[RACER-X]

When I bought my WRX in June, I already knew that the STi would be coming soon. As soon as my dealer would take it from me, I gave a deposit on the STI.
When I was looking for a new car, a good career allowed me to pick just about whatever car I wanted. However, I had lusted afetr the WRX for years, and now the new version was coming to the states. I went for one test drive and was hooked. I bought the WRX because I am a car nut (I've been a racing member of the SCCA for years) and it's a pure driver's car - period. Was there a temptation to go with a BMW or Audi for pure snob-appeal? Sure. But in the end I don't care a whit if the guy in the Bimmer next to me looks down his nose at my "economy car". I'm having a blast.
This brings me to a dilemma. The new Lancer is said to be coming to the states with it's full 300+ hp (yes-it's rated at 276 - but we all know what that is about) - not some watered down 265 - 275 hp. No the Evo isn't as refined as the STi, but DAMN refinement if there's THAT much more performance in the Mitsu! I sure hope Subaru brings the REAL STi to the states, or I fear it will lose quite a few enthusiasts to the Evo.
I bought my WRX because of bang for the buck - and I'll buy my next car for the same reason. Don't make me buy an Evo, Subaru!!!

 

[alfredob1]

I have to agree with Racer-X. I am looking for the most performance I can get for around 30k. If Mitsu can deliver the stock performance I am looking for, then the Evo can be my only choice. I would very much prefer to get the STi but it's going to come down to which can can deliver the most bang for the buck.

 

[thermite]

I agree. I will not spend more than 30K for an STI. It just isnt worth it. Its an awesome car but anything over 30 is overpriced. Hopefully some dealers will respect that and not rip people off for them. I hate to see those dealers that. I talked to one dealer about putting money down. First thing he said is well you know im gonna mark it up 5K. I said if thats the case thats basically stealing from someone and I left. Didnt make him happy cause I was gonna give him 5K. He tried to save me but he basically told me hes gonna rip me off from the bat. Thats no way to do business.
Just my $.02.

Glen

 

[Novus]

The EVO is not coming over with JDM specs. The FMIC will not pass crash standards and it won't pass Cali emissions as is. You're looking at ~260hp coming from the USDM 4G63. The WRX STi should have similar numbers. If you read the site you'll notice the UK version has ~267hp and most people are speculating it won't deviate far from that. The difference between the cars is more than just superficial. Even more so if you're going to use the car for SCCA. The aftermarket for these two cars is flourishing in Japan so no difference there. Tuner wise both cars are pretty much equal. Asthetically the EVOs exterior appeals to me more, but it's interior lacks compared to the WRX. Both cars come stock with good racing interiors. From a racers standpoint you'll also want to be looking at reliability. You want your money to be going into the car for improvement and not to fix problems. Subaru has a much more reliable drivetrain than the Mitsus. There are many Eclipse GSX , Galant and 3000GT VR4 horror stories out there, but I rarely hear anything bad about the Subaru 4wd transmission. The 4G63 is a marvel of long term engineering buy Mitsu, and there's not much to the engine, but it has been known to have problems. I have heard nothing but good things about the EJ20, EJ22 and EJ25. Not that there aren't any bad things that happen. Every barrel of apples has a few rotten ones. There are a lot of things going for the EVO a lot of electronic gagedtry the WRX STi doesn't have. For a begnineer I'd say the EVO would be a perfect SCCA : AYC and ACD make driving it a breeze compared to the WRX STi. However, in the end I think you'll be turning some of the gadgetry off. IMHO the WRX STi is going to be a better daily driver and is going to have more potential at the tracks and auto-x.

I'm still leaning towards the WRX STi despite the price difference. The important things to me come with the WRX STi and not the EVO. We'll see though, it's another year before they're both out and anything can happen. For now I will continue to champion the WRX STi.

One last thing... Stop focusing on HP figures. There is more to a car than that. I've looked at a enough PAX and non-PAX results from auto-x to know that HP and money does not always win in that arena.

P.S. A decent Lancer forum can be found here : http://www.lancerz.com

 

[jawn]

I agree totally with Novus... I think that the EVO is going to be an awesome car, but I am worried about Mitsu's quality. And since I'm going to be spending more time driving on streets than on the track, I like the STi's better daily driver reputation. :smile:

But, If you're going to give me one, I'll take either.

 

[RACER-X]

Novus,
Well, I suppose time will tell. All we can do is read the speculations and wait for the manufacturers to make some announcements.
It seems a real shame that these Japanese manufacurers would lop off 30-40 hp and charge us a premium in the process!

p.s. I sure hope the STi packs more "roll on power". While the WRX is great out of the hole, it lacks power up high (evidenced by it's relatively low trap speeds at the end of the 1/4 mile). Driver skill being equal, this makes the WRX a slower accelerator at higher speeds than many "lesser" cars. I'd like to see a trap speed in the area of 105 or so for the STi.

 

[jawn]

Part of the reason that HP numbers get reduced when a car comes over here is the fact that in Japan, gasoline has a much higher octane rating.

Also... good ol' California emissions requirements.

 

[markns2]

There's some misinformation floating around about the EVO's. Starting with the EVO IV, the engine was rotated around, moving the transmission to the driver's side of the engine compartment. The trans in the EVO IV - VII is unique to this car, and is completely different than the earlier EVO's, Eclipse or Galant VR-4 which had very weak gearboxes. A recommendation would be to look at the teams running EVO's in rallying, and see how often they have transmission failures (tip - good luck!). This trans will easily support 400+ bhp.

However, having said that, the EVO VII's dimensions seem to be a step backward (at least in terms of competition use). The car has a 5.5" longer wheelbase and weighs an addition 50#'s over the E6, making it less than ideal for rally use. If the 6-speed fixes Subaru's gearbox woes, it's highly probable you will see a more even balance of EVO's and Subaru's on the rally scene.

 

[Novus]

Thanks for pointing that out Mark.

After doing some more research I realize that the drivetrain on the EVO is a lot better than the ones on their other 4wd model cars. However I've been trying real hard to get a feel for the two companies general maintenence "vibe" from current car owners. I'm still leaning towards Subaru in this area, but it's gotten to the point where I think it'll come down to cost between these two cars for me. So, I'm on the fence again, and I've doubled my research efforts on the two cars.

Oh, and Jawn is right. A lot of things cause the power to go down coming to the states. Check out my other post :

http://www.imprezawrxsti.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?topic=145&forum=1&start=15&16

40 hp loss from JDM -> USDM WRX. That SUCKS!!!