Finally ready to buy

[chenc544]

Well I had some good test drive experiences yesterday.

 

STi

I went with a friend and test drove the STi yesterday. It was the fastest car I've ever driven. The salesman let me drive it pretty hard too. Unlike the Mazdaspeed 6, the clutch was light and predictable, the steering had a decent enough feel to it, and it didn't take long to get the hang of it. The suspension is really great the way it can soak up big bumps. A lot of Subaru's rally experience shines through there. I found the ride quality to be pleasant by my standards (even my car is much more stiffly sprung). And the engine has a nice aggressive sound to it, but it's reasonably quiet for cruising. So I could tell it would be a fine daily driver.

 

During the test drive I was driving along at about 60 mph on the highway with a car in front of me. The salesman told me that I need to take the next exit in about 1/2 mile. So I downshifted to 5th, mind you, and floored it to pass this car and the boost poured on right away. You could hear the turbo even louder at that speed and within what seemed like less than 2 seconds I was doing 80. I thought that was pretty amazing for 5th gear passing power, a gear which is capable of something like 140 mph.

 

Naturally I was impressed with the car. My only gripe was that the headroom was still a little lacking, but I could manage.

 

Evo IX MR

On the way back from the dealer we stopped at my friend's house and he said he had a surprise for me. He opened up his garage and there sat a red '06 Evo IX MR. He had bit his tongue for a couple weeks not telling me he had bought it. Well he already had it broken in, so he took me for a ride showing me what it's capable of. He pushed it much harder than I pushed the STi, but let's just say that the acceleration is amazing. And then he slammed on the brakes and the Brembo's w/ ABS and EBD stopped the car faster than any car I've ever ridden in.

 

And he let me drive it and it's a completely different experience than the STi. The Recaro seats hold you in place extremely well. The shifter feel is more precise than the STi, and then there's the steering which is lightning quick. The super quick ratio steering is one thing to read about but another to experience. I really liked that aspect of it. I also loved the feel of the Bilstein suspension. Bilstein really lives up to their reputation once again. The ride is definitely a little stiffer and more harsh than the STi, but again it's not bad by my standards.

 

Then there's the headroom, which there is plenty of. It's basically the same as the Elantra in the headroom department.

 

Conclusion

None yet. But I'll have a few more experiences with his Evo. And I may be co-driving it at the next autocross event. Out of the box it's definitely the better track car.

 

You pretty much nail it, the Evo is much better track car and STI is a better daily driver. One thing that really bugs me about the Evo is the lack of cruise control. There is an aftermarket kit for it but still you forked over 30k+ for a car you would think it's a given... BTW, I drove both the MR and the regular IX, the MR feels just a little more polished especially with that sweet 6-spd.

[Sponge]

If your still looking at LGT's there is Spec B on two different lot's around here...may be worth a call...one is actually listed used for 4K miles.

 

You'd have red interior at least:)

[SWortham]

Well, I did it. I bought an STi...

http://legacygt.com/forums/other-cars-other-cars/37971-new-sti.html