I drove a Subaru WRX on Thursday, partially just to see what all the buzz was about, and partially b/c we are thinking of selling my wife's M3/2 in favor of a relatively inexpensive sedan.

My impression: the Subaru WRX is well turned out econo car with sporting pretensions, but it’s no M3-slayer.

Handling: generally competent handling, with a balance of understeer when the car is "pushed" (no pun intended), and there's a sense that the front wheels are doing the lion's share of driving when that happens. The car I drove had only 16" wheels (there's a 17" factory option), so perhaps handling is a bit crisper with the 17's. It would be hard for an inexperienced driver to get into trouble with this car, as the handling is very predictable up to the limits of adhesion. Not too much body roll on the Subaru, either. Steering is direct and communicative on the WRX (which has a really nice MOMO wheel), but it doesn't compare to the M3 (or any of the other E-36 cars that I've driven). The chassis is nice on the WRX, but it doesn't have that bank-vault chassis solidity that almost all Bimmers possess. IMHO, AWD is no substitute for RWD. There are few cars that can handle as well as a dialed-in E36 M3--the Subaru isn't one of them. Advantage: BMW


Performance: I was honestly underwhelmed with the WRX. I expected a faster car. Major turbo lag. The 2.0 litre boxer engine has almost no low-end grunt while it's off-boost. You've got to keep the revs-up if you want to punch through holes in traffic, b/c there's nothing below 3500 rpm (accelerates like a Tercel until the turbo spools-up). A decade ago I owned an MR2 Turbo (also a 2-litre 4-banger) that had nowhere near the lag as the WRX. There is simply no substitute for the normally-aspirated tractable torque of the M3. Advantage: BMW

Gearbox: the WRX has a very notchy shifter, but has commendably short throws (Subaru already has a factory shorter-shift upgrade available for the WRX-- a factory suspension upgrade is available, too). The M3 tranny feels smoother than the WRX (in fairness, the WRX I drove only had 30 miles on it, so its gearbox was a little stiff--had trouble getting into first). BMW has smoother clutch take-up as well. Still, I think M3 transmissions leave a lot to be desired: long throws, slop in the linkage, etc., so I'd have to call it a draw with respect to which marque makes the best tranny.

Ride: ride is very firm on the Subaru, but not harsh. The stock M3 suspension feels more sophisticated--compliant, but more controlled than the WRX. The M3 rides better and feels more solid at higher velocities. Advantage: BMW

Seats: the WRX has highly-bolstered cloth seats, which are supportive and relatively comfortable. They weren't as comfy as the automotive press would have you believe. I drove from Seattle to Jacksonville FL in 3-days a couple of years ago (in my M3), and didn't feel fatigued due to the Bimmer's great seats. You would not fare as well in the WRX. Advantage: BMW

Stereo: There's already a factory stereo speaker and amp upgrade available for the WRX. Get it immediately if you must drive a WRX. It's bass-deprived, and the midrange and highs don't sound so great either. It does have a very nice 6-disc in-dash changer, but that's the best I can say for it. The only car stereo that sounded worse to me was the non-HK stereo that I yanked out of my car the second day I owned it. The HK system, even with its flaws, is a quantum leap ahead of the Subaru sound system. Advantage: BMW if you've got HK or an aftermarket stereo, Subaru if you have the dreadful 'business radio' that BMW uses for customers with hearing impairments.

Ergonomics/amenities: Subaru has a refreshing approach to creature comforts--they don't have any. There's no sunroof available in the WRX (better structural integrity, and there's the Subaru rally legacy--no pun intended-- claimed the salesman). No fancy-schmancy climate controls either for the WRX. The cupholders couldn't hold up Twiggy's bra, and you have to switch on the cruise control separately on the dash before you can engage it behind the steering wheel (why do all Japanese carmakers do this?). No power seats are available. You do get pw/pl, keyless remote, an alarm (of sorts), and a remote trunk release, but that's about it. The cabin layout is for the most part logical, and you do get the nice steering wheel and rally pedals, but with few exceptions, the materials Subaru used come out of the econobox bin. One last carp: the rear seats are cramped. I think that the warranty is 3yrs/36K with roadside assistance, which is new for this year.

And what of our cars? Heated seats, trip computers, logical controls layout, sunroof, power driver/passenger seats,auto-up auto-down windows, competitive warranty, HK sound, etc. We're a bit feature-challenged, but compared to the WRX, we be just fine. Advantage: BMW

Conclusion: the WRX is an excellent value at $25K, and is an entertaining car to drive. It is more of a 4-door Honda Civic on steroids than it is a BMW. Those of us who shelled-out nearly $40-large for our E36 M3's a few years ago, don't have to hang our heads in shame, as if we'd purchased last year’s computer at twice the price of this year's model. I really don't think that the WRX was intended to compete with the Bimmers--it doesn't possess the refinement, grace, or civility of any of the E36/E46 cars. The fact that it's compared to our cars at all is a testament to the fact that there's still a hunger and a market for reasonably priced performance cars in this country. It would be nice if BMW tried to compete in that market segment. To wit: as much as we'd like to own one, most of us will never be able to afford to buy an E46 M3.

awesome writeup. thanks! =]

Before I bought my M3 when the WRX craze was going around I went to check it out to see about possibly buying it. I was hoping it would be another supra, or rx7, where you can get high hp pretty easily.

