I test drove a sinister black example. The sales guy I had been emailing was busy so he asked the Sales Manager to help me. The SM copied my license, stuck a dealer tag on the trunk, threw me the keys, and said, "See you in a bit." I took it out for about 20 minutes and when I returned the SM said he was surprised I was back so soon!
What did I think? Well, it definitely has an edge to it- which I like. The throaty exhaust makes itself known at idle, and the ride quality-especially at low speeds-is very firm. The seats are extremely comfortable and the interior, while not Audi quality, looks and functions better than a BMW E90 cockpit(what's that about [censored] with faint praise?). I was prepared to hate the base audio quality, but I guess my ears have been numbed by the so-so "Hi-Fi" speakers in my wife's 3er- it was passable(and Subaru sells a speaker upgrade kit for a street price of $760 that I can install in an afternoon). The touch screen interface was logical and responsive, and there is a secondary screen which can be configured to show a boost gauge, the adjustable differential bias, etc.
Out on the road it was a hoot. With a 4.8 second 0-60 it can just barely be described as fast; it didn't feel appreciably quicker than my MS3- but then I didn't give it full throttle since it wasn't broken in. The steering is direct(there's a properly fat rim on the square bottomed wheel, by the way) and it has a nice communicative feel. STI sells an optional short shifter but I can't imagine needing it, as the stock shifter is very precise with very short throws and a well defined gate. Braking? Brembos That is one reason I won't consider a base WRX(the other is electric steering); Car and Driver wore out the pads on their Lightning Lap WRX in short order. But having said all that, handling is the main reason you buy an STI; it puts the relatively meager 305 bhp to the wheels with no drama. Just point and shoot. Again, I didn't really flog the car but the sporting goodness was still evident.
Funny thing; I guess I really am well and truly disillusioned with BMW- the Soob dealer had a F30 335i M Sport in the used lot, and I didn't even walk over to look at it or ask about the price. I guess because even If I could get it for the same price as the STI I'd still take the STI.
What did I think? Well, it definitely has an edge to it- which I like. The throaty exhaust makes itself known at idle, and the ride quality-especially at low speeds-is very firm. The seats are extremely comfortable and the interior, while not Audi quality, looks and functions better than a BMW E90 cockpit(what's that about [censored] with faint praise?). I was prepared to hate the base audio quality, but I guess my ears have been numbed by the so-so "Hi-Fi" speakers in my wife's 3er- it was passable(and Subaru sells a speaker upgrade kit for a street price of $760 that I can install in an afternoon). The touch screen interface was logical and responsive, and there is a secondary screen which can be configured to show a boost gauge, the adjustable differential bias, etc.
Out on the road it was a hoot. With a 4.8 second 0-60 it can just barely be described as fast; it didn't feel appreciably quicker than my MS3- but then I didn't give it full throttle since it wasn't broken in. The steering is direct(there's a properly fat rim on the square bottomed wheel, by the way) and it has a nice communicative feel. STI sells an optional short shifter but I can't imagine needing it, as the stock shifter is very precise with very short throws and a well defined gate. Braking? Brembos That is one reason I won't consider a base WRX(the other is electric steering); Car and Driver wore out the pads on their Lightning Lap WRX in short order. But having said all that, handling is the main reason you buy an STI; it puts the relatively meager 305 bhp to the wheels with no drama. Just point and shoot. Again, I didn't really flog the car but the sporting goodness was still evident.
Funny thing; I guess I really am well and truly disillusioned with BMW- the Soob dealer had a F30 335i M Sport in the used lot, and I didn't even walk over to look at it or ask about the price. I guess because even If I could get it for the same price as the STI I'd still take the STI.
