at 60mph.. its about 2.7k rpms.. i know this cuz at 60 its almost at turbo spool but not quite so highway cruising at 60 is great for gas milage.. now once i hit 65... i can hear the turbos starting to kick in.... at 3k rpms

 

No need to flame you, you are absolutly correct in the idea that he should test drive the STi as well. They are both great cars and he may like the scoobie better. As long as it has AWD and forced induction I am a fan

Personally I like the razor sharp handling and 5 speed more than softer handling with a 6 speed. I will be adding cruise control though.

Keith

 

Just to point out the obvious...

A sixth speed in and of itself isn't going to necessarily get you an overdrive gear. I'm going to venture a guess and say that the 6th gear offered in the Evo overseas is not substantially taller overall than our 5th gear. The six gears allow closer spacing of the ratios. This will drive more torque to the wheels but you'll be rowing like mad in traffic.

I think I've read that the overseas press was complaining about the gear ratio spacing on the "rest of world" Evo that has the 6 speed.

Is the 6th gear in the STi an overdrive ratio>

 

With the STi you have to shift to 3rd to hit 60 so it hurts the 0-60 just a bit. The 6th is taller than the 5th in WRX and the 5th is shorter than WRX so 6th is a little more of a cruising gear. You've got 2 extra gallons of fuel however it's rated 18/24 vs. Evo 18/26 so range may not be too different. It has a little better low end torque but overall it's pretty much a coin flip. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

The only drawback to Sti is the short gearing...you have to shift a lot (and I love driving manual). The rear end is easy to have step out in the subie...just mash the throttle in the middle of a turn (with traction-impaired snow tires ). I still am getting an evo, but the subie is still very good. Can't hurt to try both.

 

No doubt, check out the Sub..it might be better for you...although I have no complaints about the freeway abilities of the Evo, it will chomp some miles very well if asked.

 

You are correct. The Subarus do make more compromises for road driving comfort. The Evo is known to be compromized very little in comparison. The suspension is more track ready than the softer Subaru. And the Subarus don't have that point and shoot steering feel of the Evo. The Evo won't get even the slightest bit annoying on streets/freeways until you hit construction zones where the pavement is very grooved or rough.

As for the revs at freeway speeds, You can expect to be around 3500 at 80mph. But this is fairly normal for a four banger with a manual tranny. You won't hurt anything running at those rpms and the noise isn't loud until you start bolting on certain aftermarket exhausts.

SC~