I wrote this post for another board. Since Vishnu makes parts for both cars and this is the forum I post on the most at EvoM, I figured I'd put it here. If the mods or Shiv want it moved to the "other cars" forum, then sorry I put it in the wrong place. I just thought it was a fun thing and wanted to share. Thanks.

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This one has been a long time coming from me. I've tried to get an STi test drive for quite awhile to no avail. Since my former car was a WRX, my local Subaru dealer pretty much knew I wasn't going to buy an STi when I showed up there in my Evo. This was almost nine months ago. So I've been biding my time, waiting to get to do more than sit in one.

That chance came this past weekend at an Atlanta area dyno day. I've been PMing (on another site) a guy that has an STi that I met on a track day a couple years ago at Little Talladega. Back then, I had the WRX, and he had a really clean 337. Fast forward to this weekend, and I was helping out at the AWD dyno day at Dyno4mance. There were some extremely nice Subarus getting tuned by Clark from Kingpin Performance (AZ).

Once there was a break in the action, we decided to hit some nearby fun roads with short bursts and fairly high-speed corners, about 4-5 miles out and back driving the other's car. He's definitely the superior driver in my opinion, so I accepted when he offered that I lead.

This was a pretty pimp Impreza. The fit and finish of the STi is a lot nicer than the Evo. The gauges are mesmerizing, the shifter feels very solid, and the interior is infinitely superior to mine. This particular car is white, has a full turbo-back exhaust, well-chosen aftermarket springs, a thicker rear swaybar, a front strut tower bar, and a ported factory turbocharger.

Nosing it out onto the street, I noticed that is was stiffer than I expected. The actual ride was easily as rough as my car, which I did not expect at all.

I took it easy for about the first mile and let the motor come up to operating temperature. I went up and down a slight hill and rolled hard into the throttle... And what was I greeted with? A shat-ton of low-end torque, that's what! This was very strange compared to what I'm accustomed to in an AWD boosted four. The upper revs were more tepid, but the rush of low end and midrange made up for this somehow. This STi didn't get on the dyno that day, but I bet it’s within 15-20whp peak of my car's output. That's pretty darn good considering it has no fuel management at this time. The computer has a roadrunner like "BEE-BEEP" when it is time to upshift, where you're immediately greeted with the onrush of torque again after releasing the clutch. All this area under the curve makes an STi quite fun to drive!

On to gearing: The first four gears are insanely close; maybe a little bit too close for a power band this wide. I can imagine the power delivery would make the car a demon on an autocross course. Gearing has always been a Subaru achilles heel, but the low end this car offers makes it almost invisible. I think it would be more obvious on a dragstrip when you have to go to fifth, but anywhere else, it was fine. If I could wave a magic gearing wand, I'd probably space the first four gears out a little more and make 5th a little shorter.

Once the road started to get twisty, I noticed that even though the seats STi are comfortable, the Evo Recaros are a lot grippier and therefore more suited to this type of driving. This is a pretty minor complaint, but I think that even the 2002 WRXes have more support than the modern US STi seats. That's Subaru engineers catering to what they think are fat **** Americans, I guess.

Now to the handling itself and what I view as the part of the STi that doesn't suit my driving style as much. This car requites a BOATLOAD of driver intervention. Where I can almost point, click, and get a telepathic response from my car, the STi was just downright nervous, and made me feel the same. I'll defend the car for a second and say that the Evo is so easy to drive, that even someone at my lower driving level can look impressive. You need to put on mad skillz shoes to pilot the STi with a serious degree of haste!

First lesson: DON'T LIFT!! I left the VCD on automatic, and I guess I expected the car to react differently. What I got was a bit of an electronic cacophony that told me I wasn't quite big boy enough to be pushing this car quite so hard yet. I came into a turn just a wee bit hot, and was greeted with pretty terminal understeer. No sweat, I though. Just lift a bit and correct the line. WRONGO!! The car made a pretty big weight shift, did a little booty dance, and I had to get back on the throttle immediately. I later was told that my action caught a snicker from my pal driving my car behind me (Hopefully it was a snicker and not a "Please don't wreck my car, you idiot!") He was like: "I forgot to warn you about that, dude."

So, driving any car like that and you'll adapt quickly. The STi is definitely more of a slow in/fast out car than the Evo is. The stock tires bite well, but go in a turn too fast, and understeer will call your name in a hurry.

All in all, these two car choices come down to driver preference. For me, I'll sacrifice some comfort for higher handling potential and a bit more focused chassis. A gimp driver like me feels a lot more confident behind the wheel of an Evolution. All the parts in the Evo assemble into a language I understand better. My dash is a lot more boring, my fit and finish isn't quite up to par, and my resale value will likely plummet because of the shatty manufacturer that made my car, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else in this price range. I'm sure the STi owner feels the same way about his car. Both are truly awesome, they just offer something different to the driver. I hope this write up was helpful/fun; sorry it was so long.



-Seth

 

awsome right up, I still can't make up my mind as to what I want.

 

The best thing to do is drive them both for an extended test drive and then you can choose. Either way, you'll miss something about the other. Both are great cars and a joy to drive.

 

Good write up. I just drove the STi this weekend myself, and must say I was also impressed with the torquey engine. The engine has a satisfaction the Evo seems to lack. I differ from you in that I thought the Sti had more rattles (worse fit and finish) and the shifter felt terrible. Still an awesome car. In fact, while driving it, I was thinking I wouldn't mind trading cars. But then I got back into my Evo. In the end, if I had to choose all over again, I'd still take the Evo without hesitation. The STi's engine is nice, but my Evo's engine (stock everything) will soon be better, and everything else about the Evo I think is already better.

 

I'll second (or third/fourth) that ... great job on writing up your impressions. Felt almost like I was driving the STi while I read it.


The XEDE has made a world of difference in my low end torque. The 3" down pipe and dump back helped a bit, but there is a huge difference starting from a dead stop post XEDE installation.

-- dave

 

Great write-up! I myself was torn between both cars before I got the Evo. I was waiting for the EVO to come and when it did my friend went and bought an STI. I drove that and was sold that the STI was for me. Then I went and test drove the EVO for the second time and never turned back. The STI is an awsome car but I like the style and driving experience of the EVO much better. Once the turbo kicks in it just feels faster and more fun to drive.

 

Outstanding write-up Seth. I'll be pointing this thread out in the future to those who always ask me, "Whats the difference between the Evo and STI?"

Terry S

 

Very good write up. I also dislike the "disconnected" feeling the wrx/sti has. In addition, the evo gears shift with more precision. The fit and finish of both cars are very similar inside and out. However, the Sti does have a kick a$$ instrument cluster.

 

Great write up.

 

Thanks for the write-up.

In common with the other poster's I could have stuck my butt in either car, but the Evo just 'felt' a better driving machine.

Always good to hear another perspective and bottom line, there really is no loser between these two great icons of our driving time.

- Nellie

 

so this just confirms what we all know... the sti has great engine but poopie handling but the evo's interior isnt as nice but the handling is amazing... and most of all it lets you drive the car to its limit.. the sti does not

 

Good write-up and thanks for sharing your experience. What did the STI owner think about driving your Evo? Did he have any comments on handling/power differences?

 

Good job......nice story.

Since i own a STI and my older brother owns a EVO...this hits a little close to home for us and since Vishnu tunes both our cars for us....we just happen to be on diferent sides of the performance ball.

I too love EVOs....but i gave my $$$ fuji heavy industries this time around.

 

I would be interested in his opinion as well.

 

He definitely liked the seats and handling. He liked the high rpm power, but noticed the lack of low end torque.