[ChrisGene]

Now that some of you have had the cars for a while, what is it like for regular old driving?

How does it feel at 80 on the interstate? Is the car "comfortable"? Does the car still feel solid with a few miles on it, or is it picking up some rattles? Anything annoying?

I have only test driven one, and I was amazed at all the comments about this being the "refined" STI. It is plenty raw enough for me.

[ccc187307]

It's awesome. The older ones were berzerker when you turned the key. These you have to push a button or two and then they become that way. Awesome all the way around and i cant wait for snow this year.

[solovus]

The car feels solid at 80...slight road noise, but nothing too intrusive. I have no rattles...I used to have one somewhere in the rear, but that vanished about 1k miles ago. The seats are great...I drive about an hour to work and I have plenty of support. All in all I'd say Subby did a good job.

[HAHAV8]

never driven one should i couldnt tell you! but i would imagine they be pretty good.

[GilMikalian]

Got mine in early Feb and have about 8,400 miles on it. The car is as comfy as I would like. No rattles. No issues aside from alternator whine coming from the iPod kit but the dealer continues to work on that. The car is a bit on the loud side but I would rather deal with the noise than heavy sound insulation. Besides I bought my car because it was a sports (or at least sporty) car and I want the feedback of the sound. Overall, very happy with my car.

[Rum]

Aside from the so-so fuel economy, it's great as a DD. pretty quiet, low wind and road noise, surprisingly compliant ride given its handling capabilities. Seats are comfy, controls are well-placed. It's a relaxing environment to be in when you want it to be relaxing. I have about 6200 miles on it. I have an occasional rattle from the hatch cover and another occasional one from somewhere in the center armrest area.

[ChrisGene]

I think my hesitation is due to the fact I am coming out of a 335 coupe. It is fast AND silent. It is kind of lacking in emotion though.

[puffxy]

I took a ~400mi road trip this weekend in mine.

I drove on the way up and - aside from a speeding ticket - the drive was very comfortable. We had 5 people in the car and most of my passengers were asleep, so they were probably at least somewhat comfortable.

I got hit by a Jet Ski up on the trip so my friend drove back and I sat in the back seat.. which were surprisingly roomier than I initially anticipated. Despite being a bit banged up the ride was still rather nice on the way back.

I also DD my sti 3-4 days a week but I only commute 8 miles, no complaints on those drives!

[Digitalfiend]

When I drive up to Ottawa for business it is about 400km one way and takes about 4hrs @ 90-100km/h (on an 80km/h highway). In my old car, with Cusco mounts, stage 2, sways, and bobble-head seats, I always arrived tired and stiff. It was a blast driving that car, but for longer trips it was just OK. I never really realized how draining it could be until I got the '08. Now I feel decent when I arrive, don't have any bobble-head action, and the car is just more relaxing but still has the power when I need it. The HIDs are insanely good too and now that I have my HIR highbeam bulbs, it's going to be even better (I primarily travel at night, less traffic, less police).

As a daily driver, my '08 easily surpasses my '05. The only thing, at least in terms of daily driving, that I miss is the '05 clutch. It was heavier and had a more positive engagement. Some people feel a lighter clutch is better but I much prefer driving in traffic with a slightly heavier clutch. 2nd gear in the '08 is taller than the '05 too, so you lose a bit of that punchy feel in the low RPMs unless you downshift to 1st. Nothing major though.

[GunKata]

I considered a 335i myself, but liked the AWD of the STI and being familar with Suby I couldn't pass it up. Reliability will be better in the long run, but of course it wont be as quiet and plush as the BMW. Definitely go test drive one, but it wont be on par in that sense with the 335i. Oh yeah, I have only had my STI for.. not even 24hours, and I love driving it to work already. Smooth and comfy compared to a more harsh sportscar ride that you would normally have with the kind of performance the STI has. Shifting is smooth, ride is good, etc. I was happy to go out on lunch just to drive the car.

[kaz]

In stock form it's pretty soft all the way around. Soft ride, soft handling, soft seats, etc.

Easily this can be a daily driver if you can deal with the gas mileage. I daily drive mine about an hour each day...it was too soft so I got everything beefed up and now I enjoy the drive even better. But yeah, from my viewpoint the stock 08 is very much a comfortable car to drive around in for long periods of time.

[UturnSTi]

Ordered one mid Jan... Couldn't wait and picked up the floor model a week later with all the bells and whistles. I have just over 2800 miles on her now with Perrin Stage 1 - 91 ACN... She's a beastie at WOT! I haven taken her and my wife down the PCH numerous times and when her bells and whistles are set correctly she outperforms my expectations.

Compared to my '05, which I loved so very very much, my '08 is more sophisticated and all together more grown up... Like Digitalfiend pointed out the ride quality has greatly improved (even from my non-modified '05) and I no longer need a kidney belt when going on long trips. My '05 at speed sounded like a shoebox trying to move down a wind tunnel, as with now in the '08 at speed she's sounds like a shoebox with all the corners shaved off moving down a wind tunnel... Substantially quieter, but still aerodynamically impaired. The best way I can explain it is to say the '05 felt to like a track car put on the streets and the '08 feels like a street car I can put on the track.

DD - I only drive 5 min to work and back 3 days a week so... Yeah it's great!

[yakkosmurf]

It's fine for daily driving. The suspension is definitely firmer than my '04 IS300 or my former '05 WRX wagon, but not uncomfortably so. The car is also very quiet on the road. About the same as the Lexus, maybe a little more noise.

[Barrok]

I came from a stock suspension LGT and this ride is alot harsher. It's not a major complaint but I can definatly tell when I hit a bump. Then again, if the road is perfectly smooth the car is just fine, so most of the problem is the crappy utah roads. But still, I would do a long test drive if you can and notice if you like the ride or not. My LGT was tons more forgiving than the STI.

[WRXGuyInUSA]

This car is the ULTIMATE daily driver! Perfect balance of sport, comfort, speed, and utility!

Puts a smile on my face EVERY day, looking forward to my commute! It's quieter, which is nice, but hasn't lost ANY of it's edge when it comes to performance, handling, and overall "fun" factor.

Plus, my passengers LOVE this car, more than they ever did my bugeye. I used to have bringing people around in my V7 bugeye because of how much smaller it was inside, as well as not nearly as comfortable.