Ok,
For all you regulars on here most of you knew I was heading down to my dealer to get a test drive on Tuesday the 14th of May, but instead we cancelled and went down today! Here are my opinions:
We first got to the dealership and immediately spotted the WR blue sitting on the lot with the Prodrive wing and a nice wash job, which looked really nice in the sun! Well, around the corner was a black STi all stock. After looking at the clean WR blue one the black one looked dirty, used and ridden hard. I met the dealer and he tells me that we are gonna go for a little ride (I kept thinking I would drive like in the states). If anyone knows anything about Europeans they drive crazy, but Germans in particular drive really well, just especially fast, so I was a tad nervous getting into the car with a complete stranger wanting to "give us a little ride."
At first we took off the lot and into a main road and really got pinned in our seats. Great start for the acceleration and of course for most Americans perfect driving since most of us are not used to the twisties that are here in Europe. Then we turned around and did the straight again. Nothing big, but this time he cranks the wheel to the left and then to the right. HOLY SMOKES!!! At the point I was nervous and thought we were gonna careen off the road..NOPE, if we were in any other car we could me going sideways or we would be in the ditch. Then we continue on and he is driving pretty benign, until he tells us his real intentions of driving this hill climb he knows close by.
Let me just say that as he started up this really twisty road that prior to I had to take a leak, now with the way he drove I REALLY HAD TO HOLD IT BAD!! Talk about scaring the crap out of ME!!! My wife was pretty bored with the car until today. She said "that is the first time I have ever been in a car that felt just like a rollercoaster." Enough said! Basically to put the experience in words, imagine driving a fairly sporty car or even a really sporty car at super high speeds up a hill w/o braking. AMAZING! There is no way that on these small roads any other conventional car would be able to do the things this car was able to do. He would brake hard in the middle of a sharp turn without even thinking about, charge into corners and continue pushing the revs w/o even blinking. This guy was so calm he was trying to have a conversation with me while he was driving Colin McRae style! We got done and he told us that he drove slower than he normally does and that the car is capable of MUCH, MUCH more. Oh yeah, he had the A/C on and 3 adults in the car!!
Last thing he did was drive the first straight again and hit 6th gear so he was probably going atleast 120mph then slammed on the brakes as we were about to go in the corner. One wheel locked for about a millisec and then we slowed down to about 30 mph. AMAZING. He said they have tested the car and it brakes from 100mph in 33.8meters, or 110 feet! Not many cars do that..including wild exotics.
My wife Stacy and I then were able to drive the car and the first thing I will say is that I for one, am not nearly as agood of a driver or used to the car as the dealer. The shift throws were super short, yet very notchy and definately need some skill in order to have smooth, non-jerky driving. The turbo lag is there, but sub turbo revs the engine is not a heap by any means. If you wanna drive fast it is very easy to get into the revs and/or keep it there. The shift light was cool, but I didn't notice any sound, so I dunno. I really like the way they have the 6-speed, but it is different than anything I have ever driven, but there is a reverse lock which is quite nice. You have to pull up the ledge on the stick to hit reverse. Nice safety feature. The car has a ton of room, more than I remember when we drove the WRX, but easily as much if not more than the 325 and 330 BMW. Plenty of room for my "big head" as my wife put it. Its really nice b/c the driver seat adjusts vertically to allow someone to drive with a helmet on!
We got a chance to look at the WR Blue and the Black Pearl color. I like them both so much that I honestly cannot say one or the other is my favorite. The Black when clean gives off a blue sparkle, but it is kind of tough to notice. I didn't see the claimed "blue and pink and a bunch of color" black in this color, only black with a very dark blue mettalic hint in bright sunlight. The Black was dirty so one up for the Blue, but they both look nice. I would say the black is MUCH more stealth and my wife likes it much better (she doesn't like the Prodrive Wing, like me).
Anyways, I have some pics and a MPEG or 2 that I am willing to share. Just let me know any questions or whatever. Hope I covered everything. All in all it makes me want to have the car even more. I have NEVER and I mean NEVER been in a car that is so controlled. That is the one word I would describe the car--CONTROLLED. The dealer put it that the M3 would win on the Autobahn and in a straight line, but on backroads and twisty roads no competition..I agree. I'll take my STi please.
