I ask this with my tongue firmly in my cheek, because I have recently bought a new WRX, and I actually think it`s pretty bloody quick !

I am enquiring though, because I see quite a lot of comments on here like "it`s actually only a WRX, so not that quick", and " a standard WRX won`t trouble much these days anyway".

So, I`ll remind you of my question, and ask you if you really think that it`s "slow", or is this just a bit of snobbery from the STi boys ?



Footnote: Never driven an STi, but would love to.

 

They are not slow, just not as quick as an STi
Slow is a vectra diesel!

Tony

 

Some may be slow but that may be down to the car not being looked after properley

 

put this way,people seem to think cars like the civic type R etc are fast cars! your wrx will keep up no trouble at all! the problem is that the sti is breath takingly quick!

 

Car will start to feel slower as you get used to it. Then you mod it a bit. Then you will get used to it and it will start to feel slower. Then you mod it a bit, and you get used to it etc. blah etc. See a pattern emerging?

 

I can actually add a litte bit to this one, in that my last car was a CTR.

And yes mate, you are correct in that the WRX will keep up with one, and will, in actual fact be quicker in every road situation (certainly that I`ve experienced anyway.) Just be mindful though, IMO the CTR is fast, and a well-driven one would be nobody`s pushover.

 

My WRX PPP doesn't seem to have much trouble against STi's

 

An STi has more numbers on paper but in reality it might not equate to a WRX on the road. All cars are different - I've been on rolling roads where some cars look, sound and pronounce they are the dogs danglies yet the figures have proved otherwise I've an oldish Sti and it's quite commendable numberwise

 

Only none PPP'd uk ones

Tony

 

Commendable... the force is strong with this one

 

I think this all stems from a decade ago

10 years ago the impreza was just getting popular, had 208 BHP with a bigger turbo, so when it did kick in, it came with a shove. This was in a time where GTI's of the day were soft and not much to talk about. 208 BHP in a 1200kg car was only matched by a handful of cars - none for the money. It was a cut above the rest, not only blistering performance but flattering to drive.

Nowadays the WRX has a handful more HP, with the excess baggage. It is slower compared to its daddy. But not ony that but the hot hatch market has never been so boyant and competative. So much so that yes, the type R's and clio cups do match in gear acceleration times, for less money.

Not saying that WRX's are slow, because they are not. They still leave most from standstill, but the perception that they are punching above their weight has gone, especially if you judge performace from the 3rd lane of the motorway, where most WRX 'scalps' come from

IMO

 

Nice one mate, food for thought.

 

my WRX is still faster then both my 1.8 mondeo and my trusty mountain bike!

 

Those too Sometimes the cars power is not the dominant part

 

just not as quick as an sti is an under statement,diff league!! especially with the new 01 shape,01 wrx is slow! needs work,, type r scoob or 22b, only way!

 

i'm a current owner of a wrx and i dont find it slow but what makes them seem slower is that the turbo doesn't kick in as big as the classic and i think it's to appeal to the wider market i.e. it's easier to drive and doesn't scare the peeps that drive around in scooby's just to say they own one, and not the real peeps that like to know how it works and how to get more out of it, all within the law of course

 

i don't think any Scooby is slow... just some are quicker than others

 

Now then fella's,
I think people buy the UK WRX model and expect more, standard WRX models imported from Japan have always had a significant increase in BHP, MY 1995 imports had 265BHP as standard which is the same as some of the recent UK STI's.
The standard MY 1997 WRX Japanese imports had 280BHP, quite a big difference compared to the 210 ish BHP of the UK models.

Cheer's,

Lee.

 

no one ever mentions the turbo 2000, is this the same power as a WRX ?

 

That new WRX will be as tight as hell to start with, it’s won’t want to rev at all till it’s got at least 2000 miles on it. A WRX is a very quick car in standard form, add PPP and they are really serious; the brakes are the limiting factor….

 

yep.

if you want a go of a classic type-ra STI next time your in or around llandudno...

 

new age wrx's are slower than the sti's due to the power difference! classic wrx's are not......my old MY98 wrx was 276 bhp 242 lb standard! even the MY95 wrx's are 260 bhp!!!!!!

 

thas was supposed to have been writen by me! stupid log in!

 

Bottom line: Anything that ducks under 6 seconds to 60 and does the 30-70 increment in about the same time is quick.

You have to remember that you get used to performance and will always want more, regardless of what level you start from WRX, STi, etc... That doesn't mean that the car is slow though, just that your reference points have been elevated.

The WRX is also designed to be a bit more of a "smoothy" tha the STi, so it delivers its power in a more subtle way and with less drama. This is deceptive though; it's still moving at some pace!

Scooby doesn't have the affordable performance saloon market to itself anymore, so in relation to the other performance cars out there, it's advantages have diminished somewhat - leading to some of the "not that quick" comments. BUT it was doing all this over 10 years ago, when the Type R etc hadn't even been thought of. Even now, it's still quicker than most -if not all- of its competitors on paper. In the real world I still reckon its the best affordable performance car, not just because of the way it goes, but because of its character and the way that the performance/everydays useability criteria have been resolved.

If that doesn't convince you, some fairly simple mods to a WRX will take it to a reliable 270-280bhp.

NS04

 

when i first bought my MY99 i didn't think it was anything special performance wise, modded it then to put out 292bhp and its now a car i enjoy owning.

 

yeah i know, iv got a turbo2000 in all, but it rarely gets talked about. i reckon it cant be much slower than a WRX. i love the standard look of the 2000.

 

Depends what WRX we're talking about if its the Bugeye UK then this had the same power as the phase two boxer engines in the Classics (MY99 onwards IIRC). The Classic is quicker owing to the fact it weighs some 150+ kilos less. The Blobeye Uk's have 225 bhp, so about 10bhp more and a similar gain in torque. In actual performance terms, it's probably so close that any difference would not be really evident in the real world. The classic feels quicker though as its not as refined and seems to have a more "aggressive" map.

NS04

 

i think mine is quite slow my01 you need to keep the revs high to actually feel something

 

Do a search mate, there is a vid somewhere of a 0-60 run in a std My01. Anyone who looks at that and says it's slow is either

1) A liar/muppet.
2) Has access to some serious kit!

Number two kind of undermines the whole "affordable" rationale though! :-)

:-)

NS04

 

I had a bit of a battle with a MY01 WRX a couple of months ago in my MY04 WRX both standard apart from he had a big backbox, he was in front of me on the dual carrigeway and tried to boot it, I put my foot down and passed him in no time and pulled about 3 car lengths in front before coming to a set of traffic lights.