Lol, everyone argued with me that the Ralliart was going to destroy the WRX and this that and the other and now we have proof that the WRX is a far more capable machine. A 2 second difference on an autocross course is massive, I don't care who you are that is a big difference. Looks like the WRX was also the fastest 0-60 with a 5.1 second time. So to all the naysayers and people calling me a fanboy or worse, I have only this to say .

 

I had been considering the Cobalt for a while. I was not a fan of the styling. I drove the coupe and it was impressive. Very fun on the street. Power everywhere. Interior is terrible. Chevy rep. FWD.

After looking at this comparo, I must say I am a little down now. I had pretty much sold myself on the RA but WOW, so many shortcomings for so much money. I may just pony up for a GSR at this point. I am going the put the WRX on the must drive list as that is another possibility based on performance/econ/and usability. The only plus for the RA in my mind is the SST but with as tested 17MPG, that is 2-3 MPG worse than my HONDA RIDGELINE!!! And I drive that hard.

I mean the WRX is 5 MPG more with better performance. It does not look as good, but geez, I am starting to think that Mitsu should have upped the wheel and suspension package to a more respectible manner. For the cost of swapping those out I may as well be looking EVO.

Back to the think tank for me. I have no clue which way to go now.

 

Yes. I am loving what they did with the new wrx.
Definitely the best option of the four

 

I have seen the light young grasshopper. Now if I can get the dealer to move on a WRX I think that may be the way to go. Plus the ride was very compliant.

 

Redline clutch drops FTW ...denied tranny warranty claims FTL...


...

 

Good luck in either case.

 

Lol, I'm not the grasshopper, it's clear I'm the freakin sensai.

 

Out of the bunch, I'd buy an MS3. I was going to buy one when I bought my Evo. Until I suddendly thought to myself, "for the price, I can have an Evo..." Evo>MS3 defiantly. But I still like the MS3

 

so the ralliart is overpriced, slow, and handles like crap.

What else is new?

 

Apparently it is new for some people. It's not even that the Ralliart is slow, compared to most cars it is quite quick but the fact is if you're going to base your buying decision solely on performance, the Ralliart isn't for you. I'm sure it has great potential but that can be said of any car on that list.

 

Damn.....this is sad, I was really looking forward to the Ralliart since my g/f cant drive stick but wow.....

 

The new wrx (did the price stay the same?) with the sporty upgrades is going to sell out. 2008 Cobalts are gone too (I couldn't find one in SoCal on GM_buypower searches- Employee pricing made those go quick.

Still plenty of Evo GSR's which at 10 percent more (real world) cost over RA would seem to be a wiser choice.

I got a friend at work who is about a year away from buying into a sport compact - the MS3 or WRX makes the most sense from a non-brand loyalty standpoint.

lol on GM for using the same steering wheel in every car they make.
my vette interior:http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...entroof_sm.jpg
I guess I can't complain- 116 mph in the 1/4 stock and 190 mph top end-I'll share the cheap wheel for the price I got it for.

 

Too bad a similarly loaded WRX goes over 30k...


It seems all 90% of you people care about are the damn numbers without looking over the whole package, and its alooott for the money.

 

Just over 30k$ with more power, better suspension, traditional 5-speed and every option possible for the car.

Sedans
WRX Sedan (9JO) MSRP $25495 Dealer Invoice $23617
WRX Sedan Prem (9JP) MSRP $28160 Dealer Invoice $25925
WRX Sedan w/Nav+Sirius(9JQ) MSRP $30160 Dealer Invoice $27771
2.5GT Sedan Prem(AT) (9JM) MSRP $27660 Dealer Invoice $25510

5-door Hatch WRX
WRX 5-door Hatch(9LO) MSRP $25995 Dealer Invoice $24082
WRX Hatch Prem (9LP) MSRP $28660 Dealer Invoice $26389
WRX Hatch w/Nav+Sirius(9LQ) MSRP $30660 Dealer Invoice $28234
2.5GT Hatch Prem(AT) (9LM) MSRP $28160 Dealer Invoice $26317

Ralliart

$26,940 Base MSRP
+$675 Destination
=$27,165

$27,165
+$2750 Recaro Sport Package
+$1999 Navigation Package
=$31,914

Looks like they both come out over 30k$ but for those wanting performance, WRX is king (assuming you don't want a FWD Chevy even though it's pretty damn good for the price).

 

For me, the Ralliart is roughly $200 less per month than a GSR for a car payment I have to make, and roughly $1k less per year insurance wise (so USAA says). All of the issues pointed out in the reviews, are on parts I really had no intention of keeping stock, whether I bought the Ralliart or the GSR, the suspension, wheels, exhaust, intercooler all would be swapped out over time anyway. The key is that I can make these changes myself over time without shelling out in the beginning and still end up with a quick daily driver (and 99% of the time that's what it will be). I can't really argue the price point, the MS3 is a great value and so is the WRX. For me, the Ralliart has the style out of the 3 which is harder to fix in this case then the performance deficiencies. Depends on what you're looking for. I personally want the SST, and wouldn't ever consider shelling out over $40k for a Mitsubishi.