For all you regulars on here most of you knew I was heading down to my dealer to get a test drive on Tuesday the 14th of May, but instead we cancelled and went down today! Here are my opinions:
We first got to the dealership and immediately spotted the WR blue sitting on the lot with the Prodrive wing and a nice wash job, which looked really nice in the sun! Well, around the corner was a black STi all stock. After looking at the clean WR blue one the black one looked dirty, used and ridden hard. I met the dealer and he tells me that we are gonna go for a little ride (I kept thinking I would drive like in the states). If anyone knows anything about Europeans they drive crazy, but Germans in particular drive really well, just especially fast, so I was a tad nervous getting into the car with a complete stranger wanting to "give us a little ride."
At first we took off the lot and into a main road and really got pinned in our seats. Great start for the acceleration and of course for most Americans perfect driving since most of us are not used to the twisties that are here in Europe. Then we turned around and did the straight again. Nothing big, but this time he cranks the wheel to the left and then to the right. HOLY SMOKES!!! At the point I was nervous and thought we were gonna careen off the road..NOPE, if we were in any other car we could me going sideways or we would be in the ditch. Then we continue on and he is driving pretty benign, until he tells us his real intentions of driving this hill climb he knows close by.
Let me just say that as he started up this really twisty road that prior to I had to take a leak, now with the way he drove I REALLY HAD TO HOLD IT BAD!! Talk about scaring the crap out of ME!!! My wife was pretty bored with the car until today. She said "that is the first time I have ever been in a car that felt just like a rollercoaster." Enough said! Basically to put the experience in words, imagine driving a fairly sporty car or even a really sporty car at super high speeds up a hill w/o braking. AMAZING! There is no way that on these small roads any other conventional car would be able to do the things this car was able to do. He would brake hard in the middle of a sharp turn without even thinking about, charge into corners and continue pushing the revs w/o even blinking. This guy was so calm he was trying to have a conversation with me while he was driving Colin McRae style! We got done and he told us that he drove slower than he normally does and that the car is capable of MUCH, MUCH more. Oh yeah, he had the A/C on and 3 adults in the car!!
Last thing he did was drive the first straight again and hit 6th gear so he was probably going atleast 120mph then slammed on the brakes as we were about to go in the corner. One wheel locked for about a millisec and then we slowed down to about 30 mph. AMAZING. He said they have tested the car and it brakes from 100mph in 33.8meters, or 110 feet! Not many cars do that..including wild exotics.
My wife Stacy and I then were able to drive the car and the first thing I will say is that I for one, am not nearly as agood of a driver or used to the car as the dealer. The shift throws were super short, yet very notchy and definately need some skill in order to have smooth, non-jerky driving. The turbo lag is there, but sub turbo revs the engine is not a heap by any means. If you wanna drive fast it is very easy to get into the revs and/or keep it there. The shift light was cool, but I didn't notice any sound, so I dunno. I really like the way they have the 6-speed, but it is different than anything I have ever driven, but there is a reverse lock which is quite nice. You have to pull up the ledge on the stick to hit reverse. Nice safety feature. The car has a ton of room, more than I remember when we drove the WRX, but easily as much if not more than the 325 and 330 BMW. Plenty of room for my "big head" as my wife put it. Its really nice b/c the driver seat adjusts vertically to allow someone to drive with a helmet on!
We got a chance to look at the WR Blue and the Black Pearl color. I like them both so much that I honestly cannot say one or the other is my favorite. The Black when clean gives off a blue sparkle, but it is kind of tough to notice. I didn't see the claimed "blue and pink and a bunch of color" black in this color, only black with a very dark blue mettalic hint in bright sunlight. The Black was dirty so one up for the Blue, but they both look nice. I would say the black is MUCH more stealth and my wife likes it much better (she doesn't like the Prodrive Wing, like me).
Anyways, I have some pics and a MPEG or 2 that I am willing to share. Just let me know any questions or whatever. Hope I covered everything. All in all it makes me want to have the car even more. I have NEVER and I mean NEVER been in a car that is so controlled. That is the one word I would describe the car--CONTROLLED. The dealer put it that the M3 would win on the Autobahn and in a straight line, but on backroads and twisty roads no competition..I agree. I'll take my STi please.
