Scion FR-S

[Dantrag]

At this point it will not be AWD. Toyota/Scion or Subaru.

[jmc]

I'm currently looking into buying a new STi, but if the Subaru model of this is possibly AWD....then I might have to wait.

[*Shinzon*]

I don't expect it to be. I wouldn't hedge any bets that it is. Shame really but the car has quite a bit of hype now.

[jmc]

I don't expect it to be. I wouldn't hedge any bets that it is. Shame really but the car has quite a bit of hype now.

Ok then, back to STi shopping. (that was quick) lol


Also, what the fuck Subaru. No dealerships have any of the new STi's. They all want you to purchase one, before they ship it to the dealership......who the hell wants to buy a car before test driving it?

[Amastacia]

WRXs and STIs are out of stock everywhere. No one has had squat for inventory all year. Subaru is shipping fewer over here (esp. STIs, since 2008s sat on the lot forever), and parts shortages in Japan aren't exactly making anyone want to keep inventory on the lot for test drives when they could be selling it instead.

[*Shinzon*]

Ok then, back to STi shopping. (that was quick) lol


Also, what the fuck Subaru. No dealerships have any of the new STi's. They all want you to purchase one, before they ship it to the dealership......who the hell wants to buy a car before test driving it?

Yeah the quake had a big impact on short term supply, most dealers had a 60 day supply the day the quake hit. You might not see any till the fall and winter.

[Dantrag]

90% of Subaru Dealerships do not carry STi's. It's bull shit but w/e. I'm in the same boat, I would not buy a car without test driving it. I used to own an STi and loved it but dunno if I could get a new one without test driving.

[*Shinzon*]

Kinda hate to bump this, but I'd figure there's gonna be substantial interest. The FT concept has finally hit the ring for testing and as such we now have a basic idea of what the car will look like. With a turbo and AWD I'm gonna be all over this. But it doesn't make sense to me without those features as a subaru model. If AWD though it would make a spectacular daily driver for cold weather states.

Via Autoblog:

Ok so for comparison, what you see above is the Toyota version, what you will see below is the Subaru version. The subaru looks to have a less aggressive styling leading you to wonder which will be the true performance model. I can't understand what's going on with this partnership.

These shots appear to be of the Subaru version of the planned, talked-about, redesigned, and talked-about-some-more 2013 Scion FR-S/Toyota FT-86/Toyobaru. According to our reader spy, this version was wearing Subaru distributor plates, pretty much giving away its true identity.

While the heavy camo does a great job obscuring the a good look at the car, and the shots are taken from a distance, it looks like the Subaru coupe will sport slightly more understated lines than its stablemate at Scion.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....py-01-lead.jpg

[Skidz]

Interesting thing I read, not sure how true it is. If the top one is Toyota, how come its wearing Subaru rims? The person who pointed it out had a link to a website which showed the same ones on a Legacy, I think.

[Amastacia]

Interesting thing I read, not sure how true it is. If the top one is Toyota, how come its wearing Subaru rims? The person who pointed it out had a link to a website which showed the same ones on a Legacy, I think.

The BBS rims Subaru uses are a decent compromise of light and strong. They're a good choice for test mules, and the Toyota version will be built by Subaru anyway. Subaru probably had them lying around, and it doesn't really matter if they test with production wheels. Hell, just about all Subaru test mules seem to have BBSs on them if they're remotely sporty.

[Militant]

Ok then, back to STi shopping. (that was quick) lol


Also, what the fuck Subaru. No dealerships have any of the new STi's. They all want you to purchase one, before they ship it to the dealership......who the hell wants to buy a car before test driving it?

Buy a regular wrx, buy a cobb stage 2 kit, have more power than a stock STI, have it all covered under subaru's warranty, save $1000's.

That also happens with a lot of "hot" cars. I sold cars for several years before becoming an ASE certified mechanic. I remember when the Dodge Charger came out, we'd have a delivery truck show up with about 12 of em on it, and usually all 12 were already sold and accounted for.

