^+2

Not to mention, all preference, but I would want the sedan because the hatch is fugly.

 

Jesus Christ....

 

MSRP to MSRP, the Ralliart is costlier if you want the goodies (like Recaros). In some areas, I'm sure the Ralliart is cheaper while in others, the WRX is cheaper.
It's not personal judgment to say that the transmission of a 30000$ souped-up econobox is nothing like that of a 100000$-1000000$ sports car. Someone might as well argue that the manual in the WRX is virtually the same as that in the Viper since they're both operated with a clutch pedal and a shift lever.
I have yet to see a single review where a stock Ralliart posts similar time to a stock 09 WRX. The WRX has more power, is lighter and has stickier tires, of course it will beat it in performance scenarios. The WRX has a 0-60 of 5.1 seconds according to R&T and I've seen even faster from other sources. 5.6 seconds is hardly the same. It's important to note that the C&D article you reference is from 2008 and is being compared to a 2008 WRX.
Edmunds numbers from the infamous "RE050" comparison. Stock numbers are in brackets

2009 WRX
Skid pad- 0.87 g
Slalom speed- 68.5 MPH
Braking from 60 MPH- 107 ft

2009 Ralliart (stock in brackets)
Skid pad- 0.82 g (0.80)
Slalom speed- 69.3 MPH (65.6)
Braking from 60 MPH- 120 ft (127)

 

the RA is more expensive but you get more for the price (the seats and a lot of fancy computer controlled systems, if that's not your thing then the WRX would work for you). Of course the trans isn't exactly the same as much more expensive cars, while the system is the same basic design there are big differences (different programming, no launch control, different gearing), but the point was that there are few affordable cars with that type of transmission other than the RA and the evo x MR (those have basically the same trans, other than the missing S-Sport mode and higher gearing in the RA). Yes stock for stock, the WRX is faster than the RA, it should be since there's a 28 hp power gap between them. But it's also been tested that the weak point of the RA is it's tires, with different wheels and tires the RA and WRX perform on equal levels, and everyone will eventually change their wheels and tires.

Anyway, this part is the most important part of the thread. These are both excellent cars for their price, and you won't go wrong with either one. So ignore the fanboys in both camps, test drive both, and get the one you want.

 

You get more toys, sure, but at the same time, you get more power with the WRX, better tires, better brakes, etc. It's a matter of deciding what you want.
The VW GTI has had a similar transmission for some time now.
I posted data directly above you, with similar tires (the RE050s are actually ranked higher on Tirerack than the stock tires on the WRX), the WRX is still better in 2 out of 3 handling tests and obviously still faster. Sure people may eventually change tires but that's still an extra 1000$+ to keep up. 1000$ goes a long way.

 

Christ you guys have started a holly war!!! LOL

 

Again.... Jesus Christ!



A WRX-fan and a RA-fan arguing... that's a never ending fight!

 

Little known FACT: Jesus drives and RA. EDIT: An RA not and, typed too fast.

 

I know, last time I had a chat with him he told me he went for the RA cause that clutch-pedal/manual tranny/shift trowing thing is so 200 BC plus he didn't like the WRX for its uglyness, he says up there in heaven they like "angelical" things
and also said he wants to drive something close to what Mr. God drives (God drives an Evo X)

me, so biased!

 

No contest for me cuz I'm a mitsu fanboi haha j/k... on a serious note, the TC-SST tranny is a marvel, somtimes I wish that should have gotten the MR instead of the GSR. Lightning quick shifts are really nice to have.... this coming from a guy who got smoked by a 330i (prolly was an automatic) from a stoplight couple of nights ago lol.

 

U sure it wasn't a 335?

btw, no talking about illegal street racing here

 

This is why i tried to end the whole tire theory.

 

lol... well I test drive the ralliart yesterday. I can tell the car is freaking heavy! That made the car slow on startup roll... It took a while for the car to really take off, but when it starts rolling you can feel the power. Brakes on the ralliart is freaking retarded, i dont know if it is because the pots are small or it is because of the damn weight of the car!

But dont get me wrong. The car look very good inside out. It just the performance I feel is not worth the price I would pay. But in general its a very good car for an AT transmission. The pedal shifting is nice, it shifts accordingly to what I ask for. But hp to price ratio it wont work for me, and the car feels heavy for some reason..

 

had to be a 335i, even then i thought thats W for the X?

 

1 - Car feels heavy cause it is freaking heavy; It's like its weight engulfs you and constrict you (like an Anaconda)

2 - The '09 WRX feels much faster than the RA and it feels ligh; You should test drive that one

3 - You can pay $38,000 for an Audi A4 with 211 horses; Paying 26-27 for an AWD with stellar transmission and 237 horses seems about right to me; of course that's just me.

4 - Braking IS retarded; It's a 3,400lbs car with 252 foot-pounds of torque and flimsy GTS/Outlander brakes; Mitsu went cheap on that one.

4 1/2 - the SST is NOT an Automatic Transmission for the last time!