After a wait of 4 years finally got a WRX. However after driving it for a week thought hmmm not what i expected, bit slow, no slam you in the back of the seat acceleration. Ahh well wait till its run in and it'll all change.

Well 4 weeks later and its run in and i've had 3 weeks of using it run in. But i still feel the same. Sure it sticks well and is comfortable (slide about abit in the seats as im not a pork pie eating monster).

Air con is nice as i've not had the pleasure before although it can never get the temperature below 23 let alone the 20 degress it supposed to be able to do!

So i cant afford to change it and personally I dont think PPP would make that much of a difference (and is overpriced) but please correct me if im wrong.

What do i do? Basically i want more wicked, useable acceleration from say 30 - 70.

Any thoughts peeps? How do i improve the acceleration between 2nd and 3rd gear? Not worried about top speed as it's quite fast enough just want more acceleration.

Don't get me wrong the car is growing on me it's just not the beast i thought it would be. Any other new owners felt like this?

Any useful comments much appreciated.

Cheers

NuTz

 

I'm pretty sure that the PPP will go a looooooong way to making it the car it really should be.

Find a dealer with a PPP'd demo WRX and take it for a spin and see what you think - but don't do it unless you have a spare 1600 quid kicking about that you'll be falling over yourself to spend VERY soon afterwards.

Try it, and see..... and let us know what you think.

Shades

 

What a shame you didn't think to take a test drive before parting with £20,000.

 

I did take a test drive but in an 02 not an 03 as the dealer didnt have an 03 demo at the time.

After getting out of my 1.8l mondeo i was a bit dazzled by the Subaru as im sure anyone would be. Maybe i just got acustomed to the speed quickly. I dunno. Still dont get over the fact that i bought it and am now a little dissapointed.

But im not giving up im just looking for options to improve it where i personally feel its a little lacking.

Cheers

NuTz

 

Give this car 6-8k miles under its belt then you will feel the difference

Tony (felt the same with my MY00 when i bought it new, but its better than my mondeo 1.8 lx )

 

You may think that your 03 is not what you expected ,but just give it a burn on a dual carriage with another older scoob .
The car is built for comfort also ,so it doesn't FEEL that you are going that quick . I can asure you ,you are!
Had mine for about 2 months now and love it and can't wait to get the ppp .I think that this will give me the edge .

I am very sorry you feel this way and hopes this help

Good luck

 

Agree entirely with Jimmy.

I've had my 03 WRX for about a month now and the running in was agonising. 2000 miles on the clock and I can relate to what you say about the lack of kick. Drove my old car one afternoon before getting back into the Scoob and there is one hell of a difference. I think that the power is delivered so smoothly that you simply dont realise quite how quick it is.

Agree about PPP comments - everyone I know who has had it fitted has been very pleased. Lots of threads on here.

Matt

 

The PPP gives you a sackload more torque for in gear acceleration making it quicker in gear. I think that is the answer to your plight.

As for it being over-priced I disagree, yes there are cheaper options if you were to void your warranty but as a dealer fitted option (developed by Prodrive no less) I think it represents good value for money, particularly when you look at the improvements in "performance per pound" terms. Also take the Bug-eye at £21.5k for the standard car when new, then take the new Blob-eye with PPP for the same price but 265BHP. Its good VFM believe me.

Most scooby owners would pay the money just to get that sweet boxer engine sounding how it should.

 

MY BOSS LET ME DRIVE HIS 01'STD WRX AND I WAS WELL IMPRESSED.AS I WAS LOOKING TO BUY A SCOOB I DID MY HOMWORK AND GOT A UK300 WITH THE PPP....WHAT A CAR.... BIG DIFF TO THE STD WRX AND A GREAT SOUND FROM THE 4" TAIL-PIPE..

 

Dont think for a minute your car is run in, some car will take well over 10,000 milse to be run in "PROPER".

My 03 has done 7K now and 2k with ppp, What a hoot when you get the ppp, that extra 30/35bhp and torque make the car a differant beastie.

I also had a classic 98 with superchip, running about 250bhp, It would be no match for the 03 ppp. the 03 is a better car in every way, and even better again when you spend that £1600.

Just hang on and let her get more loose, it will get better and better.

ALL IN MHO.

CHRIS

 

totally agree with ( R6 CDW ) !!

 

I have an 03 PPP Wagon & it flies.

Owned a P1 & a UK300 & now this.Figures speak for themselves.

0-60 4.8 secs.
Standing 1/4 mile 13.7 secs.
30-70 mph (what you were asking about) 5.1 secs.

