[octane]

It's in my driveway, but it hasn't really hit me yet. I've had a deposit on an STi since January 7th.

I have a feeling a lot of us in the US will get our cars in the next few weeks, so I started this thread to provide a place to post your first impressions.

I bought mine from a dealer that's 150 miles from home (because my local dealer sucks). The interstate drive home was a long one with no radio, but it gave me ample time to become familiar with the car.

Stuff I noticed:

1) The turbo sounds are quite audible above 3000rpm, even when you're babying it like I was. Cool. I can't wait to get it into the upper rev range.

2) I was disappointed in the number of interior rattles. Granted, the suspension is firm, but c'mon.

3) The wing and scoop definitely vibrate. The wing reminds me of one of those hillbilly guys that makes music by bending a hand saw. Personally, I'm thinking I don't need the aerodynamic stability. I can put 30 kg of junk in the trunk (no pun intended) and achieve the same effect for all but the most uncompromising race situations. Anyone have a spare WRX trunklid for sale (blue)?

4) The ride isn't as punishing as some say it is. It just feels poised. If the steering is mushy, I'd love to try the EVO.

5) The STi logos aren't red -- they're PINK! It's kind of weird. (The embroidered logos on the seats are red.) Make up your mind, Subaru --and when you do, choose red!

6) FYI: mine had about 10 miles on the odo. The dealer assured and reassured me that they hadn't driven it. The guys at the port must be having the time of their lives.

 

[BHODGES3]

The only things that I will need to get adjusted to/gripes... The wing is RIGHT in the middle of your rear-view mirror field of vision. Since this is where most vehicles are going to tend to be, that kind of bothers me. 2. The brakes dust like CRAZY! I am washing the rims constantly. Anyone know if this will stop after a month or two? 3. The blind spot on the driver's side is hard to get around. You have two pillars, part of a wing, and the wrap-around headrest to try to peek around. Luckily I am usually so far out in front that I don't have to worry about someone being beside me. Other than those 3 things, I have NO complaints.

 

[MKIVSupra]

I agree with the wing in the mirror, you can see the cars just not who is driving, but I can live with it. My only other complaint so far is the green AC controls and clock, why not make them orange to match the gauges.

One other thing, I can understand no standard floormats, but why not have some nice optional ones. I would think they would be any easy sell and probably 99% of the people who got STis would get a set if they are nice.

 

[mx_9]

I spoke to my salesperson yesterday and he told me that they would be getting STi floormats in very shortly. I specifically mentioned the STi logo and he said that they were the ones that he was getting. He indicated that there was just a 30 day or so delay on the mats with respect to his first shipment of cars.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Yep, my dealer said the same thing about the "STi" specific floor mats. I will be getting a call as soon they come in. In the meantime I am using the stupid paper ones.....

I have not noticed the hood and/or hood scoop moving yet but I did catch the spoiler moving a little in the rear-view mirror. It did not seem too bad however.

Like I indicated in another post, the tire noise is what surprised me. It should become less of a factor once a stereo is installed. This is a race homologation special after all so we can’t complain about refinement issues too much right? :wink:

 

[DVTURK]

-Very nice power down-low, even if you have to shift before 4K
-Sweet gearbox w/very short throws
-Boost is at 1 bar at 4K RMPs. I suspect that it will hold that till redline.
-Very grippy tires and very stable when changing lanes quickly
-Steering feels sharp and precise
-I havent noticed any movement of the hood scoop or wing.
-Fit and finish is good w/no rattles. However, dashboard materials feel cheap.
-I saved the best for last...the 2.5 liter engine sounds mean and raw

 

[shoeeater]

-Fit and finish is good w/no rattles. However, dashboard materials feel cheap.

Interesting. Two completely different observations in the same thread. One with tons of rattle and one with no rattles. Any ideas?