Unfortunately they only had the WRX Wagon to drive so I passed. One basic thing made me deicde against getting it.....

When I opened the door, got inside the car, and closed the door. It felt like it was made out of plastic. The entire car felt like it was made out of plastic and I felt like if I ever got into an accident or somebody hit me, especially in the driver side door, that would be it for me.

I love my M3.... ;)

Great writeup. You stated some of the opinions I already had, but I still haven't taken one for a test drive to confirm them. It's great that you were able to actually get a good test of the WRX before stating your opinions.

Ive seen WRX at the street races. They can launch like a motha fu@k. Its because of the AWD. These cars can hang wit the z28, M3, stangs, supras. I have a lot of respect for these cars. Ones out there with mods done to it. Almost no one can touch them. Wait till the Mitsubishi Evolution comes out. Then there will be a competion for the WRX. :D

Great writing! Go drive some more cars and tell us about them!

thanks for the write up.

This brings up a question I have never thought of before...sounds like you really got to push the car, BUT it is still in the break-in period.

I guess I will wary of purchasing a "dealer / demo" car :D

Originally posted by guc32
Ive seen WRX at the street races. They can launch like a motha fu@k. Its because of the AWD. These cars can hang wit the z28, M3, stangs, supras. I have a lot of respect for these cars. Ones out there with mods done to it. Almost no one can touch them. Wait till the Mitsubishi Evolution comes out. Then there will be a competion for the WRX. :D

But remember, these are just improvements to its acceleration numbers. All the other stuff that he listed in the first post will still be present even when the WRX is running the quarter in the 12's. Don't forget why we buy M3's and BMW's in general, they're supposed to be well-balanced driving machines, and not excel in any one category. People that buy muscle cars are in it for one thing, straight-line acceleration, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just not what a BMW is all about.

Yeah i know Rel44 M3. Dat is why is said launching, so it means draging. But dat is only my point about the WRX.

Sorry if there were any confusion.

I wouldn't say the wrx is just a straight line beast. If you check out www.m2performance.com, they have a wrx which runs 13.1 in the 1/4 as well as doing a 60-0 in 102ft and running out of the slalom at 73.6mph. I'd say that's pretty well balanced in terms of performance. Yea, it feels pretty cheap in terms of some of the materials it uses, but when you put performance into a 25k car you gotta cut other things. I had a chance to drive one around thunderhill and the handling is decent in stock form. It does understeer a lot and by the end of the day the front tires looked nothing like the rears. It was however very controlled and predictable while sliding. The car could use a closer ratio transmission since it seems to fall out of the powerband when up shifting. The stock brakes are also not that great and didn't feel as solid as the m3, but then again I have pagid orange race pads and I've forgotten what stock m3 brake pads feel like. Also keep in mind that the wrx was built more for rally racing than road racing. There are a lot of rally cars out there that would be pigs on a road course, yet shine on a rally course.

Originally posted by guc32
Yeah i know Rel44 M3. Dat is why is said launching, so it means draging. But dat is only my point about the WRX.

Sorry if there were any confusion.

Okay, cool. I think drag racing is fun all it's own, too, and the WRX is some cheap and easy to mod muscle.

Originally posted by tofu86
I wouldn't say the wrx is just a straight line beast.

You're right, but I was replying that the mods to make it faster were all acceleration improvements for dragging. But you have a good point that the WRX is a rally car and not a road-race car. That's why I always think it's better to compare the WRX to the Audi S4 and such. At any rate, I do like the WRX and would consider driving that on a daily basis, but could never replace my M3 with one. If I could have my M3 and the WRX also, then that would be great.

Yea I had a chance to buy either a wrx or an m3, and you can see my choice. My friend actually sold me this m3 and he bought a wrx so he could have a 4 door car for his kids. He kinda regrets it now.

hhaha congrats to u tofu86. you made a better choice.

I raced a WRX once...well actually more than once. A friend of mine has one. He gets me off the line but once we hit 120 MPH I pull away from hard. There ok cars...but in my opinion it can't compete with a M3. :cool:

The WRX Sti is crazy (i know, nobody posted in this thread for over 3 years but its a good writeup)

Since the thread got revived... The years tell us that the WRX has the worst gearbox EVER. The first, second, and reverse gear synchros have taken a dump on EVERY friend of mine's car that I've seen. What a bunch of crap.