My old 370z vs. my new 2012 WRX

FairladyZ

i use to have an STI too.

By far one of the better cars out there.

Simple bolt ons created huge difference.

A downpipe and catback made so much power. Fun cars for sure. the clutch has nice feedback.

The wrx is just as fun, at 265 its no slug. Supposely people hit 60 faster than the sti in a wrx because you can do it in 2nd gear oppose to shifting to 3rd in the STI.

biggestsack

I came from a 2007 Toyota Yaris. IBTL

MacLean

Now that is a HELL OF A BEAST......

Mt Tam I am

OP, great write up.

I had a kid checking out my Z as he drove past in his WRX. I was looking at his as well.

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

Magic Bus

Funny

Did ya turbo it???

vermithrax

I used to own a Civic Si and I test drove a WRX before I bought my Z just recently.

The WRX seemed fun to drive and I could have definitely lived with it. The interior quality and the shear sexy looks of the Z made the decision for me.

I'm rarely going to go as fast as my car can take me, and I don't race. I would rather have a nice looking, quality interior and some comforts than the ability to mod my car heavily and maybe be faster than a Z.

That being said, having no room for anything in the car is a pain in the ***. Having iffy traction in the rain and colder weather sucks too. Its all about what you want. WRXs are awesome cars, and it wasn't a really easy decision.

Every time I see an STi or WRX or any other nice sports car, I try to give a nod, wave or thumbs up. Its cool to be happy with your Z, god knows I am, but there are tons of bad *** cars out there that are just as cool and many are much faster.

supunna_picta

Good assessment on your post. I've been looking to run against a stock 09+WRX at the road course with my Z but no luck yet.

The WRX is an easy car to drive fast where the Z takes more skill but is more rewarding at the limit.

They're polar opposites from a power delivery perspective but they both feel equally fast with the Z being quick off the line and the WRX coming in on boost around 3500rpms. Here in Colorado going up a mountain pass at 10k feet my money is on my WRX though. Everywhere else I'll take the Z.

The WRX is easier to city drive compared to the Z - clutch action, once you get use to it is easier, steering a little less twitchy, the ride more compliant and outward visibility is better.

We get about 25mpg in the city and 32mpg highway in the WRX and I've only been able to eek out about 20/26mpg city/highway in the Z.

You didn't take a step back considering your need for selling the Z. They're both a lot of fun to drive, they're just very different but for ~$26k the WRX is a bargain.

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2011 Touring/Sport/6mt | winter: 2009 WRX

sonic370

good post.......enjoy your new ride.... there not that popular down here where i live.. but i can understand why you made the switch.....

but i have just one kicker...........imho the only really true sports car is RWD
make and model make no difference but it's got to be RWD......

370Z Purist

Coming from the Wisconsin/Illinois border, Subaru's are a dime a dozen. In fact, the town I come from has a subie meet every Thursday, and every Thursday around 4-6 pm, a long train of 12+ subaru's come out; in every color, every trim, and typically, a ridiculous BOV and exhaust. They still sound great, but it's like a massive train of vuvuzelas.

That being said, I've driven a 94 impreza L making 200 wheel, an auto RS with 180 crank, an 04 WRX making at least 350 wheel, and ridden in a 400+ 09 WRX. If you've got within 30 horse of the Z, the all wheel drive makes it seem like an even match up to 60. I've seen that they often understeer while under throttle but overall, the subaru is a car that will work very well for snowy or rainy environments, and can be driven year round. The only thing that a lot of people hate about subarus are their insanely difficult to maintain motors; changing anything out of a boxer motor can be a serious pain in the ***...

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

Methodical4u

Hey guys... bringing this thread back a bit. I've had the WRX for a few months now and added a downpipe, AEM CAI and an OTS tune that was very slightly tweaked by Eric at Torqued Performance... I didn't do any dyno run, but the virtual dyno (said to be pretty well inline with a dynojet) netted me 309 whp/324 wtq. Feels like a different car now. Some SS brake lines and a fluid change are needed and some sway bars to level out the handling now.

However, I think everything cost me 550.00 - 600.00.. so not to bad.

370Z Purist

Aftermarket part market for the impreza motor(s) is huge. An exhaust for the Z is typically a thousand dollars, where an equivalent one for the WRX might be only 600.

Good to hear you're enjoying the car. Those things don't take much to amp up.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

Methodical4u

Yeah, i'm really not looking for much power... but the stage 2 set-up has helped my mileage a bit, but I am careful about which parts I choose or will choose in the future. The thing with this car is that the DP is a HUGE restriction on this car, but the full exhaust MIGHT net you 5-8 whp... not worth it for the price and the stock CBE sounds deep and very good to me.

Magic Bus

Thanks for starting this post & reviving it. Good info when you throw out the unnecessary comments. Your car looks good and now sounds even better, enjoy!

Methodical4u

thanks!... now go **** your mother... anally :-)

Magic Bus

Huh?