Car Chat

[CaminoRacer]

That's the wheel hub he's cleaning. That's good practice.  That rust buildup can glue wheels to hubs pretty solid.  The donkey kick is a technique I learned from a seasoned tire tech to break free stuck wheels.

Yup. When I did the brakes on the Mazda, I cleaned the hubs and put anti-seize on them before putting the wheels back on.

[CaminoRacer]

I do mine myself. IME car shops tend to over torque lug nuts and scratch the finish on the wheels. Its pretty easy to do if you aren't in a rush.

Pisses me off when a shop scratches brand new wheels because they're too careless to control the socket. I just bring the El Camino wheels to them now instead of letting them touch the car & install the wheels.

[Galaxy]

The Golf gets a VR6 again, for the next R. I guess since it has been MQBd anyways for the US market, they might as well.

[SJ_GTI]

The Golf gets a VR6 again, for the next R. I guess then it has been MQBd anyways for the US market, they might as well.

[12,000 RPM]

Bro that could change everything.

[2o6]

VR6, mild hybrid, automatic.

[12,000 RPM]

As long as there is a VR6. Preferably naturally aspirated

[SJ_GTI]

My brother's Impreza came in so I went with him to Subaru's HQ yesterday evening so he could bring both cars back home (his current car and the Impreza). I was checking out a bunch of the cars there while he was taking stuff out of his old car and putting in to his Impreza. They had A LOT of STI's there. This lot was mainly for cars going to employees but all of the STI's still had factory MSRP stickers on them. Most of the other cars didn't have the factory MSPR stickers but just notices for which employee that car was going to. I was surprised because the STI's there were all in the 49-51k range. I didn't even realize STI's got that expensive. They had a few WRX's there as well, and I actually like the slightly toned down look (vs the STI) of those better in person.

I drove my brother's new Impreza back to his house (he drove his old car), so I got about an hour's seat time in it in a mix of city traffic and then highway. It actually drives really nice, power feels decent for only being 155hp. The CVT actually does really well on its own but if you want to use "gears" the paddle shifters were very responsive. Shifting was immediate and not at all delayed. It had six "faux gears" when using the manual shift option.

The interior is nice. On par with my Golf R for sure. The seats in the Golf R are really the only thing that stood out as being way better, but I would assume the WRX or STI seats would be closer to the Golf R seats than the normal seats in his Impreza. My brother uses an android phone that he hooked up right away. I didn't think to bring a lightning connector so I wasn't able try carplay (but I presume it would be the same as any other car). Bluetooth connectivity worked well on my phone though FWIW.

The AWD system feels legit. There is even a display on the secondary screen that will show you how the system is shifting around power (so I presume it is an electronically controlled system and not just a simple mechanical type). Unless the screen was lying the default setting seemed to be 25% power to each wheel.

Compared to the Crosstrek (that my mom just got) I thought the Impreza was the better vehicle. Felt like it had just as much room inside as well as in the hatch area but at the same time it handled better and felt quicker. I also prefer a lower seating position but that is admittedly a personal preference. The interior design/quality felt pretty much the same. I would have to look at them side by side to see which is really nicer.

[68_427]

The crosstrek is literally a lifted Impreza hatch, which is why they were so similar.  And I don't think regular STIs get that expensive.  Those might have been the Ra special edition

[Morris Minor]

The Outback 4's lack of oomph was a factor in my decision not to get one.

[Laconian]

The Outback CVT keeps the engine responsive in most situations except onramp acceleration - can't disguise the lack of power there

[SJ_GTI]

The crosstrek is literally a lifted Impreza hatch, which is why they were so similar.  And I don't think regular STIs get that expensive.  Those might have been the Ra special edition

Re: STI's, could be right. I should have taken a picture with my phone but didn't think to do it.

edited to add, this is indeed what they all looked like. Not all blue, but they all had the gold wheels and the same wing so you are probably right. Wonder why they had so many (at least a dozen) there at their offices.

