I bought a 2016 STI 4 years ago)

I believe you can turn off the torque vectoring, but I never really looked into it because the clubs I drive with don't allow any driver aids during instruction to be turned off.

The answer to this question is *always* get the STi if you can afford to do so.

If, for no other reason that they tend to hold their value over the regular WRX fairly well- with stock examples with maintenance records selling higher than modified ones.

Brett_Murphy said:

The answer to this question is *always* get the STi if you can afford to do so.

If, for no other reason that they tend to hold their value over the regular WRX fairly well- with stock examples with maintenance records selling higher than modified ones.

Do STi's still come with granite rods instead of springs and shocks?  Or can you actually drive one without programing the GPS to take you via a chiropractor every couple of miles?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

Pretty much yes. My 2016 STI still has the stock 18" and the ride isn't too bad in my opinion, but I'm in NE Ohio and the roads are trash so I can't recall riding in any car throughout my life and being "comfortable".

That being said, I tolerate a much stiffer ride than most people I've met, and my friends often complain about how stiff the STI is, even on 17" winter tires.

The 19" wheels on the '18+ STI seem silly to me, and I'm not sure how the ride is on those.

My '06 STi on stock 17's rode like ass.  There was a clear mismatch between the shock dampening and spring rates.  Apparently Subaru used the same shocks on the JDM cars with the higher rate "pink" springs as the USDM springs.  I actually had a set of the jdm pink springs but sold the car before I had a chance to install them and see if that helped the ride quality.

In reply to docwyte :

That explains a lot.  I honestly found an air cooled 911 on Koni's and lowered to ride better than the old STi's.  Same with the EVO's, they were way way over damped in the rear.

I haven't driven the new STis, but the old ones part of the issues was that they rode on the bumpstops from the factory and next to zero bump travel.

docwyte said:

My '06 STi on stock 17's rode like ass.  There was a clear mismatch between the shock dampening and spring rates.  Apparently Subaru used the same shocks on the JDM cars with the higher rate "pink" springs as the USDM springs.  I actually had a set of the jdm pink springs but sold the car before I had a chance to install them and see if that helped the ride quality.

Overdamping was also kind of a hallmark of Subaru chassis tuning.

In reply to AlcantaraFTW :

Ah, thanks. So real differentials are Torsen differentials.

This is good to know, since I'm putting together a "real" car to replace the Little Tykes I've been driving. I've already got my "real" transmission lined up (T-56) as well as my "real" supercharger (Whipplecharger). So now that I know what a real differential is (and thanks to Internet car message boards) I'm well on my way to reality!

In this context "Real" = mechanical diff, not electronic brake modulation on an open diff.

ProDarwin said:

In this context "Real" = mechanical diff, not electronic brake modulation on an open diff.

It's a sad state when Torsens are the better option since they are not even limited slip, just variable ratio open diffs.

The DCCD setup in the STI is a planetary gearset for a fixed 33/66 (or somewhere around there) torque split front to rear, which is why STIs all had the R180 rearend.  On top of that, there is a computer controlled clutch pack to lock it up based on cornering loads and throttle position, so in a sense it is also an e-diff albeit with direct computer control on the diff instead of using the brakes to do the same thing, so it is proactive instead of reactive.  Or, people can just lock the thing out and turn it into a spool with the C Diff knob, which always makes me giggle.

Rallycrossers used to run with the center diff locked, but the fastest STI drivers let HAL do the work and set the diff to automatic.

Some STi rear differentials were clutch LSDs.