Mark

 

I agree in part with Nutz findings, although I have a PPP 03 (from new). 1st/2nd great, but third feels almost strangled at times (high end revs). Torque is definitely better, had a standard WRX on 1000 mile service day, so great comparrison. Sounds better than standard, although again, quiet enough inside at speed (poor quality on silencer, off set and joints look rough).

Good point ref. it not feeling that fast though, I had a MY00 Std, and the interior has come a long way.

Good luck

 

Might I suggest that when you want the car to go quickly, turn off your aircon as this (well in mine anyway) saps quite a bit of power.

Just to reitterate what's been said, PPP is the answer.
£1600 for an extra 50bhp seems a bargain (thirty-two quid per horse) compared to the MY01/02 PPP which was £1600 for 27bhp

Paul

 

Thanks for the answers guys.

Any feedback on the aircon proplem?

Run it with the setting at 24 and the cabin cools down and eventually the fan goes off. Any lower temperature and the fan stays on constantly. It's as if the interior isn't reaching the setting i've chosen. Anyone else get this as my dealer said it was normal?

Cheers

NuTz

 

Sounds daft, but are you working it correctly.

Turn the dial to the blue dot, turn on the fan, press the a/c buton to light on.
dont swith to auto cos thats climate control not a/c.

my car goes so gold i have to switch it offfffffffffffffff.

 

Sorry that you're not finding the car to your liking.

I've got an 03 WRX now. I had an 00 with downpipe, backbox and air filter before...

The new car's handing more than makes up for any perceived performance defecit, and the perception of lack of speed is down to the smoothness of engine response and lack of noise IMHO

PPP will give you more of a kick. Have a test drive before you part with the readies though.

My car is unbelievable in 3rd - it just flies. Even the wife has noticed it when she drives.

Is the hot weather sapping your power? It certainly affects mine. Wait for a misty morning and then get out nice and early...

Nick.

 

NutZ - the problem is as the saying goes "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely".....

You quickly get used to any power gains and after a while it seems a bit tame which is why I chose to go down the modular route. Rather than fitting PPP, I've done it incrementally by fitting Ecutek, BB, brakes, suspension etc etc.

That way I appreciate the improvements and can still look forward to more. Next I'm starting on the rest of the exhaust system, but again I'm going to do it slowly with the headers first, then the down/up pipes and so on..

Worth thinking about.

 

"Patience Luke - the force will arrive when you PPP it!"
"Then much power will you have"

After 40k miles mine is well worn in (PPP'd at 7k miles) and now it goes like the clappers!

Mak.

 

My 03 WRX has just clicked over 2k miles and the difference in performance is already noticable. Can't wait till it's PPP'd and with 8k on the clock.
Other than that loose some weight !...lol

 

1) Let it run in (took mine 8k)

2) Buy a PPP asap

Jza

 

Wow, I have to say I'm very surprised at the comments about the '03 WRX. I test drove a standard '03 WRX wagon last Saturday. No way was it run in (75 miles on the clock) and whilst I don't think it was ultimately that much quicker than my '01 WRX, I could tell immediately it's was a lot more responsive. It picked up from low revs much quicker and more smoothly than mine, seemingly in any gear, and did give us the "lower back punch" which is missing from my car. I kept dropping the revs in 2nd and 3rd then gassing it just to feel the acceleration, so much so that I was warned to stop or face a spanking from the other half

Acceleration certainly felt much more like a classic turbo than my MY01, but it's a while since I drove one so maybe it's not that close. Or maybe my car is faulty?

BTW - a bit O/T, but that test drive also gave me a healthy respect for wagons - superb car. Steering felt more responsive than my 4 door too - maybe because of the slightly narrower track they have IIRC?

Deano


[Edited by Beemer_Deano - 6/13/2003 2:36:44 PM]

 

Wagons rule

 

WAGONS ROLL U MEAN!!!! LOL

 

Yet again.... Shame there's no STi wagon in the UK....

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Glad its not just me and yes it does make me feel a bit better. You summed it up right as the power delivery is very smooth and not the normal whiplash acceleration that you expect.

I'm gonna try and find a kent dealer with a PPP 03 demo and take it for a spin and see what i think!

I bet i walk out £1600 lighter.

Cheers

NuTz

P.S. Any of you hear the fan switch off when your aircon reaches temperature. Mine only stops spinning at 24 degrees anything less and the fan just keeps on going as the car cant get the temerature down that low.

Dealer said it was normal but i never trust dealers

[Edited by NuTz - 6/12/2003 9:59:12 PM]