[Dantrag]

Do the WRX come 6 speed now? Or are they still 5 Speed? Haven't looked in forever.

[*Shinzon*]

5 Speed, even on the 2011 models. And yeah you can do an ECU flash on a WRX and get 300~ HP on an aggressive tune if you wanted to consider that.

[Dantrag]

You can also ECU the STi for a considerable gain. Funny enough it also increases the gas mileage :D

[Militant]

Yeah, most turbo car's come tuned pig rich from the factory to help keep the motor extra safe. Usually, this will allow the use of an ECU reflash to lean the motor out a bit, usually giving a pretty significant gain in horsepower/torque and MPG. Technically, this is comparable to say, overclocking a CPU, so you are reducing it's lifespan/durability, but this can be done relatively safely with the proper research/build.

[Amastacia]

Buy a regular wrx, buy a cobb stage 2 kit, have more power than a stock STI, have it all covered under subaru's warranty, save $1000's.

That also happens with a lot of "hot" cars. I sold cars for several years before becoming an ASE certified mechanic. I remember when the Dodge Charger came out, we'd have a delivery truck show up with about 12 of em on it, and usually all 12 were already sold and accounted for.

Depends what you want. If you want straight-line fast for the road or dragstrip (unless you plan on going to 500+ WHP), a stage 2 WRX is a great value buy.

If you ever intend to track or AutoX, just pony up for the STI. Using the aftermarket to get a WRX up to STI track/AutoX spec will cost as much as just buying an STI in the first place.

Yeah, most turbo car's come tuned pig rich from the factory to help keep the motor extra safe. Usually, this will allow the use of an ECU reflash to lean the motor out a bit, usually giving a pretty significant gain in horsepower/torque and MPG. Technically, this is comparable to say, overclocking a CPU, so you are reducing it's lifespan/durability, but this can be done relatively safely with the proper research/build.

Yep. Recent Subarus especially come with a horrific factory tune. Wonky combination of pig rich and lean stretches to try to maximize engine safety and minimize emissions. Sadly, their 2008 mix had a bad habit of grenading engines via cracking piston ringlands.

Overclocking is a good analogy. A moderate overclock, properly cooled, will not negatively impact the life of a CPU in any meaningful way. A good tune, done by a professional, can yield improved power and economy without a significant decrease in engine lifespan or higher risk of failure (assuming proper cooling). Upping the boost significantly will wear things out faster, just like upping the voltage on a CPU will, and it's up to the end user to find their happy medium.

[jmc]

Buy a regular wrx, buy a cobb stage 2 kit, have more power than a stock STI, have it all covered under subaru's warranty, save $1000's.

That also happens with a lot of "hot" cars. I sold cars for several years before becoming an ASE certified mechanic. I remember when the Dodge Charger came out, we'd have a delivery truck show up with about 12 of em on it, and usually all 12 were already sold and accounted for.

I own a 2009 WRX currently

My problem with going to stage 2, is I need to keep it as legal as possible. So my options are pretty limited in my state

[Amastacia]

Stage 2 can be done legally, just not with an OTS map.

There are quiet exhaust options that won't break noise ordinances (Borla Hush was the most famous of said options for the GD generation, don't think Borla made a GR equivalent... but I didn't look).

Stage 2 protune can be done well enough to pass emissions (OBD2 or probe) in many states, OTS maps tend to be too conservative and run a shade too rich.

Given your line of work, I'm sure you know better than I do about the legality of high-flow cats up in MA (I think that's where you're from, no?), but going stage 2 does not necessarily mean going catless.

It's undeniably a "letter of the law" matter and not a "spirit of the law" matter, but it's very possible (although more expensive) to have your cake and eat it too.

Interestingly, dyno charts are showing that the 265 HP on the regular 2009+ WRX is a tad underrated, and the gap between the WRX and STI is smaller than the marketing numbers would suggest. Of course, the STI does have a bigger, more efficient interheater, so it's going to see slightly better gains on a stage 2 protune than a WRX would (plus uppipe is already catless).