Same here. I still have my 02 wrx and still find myself taking the car for a spin from time to time.

But thats not to say that i dont love my evo so much more!

 

Even with Evo having works shortshifter and bushings the Stock WRX short shifter is a lot nicer than the EVO (especially after an andrewtech>>DPS Legacy GT gears rebuild) I like the seating position better and having cruise control and the rumble and 6 CD changer and the wiper controls. I wore out my rear control arm bushings so replaced them with STi ones and the car because nearly completely neutral even with stock bouncy suspension and 16" wheels.

other than that the IX is far superior in every way. I just went GTWorx suspension stage 1 and that's amazing. power mods going in next. can't wait.

I do plan on doing the WRX suspension too (no doubt I'll just consult with drew at GTWorx) and going to 17" 235s. After that I'll probably consider the car done until it needs a new engine in which case, 2.5 STi swap for a little more power.

wife drives the WRX but I still love it when I get behind the wheel. It looks nearly bone stock on the outside you can make great time and less people want something from you on the road (as opposed to the ricer, stunta, dweeb-bait Evo).

 

Great review. Had the Evo not been available, I would have gotten an STi. Back when both the STi and Evo came out, I was Subie crazy. I would have easily picked it over the Evo. I still felt this way right up to about the summer of 2011 when a tuner friend, who has owned 6 Evos and who works on countless numbers of them each week, made me go for the Evo. I learned about the greater potential in the Evo over the STi. So, after driving both cars, I bought a 2011 Evo GSR.

I have to say though that my heart still stirs when seeing an STi, especially the sedan. I get all giddy when I go to dealerships and sit in new ones. If money were no issue, I would gladly own both an Evo and an STi. Thank goodness we still have both to choose from.

 

Having come from the GR STi I can tell you that it's a deceptive car. **** always going wrong, the turbo is tiny, the block design is flawed, oil starvation issues at the track during hard driving, cracked ringlands, even little stuff like coil packs refusing to stay on. And regardless if the problem was a result of bad worksmanship on Subaru's part, you'll get the bill for a rebuild because you "raced it," even in stock form. I was constantly afraid of really using the car to it's fullest for fear that I'd end up with a cracked ringland like so many others did.

The Evo IX is nice wjamyers, but it's appearance is definitely dated at this point, and it's near impossible to find one that hasn't been mistreated.

 

^ I had heard about the ringlands problem, but not the other stuff going wrong on it. As for using it the way it was designed, I would assume that no two dealers are alike when it comes to warranty work. Nevertheless, makes me glad I bought an Evo instead.

 

my 06 STI got stolen this week and wont be probably recovered. I am an avid openecu/romraider user/contributor. I feel that the evo is even better supported by ecuflash and the opensource communauty. I do not like the GR STI so I am eyeing on the evo X GSR. Is there a thread where the common problems are listed?

thanx for the review. Cant wait to test drive one!

Mart

 

I'm actually thinking about trading my '11 WRX hatch for a used '11 WW GSR. I'm a bit reluctant to trade because I do like the WRX quite a bit, however, I was going to buy a used '10 Evo GSR before it. My dad and girlfriend forced me into it.

How is the dash in the Evo as well as the stock stereo? Anything is better than the stock headunit in the WRX, that's for sure. Also, how would you compare the interior on both? I've gotten accustomed to the WRX interior after a few weeks. It's grown on me immensely. Lastly, should I get the car? lol

 

I was a huge supporter of open source on the STi as well, Romraider included. Those guys are top notch, Airboy, etc. I haven't bought my copy of EvoScan yet so I can't comment on the support there. The forums seem pretty active here and on the other site though.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ssues-etc.html

 

anybody know if there is an equivalent of the "ssm.pdf" document floating around explaining SSM protocol but for the mitsubishi protocol? I have a bad habit of writing my own hardware/software for my car....

thanx

Mart

 

OP is spot on. I went from a 09 STi hatch to a 11 MR. The STi over 2 years had 2 new turbos, a piston (ringland), injector (miss diagnosis), and long block put in. Oh, and the fuel door spring broke twice (couldn't fill up with gas) and a line in the rear defroster broke. After all that it was time to get rid of it. Only mod for 1.5 of those years was a Cobb AP. After the turbo back it would burn a quart of oil every 2k miles.

I would say the Evo is slightly better in every performance category. The steering is sharper and it doesn't fall on its face in the higher RPMs.

I miss the space in the hatch. The Evo's trunk is tiny. Im 5'7" and its a little annoying that for $36+k you don't get a telescoping steering wheel. The turning radius on the STi is also better. Interior materials are equal with the Recaros being a lot more supportive.

 

Nice review and yeap MR FTW over dem STi-upid cars

 

I had 2 07 STi's I miss them but I really like my 11 Evo MR. I can't really compare to what Subaru offers now to what I have, but I don't miss the Subaru interior at all. I really like the recaro seats and find they are way more supportive than the STi seats, my only complant is the lack of adjustment in the seat. I tracked my STi and thought it performed well but have not had a chance to track my Evo to see the difference, from what I know and have seen the Evo is a STi killer on the track for sure. I do find the steering more responsive for sure and even with the stiffer suspension the car is way better on long road trips than the STi was. I drove from Calgary, Alberta to Las Vegas in one day( may have been some of the issue) 2100km / 1250 miles once I got there I wanted to sell the car. The seats and suspension are horrible on long trips and I was super sore after the trip back. I picked up my Evo in Houston, Tx and drove it to Calgary 2240 miles / 3600 km, I drove this in 2 days and really enjoyed the drive and sitting in a car this long.
Anyways just want to say to the OP nice review and just wanted to add a bit to it from another perspective.

 

just went from a 2011 sti sedan to a 2011 gsr, i'm a lot happier overall with the gsr. it just depends on what you're looking for.

 

Evo > Sti

this is evolution M after all

 

I own 2010 Evo X MR (currently for sale), now I have 2012 STI. The difference between them is not surprising at all.

Evo X (2010)

The Good
- better steering response, better feel and small steering wheel
- suspension is nice and tight. On the turn (freeway ramp) you can feel the car is solid.
- quickness, evo has this quickness since we don't have to deal with clutch.
- seating, nice and tight for people who has small form.

The Bad
- trunk space
- higher seating distance from the car floor.
- MR-T didn't come with homelink/auto dimming mirror.
- turning radius sucks


STI (2012)

So far...
- steering is a bit loose. you don't feel the response from your tire and suspension much.
- suspension, is on the softer side. turning is on the same ramp, evo is way better.
- N/A still in breaking period.
- seating, is more friendlier for people with larger form.
- lower seating distance from the floor.

Other than that is too early to tell since my subie is 2 weeks old and I only driven it twice.


Summary:
I like the evo handling, quickness, steering and seating. It does gets boring with pedal shifter and up and down gearing with dual clutch. That's why i purchased the subie after 2.x years with Evo.

Maybe I miss many things, but that's the difference I felt when I drove both cars.

Edit: adding more information.