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Looks like Autoweek had an STi in their fleet from April 28 - May 12.
http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?...carboard&loc_code=index&content_code=05782469
RAYNAL: Acceleration is explosive. Stand on the gas in this thing and it feels like it’s shot out of the proverbial cannon. The ride comfort, while just crude enough to let you know you’re in something really special, is in no way unbearable. The engine surprised me with its down-low power and torque, producing smooth standing starts. It’s geared pretty short, which I expected, and the grip felt incredible, though I’ll confess to cooling it on the wet streets last night.
Again, the power... unreal. The Brembos were excellent. I didn’t love the seats: They look the part, but the side bolsters need to be stiffer (or maybe I’m just too fat). They’re comfortable enough, but I was looking for more support. My only real disappointment is that I didn’t get to drive the Lancer Evolution that we had a couple of weeks back. It’s a field of two for now, the STi and Evolution.
FLOYD: Where’s the five-point harness? Holy schnikes, this is one wicked ride. Kinda’ like getting on a mechanical bull, grabbing the rope as tightly as you can and whipping yourself around. This isn’t the kind of car you’re going to want to drive every day unless you’re in the cast of 2Fast 2Furious. There’s the ‘hey, look at me’ wing, suspension that lets you feel any little pebble, the bling-bling gold BBS rims, etc. Yep, you’d have to be a risk-taker, a get- me-behind-the-wheel-and-let-me-run-wild kind of guy.
It’s one of those cars that just says ‘drive the hell out of me,’ and it’s oh-so-hard not too. Especially when you feel that power whoosh as you wring it through first gear, then second, then, geez, I’m already at 80? Whoa. It’s more of a primal car than the Lancer Evo to me: The handling seems less precise, like it wants you to hold on and wrestle with it a bit as you tear into a wide sweeper. The 300 hp comes on strong as you wind out the rough-edged clutch setup. The Evo’s gearbox seem-ed a mite smoother. Interior-wise, it’s a draw to me. I liked the looks of the STi seats, but other than that, the Evo wins as a daily driver.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with either, but the STi is obviously more true to its rally roots. Grab that rope and hold on, pardner.
http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?...carboard&loc_code=index&content_code=05782469
RAYNAL: Acceleration is explosive. Stand on the gas in this thing and it feels like it’s shot out of the proverbial cannon. The ride comfort, while just crude enough to let you know you’re in something really special, is in no way unbearable. The engine surprised me with its down-low power and torque, producing smooth standing starts. It’s geared pretty short, which I expected, and the grip felt incredible, though I’ll confess to cooling it on the wet streets last night.
Again, the power... unreal. The Brembos were excellent. I didn’t love the seats: They look the part, but the side bolsters need to be stiffer (or maybe I’m just too fat). They’re comfortable enough, but I was looking for more support. My only real disappointment is that I didn’t get to drive the Lancer Evolution that we had a couple of weeks back. It’s a field of two for now, the STi and Evolution.
FLOYD: Where’s the five-point harness? Holy schnikes, this is one wicked ride. Kinda’ like getting on a mechanical bull, grabbing the rope as tightly as you can and whipping yourself around. This isn’t the kind of car you’re going to want to drive every day unless you’re in the cast of 2Fast 2Furious. There’s the ‘hey, look at me’ wing, suspension that lets you feel any little pebble, the bling-bling gold BBS rims, etc. Yep, you’d have to be a risk-taker, a get- me-behind-the-wheel-and-let-me-run-wild kind of guy.
It’s one of those cars that just says ‘drive the hell out of me,’ and it’s oh-so-hard not too. Especially when you feel that power whoosh as you wring it through first gear, then second, then, geez, I’m already at 80? Whoa. It’s more of a primal car than the Lancer Evo to me: The handling seems less precise, like it wants you to hold on and wrestle with it a bit as you tear into a wide sweeper. The 300 hp comes on strong as you wind out the rough-edged clutch setup. The Evo’s gearbox seem-ed a mite smoother. Interior-wise, it’s a draw to me. I liked the looks of the STi seats, but other than that, the Evo wins as a daily driver.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with either, but the STi is obviously more true to its rally roots. Grab that rope and hold on, pardner.