 

[BHODGES3]

No ideas what the person with rattles is talking about. The thing sounds smooth as silk to me. There is a hum from the tires, but my other vehicle is a 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab with 20" wheels, so that is nothing to me. I DID have an awful metallic rattle coming from the wing area that worried me at first. After closing the trunk with varying degrees of force it was still there. Come to find out, the salesman had put the little bag of metal tools on top of my spare tire so that everytime I hit a bump it was clanging against the metal rim. Problem diagnosed and solved now though.

 

[CloNeGTS]

I rode in BleedPurple's the other day and I was blown away by how tight the entire car felt, structurally and build wise. We were on some nasty back roads and I didn't hear any rattles.

Come on guys...the wing vibrating......let's find something to complain about. I saw it....what do you expect? Yeah, it isn't carbon....find me any other light material that isn't going to flex when you throw a 4sq ft section of it sideways in the airstream behind a car! And no, putting weight in the trunk doesn't do the same thing. Obviously the wing doesn't weight 30 lbs....think about it. To anyone that wants to swap out the wing, have at it. I'm sure there will be plenty of WRX guys that will swap the trunk lid with ya.

I actually had a hard time hearing the little turbo over the engine sound. I sure didn't hear the bypass valve like I thought I would. Very different from a WRX IMO.

STi logos....always been pink man. ALWAYS. I did notice the seats were red though. Must not have had pink spools on the embroidery machine! haha

Boost changes all over the range. I believe 'God' at GodSpeed said it starts tapering off around 4500 or something.

I was most surprised by the raw sound of the whole car. The transmission sounds like it's race made, the engine is obviously a different beast than an engine I've heard in a production car, and the whole thing is tighter than....well, put your own analogy in there. I was very very impressed.

 

[sakura-iro]

pink works fine for me.

 

[wojo]

My only other complaint so far is the green AC controls and clock, why not make them orange to match the gauges.

I have the same issue with my EVO. The bloody gauges are in orange and the clock/AC knobs/radio are in light green. How hard is it to make them the same color?

 

[mx_9]

Wojo,

I may have missed it, but did you post your EVO impressions anywhere?

Thanks, Chris

 

[murley]

*teasingly*
Who cares about those anyway..........

 

[wojo]

No, because the car sucks!!! J/K

I didn't as I thought it would be mostly repetitive with what's been already said. Plus I would rather wait until I take a ride in the STi and be able to compare and contrast the two cars together.

 

[wojo]

*teasingly*
Who cares about those anyway..........

Shouldn't you be selling cars or something? J/K

 

[murley]

Yeah, if you'd have called me I could have gotten you either of the two....

 

[Speedlimit]

2. The brakes dust like CRAZY! I am washing the rims constantly. Anyone know if this will stop after a month or two?

Hi,

The EVO's have the same problem and one thing that help me was to wax the wheels. A lot of the brake dust tends to blow off because of the smooth waxed surface and is much easier to clean with a spray of water.

Speedlimit..

 

[amdmaxx]

KY should work just fine..

2. The brakes dust like CRAZY! I am washing the rims constantly. Anyone know if this will stop after a month or two?

Hi,

The EVO's have the same problem and one thing that help me was to wax the wheels. A lot of the brake dust tends to blow off because of the smooth waxed surface and is much easier to clean with a spray of water.

Speedlimit..

 

[4MLA1FN]

Come on guys...the wing vibrating......let's find something to complain about.

ditto that!

I was most surprised by the raw sound of the whole car....I was very very impressed.

ditto again. i was really glad i didn't rush out and put in a stereo my first day. i got to spend a few intimate hours listening to her speak to me. like you said, very raw. there's definately a hint of the "race car" in all the mechanical sounds you hear; much more so that most other street cars.

 

[SFRinNJ]

Letter from Subaru to Dealers "MSRP" or less...

4MLA1FN:Was thrilled that I don't have the stereo right now so that I can really listen to the car. The engine is so beautifully tuned that the whole car just seems better appreciated without the music for right now. I even got a charge out of closing the door-it sounded so solid. Didn't get through the manual yet though-anyone see where the indicator level light or warning is for the intercooler water bottle? Wouldn"t want it low with the summer coming up fast and having too much fun driving it.SFRinNJ