A Subaru Math Problem: STi<WRX?

[The_Blur]

How is this possible?

We know the automotive press to sometimes demonstrate bias or manipulate results to suit and end goal. Sometimes, that goal is funding from a rival in the form of advertising or encouraging fanboyism. What is surprising is when a company finds itself comparing two products in the same product line. Inside Line reported on testing with the WRX and STi that this year's top rally model was slower than its lower trim alternative. Supposedly, Subaru is concerned enough about this development to do its own testing. At GM, testers would have discovered this problem long before production. I can only imagine how limited the testing must be at Subaru to have overlooked the huge financial problems posed by a more expensive, sportier vehicle being slower than the trim beneath it.

If I'm a rally racer, and I want to buy a fast rally car, I'll just get a WRX. The STi would only slow me down.

If I'm a ricer, there's no reason to buy the top trim because I'll consistently beat it with a WRX.

If I have loads of money to spend on my next Subaru (assuming a loyal Subaru customer), I might buy the STi just to say I spent more, but a smart buyer would happily buy the WRX and throw some BBS wheels on it.

If I'm a Subaru salesperson, I have no selling points for the STi. As a sport trim, it should be better performing than the next trim down. By being slower, it kills the value of the car.

How is it possible for Subaru to have built an upgraded model that fails to perform on the same level as its lower trim?

Discuss.

[lil_chef]

could have been a dud? the article said it felt as if all the power just wasnt showing up

[matt55]

edit
read the link
In this test its not alot of bang for the STI buck

[Entaille]

I've been wondering this for a while. they really dont give you a reason to buy the new STI.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by lil_chef

could have been a dud? the article said it felt as if all the power just wasnt showing up

That's possible. It is worth mentioning, however, that Subaru appears to be testing to verify the results. This suggests that Subaru does not routinely test vehicles before production the way that GM or other manufacturers do. If it is a dud, then that's fine. If it isn't a dud, this suggests the whole production process at Subaru might be flawed.

Originally Posted by matt55

edit
read the link
In this test its not alot of bang for the STI buck

Why buy it if the WRX is as good or better on paper and in practice?

Originally Posted by Entaille

I've been wondering this for a while. they really dont give you a reason to buy the new STI.

They seem to build it on upgraded architecture, but those components somehow make it slower.

[DGthe3]

Judging by the comparison between the other STi's they've tested recently, the problem appears to be in the launch. Could the stiffer springs be hurting it that much?

[v6sonoma]

Well they're not the only ones with issues. When they tested the new Ford Explorer the standard Explorer turned out to be faster than the Explorer Sport. So much for the sport!

[8cd03gro]

It's the extra shift and the super short gearing in the sti. The sti is built for road racing and it handles and stops way better than the wrx. In a straight line, they are very similar stock for stock in the '11 model year, but on a road course the sti will destroy. Beyond that, the sti has far more potential on stock components. Having said that, if I were buying a new one right now, I would look at the wrx thoroughly before buying the sti. Oh and those are some crazy slow times for the sti, it seems like a driver issue. With good driving, the current wrx and sti are almost identical in the 1/4, despite the fact that the sti has to make another shift.

[wbt]

No offense to the Subaru owners and those who like them but if I was in the market for a performance car, neither the WRX or STI would be on my short list.

[BigDan]

Originally Posted by wbt

No offense to the Subaru owners and those who like them but if I was in the market for a performance car, neither the WRX or STI would be on my short list.

That's because you live in Texas.

Go live in snow country or take up snow sports where you need AWD and want something fast, sporty and affordable at the same time and it may be higher up your list. Also 0-60 in 4.7 seconds in a 4 door is lot's of fun especially for only $25k

[wbt]

Originally Posted by BigDan

That's because you live in Texas.

Go live in snow country or take up snow sports where you need AWD and want something fast, sporty and affordable at the same time and it may be higher up your list. Also 0-60 in 4.7 seconds in a 4 door is lot's of fun especially for only $25k

Wouldn't change my decision. I would not buy a performance car to drive in the snow with. I would have a winter beater to get that done.

[Entaille]

it changes a lot of folks decisions. it almost swayed me to get AWD. my car is my DD and I want to have fun in it despite the weather. I cannot get traction in my camaro to save my life half of the time here in the pacific NW

[Number 3]

Didn't read the article, but in a lot of cases the cars come directly from the OEMs. It's possible that if these were early cars that somehow an older development cal. was in the car or maybe another magazine had it before and beat the you-know-what out of it and left it a bit worse for wear. Lots of possibilities.

But as the one poster said, it could simply be the way the cars are set up for the road. On the track, as the car was designed, may be where the difference shows up between the two models.

Orrrrrrr Subaru was just hoping no on would notice.

And my Brother in Law has the Sabaru (Saab 9-2). With snow tires in the winter it is quite the hoot and that's with only the low HP engine that was available at the time. Suburaru didn't let GM have the higher HP engine for the Saab.

[8cd03gro]

The sti's have a major tuning issue stock as well. The 2.5 has been tuned horribly from the factory as to keep it compliant with emissions standards. A catless downpipe and a tune picks up 50+awhp and more torque. If I planned on staying stock, I would not have gotten an STi. Until you drive a higher horsepower AWD car, you can't possibly understand how fun they are. 5k launches with 400awhp in a car that weighs 3300 lbs is unlike anything else. Plus I can lift the front inside tire if I hit a turn hard enough LOL