josh_
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Moraga, CA
Having owned a 16 wrx...
I loved my 16 WRX. It was my 10th Subaru (2 STi, 1 wrx, 2 RS's swapped, and a bivy of outbacks). The FA20DIT will be fine for the type of mods/driving your looking to do. It was the best handling Subaru out of the box I had driven, yet was a fun daily driver. The suspension being just on the other side of firm. The interior was standard Subaru, bland. But it was fairly well thought out and had a better texture and feel than previous models. Although not a big car, the interior is very roomy, the rear seats especially. The DIT motor coupled with the new placement of the turbo makes a VERY quick car that gets great gas mileage. Lastly, the AWD system is superior (if you are counting that). I lived at altitude in the snow, and you simply cannot beat Subaru's AWD system compared to others. Quattro (non-Haldex) is the next best.
My mods included;
Cobb AP OTS S1
Nameless Cat back 5" tips (by far the best sound)
Kartboy short shift kit plus bearing
Enkei NT03 +m 18x9.5+27 255/35/18
STi wing
With the above said, there were quite a few issues. The stock tune is TERRIBLE. Like puke worthy performance above 70 degrees. The performance was wildly variable due to weather, quality of gas, etc. On hot days the car was an absolute pig. The car pulled timing so badly you could feel the car bucking and surging as you accelerated (to the point it would throw me forward into the seat belt). The Stage 1 Cobb tune helped, but a car from the factory should NOT be tuned so poorly. There was a recall for the 15's in response to an awful stock tune. The 16's+ were better, but at the cost of performance. Even with the Cobb tune, the car was ALWAYS pulling timing, and therefore was always under performing. Oh, and don't even think about turning on the AC. It turns the car into a Mack truck, and even more timing is pulled (all while blowing luke warm air, another age old Subaru "feature"). The gearbox was borderline OK. With the short shift kit it was doable, but really it was not a good set up. Very vague.
If you haven't already, head over to NASIOC forums, and filter to the FA20DIT forum. There is months of reading in there, and may be helpful in formulating your decision.
As far as the GTI? I have an R, so not super fair (I test drove a bunch of MK7 GTi). BUT, as others have stated above, there are some very distinct differences that stand out regardless of model;
- Interior is superior. period.
- The infotainment is better. Subaru Starlink is absolute junk.
- The factory tune is superior. Rarely do I notice timing changes or performance differences due to weather.
-The chassis is just a bit better. The car is and feels lighter. Which for me, makes spirited driving just one notch above the WRX.
- Its a hatchback. I will never own a sedan again. I talked myself into thinking the WRX was fine as a sedan. I was wrong. Worst decision Subaru made was getting rid of the WRX hatch.
- Responds to tunes and mods better. Especially the motor. These being mods that will not void your warranty.
- Iron engine block. I like that.
- Price.
- DSG. I needed to move to an auto. I so far love the DSG. I get you are looking at a manual, but I recommend rethinking that.
There is probably a bunch more, but I have already wrote a wall of words. All of course my opinion. Maybe this will help. Good luck with your decision!
josh
I loved my 16 WRX. It was my 10th Subaru (2 STi, 1 wrx, 2 RS's swapped, and a bivy of outbacks). The FA20DIT will be fine for the type of mods/driving your looking to do. It was the best handling Subaru out of the box I had driven, yet was a fun daily driver. The suspension being just on the other side of firm. The interior was standard Subaru, bland. But it was fairly well thought out and had a better texture and feel than previous models. Although not a big car, the interior is very roomy, the rear seats especially. The DIT motor coupled with the new placement of the turbo makes a VERY quick car that gets great gas mileage. Lastly, the AWD system is superior (if you are counting that). I lived at altitude in the snow, and you simply cannot beat Subaru's AWD system compared to others. Quattro (non-Haldex) is the next best.
My mods included;
Cobb AP OTS S1
Nameless Cat back 5" tips (by far the best sound)
Kartboy short shift kit plus bearing
Enkei NT03 +m 18x9.5+27 255/35/18
STi wing
With the above said, there were quite a few issues. The stock tune is TERRIBLE. Like puke worthy performance above 70 degrees. The performance was wildly variable due to weather, quality of gas, etc. On hot days the car was an absolute pig. The car pulled timing so badly you could feel the car bucking and surging as you accelerated (to the point it would throw me forward into the seat belt). The Stage 1 Cobb tune helped, but a car from the factory should NOT be tuned so poorly. There was a recall for the 15's in response to an awful stock tune. The 16's+ were better, but at the cost of performance. Even with the Cobb tune, the car was ALWAYS pulling timing, and therefore was always under performing. Oh, and don't even think about turning on the AC. It turns the car into a Mack truck, and even more timing is pulled (all while blowing luke warm air, another age old Subaru "feature"). The gearbox was borderline OK. With the short shift kit it was doable, but really it was not a good set up. Very vague.
If you haven't already, head over to NASIOC forums, and filter to the FA20DIT forum. There is months of reading in there, and may be helpful in formulating your decision.
As far as the GTI? I have an R, so not super fair (I test drove a bunch of MK7 GTi). BUT, as others have stated above, there are some very distinct differences that stand out regardless of model;
- Interior is superior. period.
- The infotainment is better. Subaru Starlink is absolute junk.
- The factory tune is superior. Rarely do I notice timing changes or performance differences due to weather.
-The chassis is just a bit better. The car is and feels lighter. Which for me, makes spirited driving just one notch above the WRX.
- Its a hatchback. I will never own a sedan again. I talked myself into thinking the WRX was fine as a sedan. I was wrong. Worst decision Subaru made was getting rid of the WRX hatch.
- Responds to tunes and mods better. Especially the motor. These being mods that will not void your warranty.
- Iron engine block. I like that.
- Price.
- DSG. I needed to move to an auto. I so far love the DSG. I get you are looking at a manual, but I recommend rethinking that.
There is probably a bunch more, but I have already wrote a wall of words. All of course my opinion. Maybe this will help. Good luck with your decision!
josh