[AutobahnSHO]

I personally wouldn't be getting an STI over WRX, seems the extra money just doesn't get you as much. I don't care for how flashy the STIs are either.

The Crosstrek seems like it would be more floaty/cushy because it's the same car just taller. I wonder if the suspension is much different between the two?

[68_427]

You've always been able to get the still with the wrx lip spoiler.  The cost of the STIs parts is greater than the sum of the increase vs the wrx, but for some people those upgrades aren't necessary so I understand that perspective.

[12,000 RPM]

We will see what happens with both of them. Smart thing for Subaru to do would be to give them tuned versions of the new 2.4T in the Ascent. With that, all I would want from the STI is that active center diff. I'm ripping most of the other stuff out anyway.

[Raza]

I personally wouldn't be getting an STI over WRX, seems the extra money just doesn't get you as much. I don't care for how flashy the STIs are either.

The Crosstrek seems like it would be more floaty/cushy because it's the same car just taller. I wonder if the suspension is much different between the two?

Does the WRX still use the old, weak 5 speed manual?

Edit: No, apparently it has a 6 speed now. But damn, they are ugly as sin. Both the WRX and STI.

[12,000 RPM]

WRXs were never pretty, that's their whole thing

[Raza]

WRXs were never pretty, that's their whole thing

And yet, every previous model was a beauty queen comparatively.

[MX793]

WRXes went from ugly but aggressive to Toyota Corolla boring.  And the latest one is possibly the worst-sounding performance car on the market.

[CaminoRacer]

I normally fill up at 1/4 tank, but pushed it today until the gas light came on in the Mazda6. Put 15 gallons in. It has an 18 gallon tank. That's a huge reserve after "empty".

[12,000 RPM]

WRXes went from ugly but aggressive to Toyota Corolla boring.  And the latest one is possibly the worst-sounding performance car on the market.

Yea this is the issue. No WRX is pretty but the old ones had character.

[SJ_GTI]

I must have bad taste because I thought they looked good in person. 

The STI's were a bit too boy racerish for my taste but the WRX's looked good. I like the plain Impreza (hatchback) my brother got. Maybe its because I am getting older but I am happier with less "look at me!" styling.

If I was buying today i am not sure I would get one though (WRX). I think I would pay extra (again) to get a hatchback (Golf R or Focus RS). It would probably end up being the Golf again because I like the more sedate styling and I know it actually makes a good daily driver (comfortable and easy to drive with a little bit of sport mixed in).

[CaminoRacer]

Bugeyes, Hawkeyes and 2012-2014ish hatchback STis are cool. Don't care for any recent sedan models.

[AutobahnSHO]

When they dropped the hatch from WRX-land I lost interest.

[giant_mtb]

I normally fill up at 1/4 tank, but pushed it today until the gas light came on in the Mazda6. Put 15 gallons in. It has an 18 gallon tank. That's a huge reserve after "empty".

Depending on where you are, 3 gallons reserve could be really nice to have.  Say you go into the ditch in a blizzard and you're in the middle of nowhere. Those 3 gallons could save your life.

Granted, if you're driving in a blizzard, you should never let your gas get that low for that very reason, but some people...

[Raza]

WRXes went from ugly but aggressive to Toyota Corolla boring.  And the latest one is possibly the worst-sounding performance car on the market.

Yeah, I think that's more accurate than what I said.

[12,000 RPM]

Depending on where you are, 3 gallons reserve could be really nice to have.  Say you go into the ditch in a blizzard and you're in the middle of nowhere. Those 3 gallons could save your life.

Granted, if you're driving in a blizzard, you should never let your gas get that low for that very reason, but some people...

Whats a blizzard

[RomanChariot]

Whats a blizzard

It's a tasty blend of soft serve ice cream and crushed candies.

[CaminoRacer]

It's a tasty blend of soft serve ice cream and crushed candies.

It's every child's dream to get stuck in one.

[AutobahnSHO]

It's a tasty blend of soft serve ice cream and crushed candies.

so thick it's served upside-down.


Which is not what you should be doing with your car in a blizzard.