May 07 just got in the mail today.

#5 subaru impreza wrx tr
#4 nissan sentra ser spec v
#3 mini cooper s
#2 volkswagen GTI
#1 mazdaspeed 3 GT

comparison test on the cars 25k and lower.

wheres the srt4 bad boy? =p

 

They stopped making the SRT-4 a few years ago.

 

it sucks anyway. understeer ftl.

 

I'm really surprised the WRX didn't at least beat the Mini or SE-R. Do you know what their reasoning was for placing it last? Times? Lack of comfort/convenience?

 

wrx weighs the most at 3200. they say its the grampa of the bunch. most road noise. interior low on excitement. slamming doors to loud. seats are thin and "frugal". short legroom

 

plus the wrx comes with some pretty crappy tires

 

they said on the plus side it has red calipers lol.

 

SE-R 0-60? 5.3

I was kind of disappointed withthe wrx's results but its age is showing.

 

ser 0-60 = 6.4
impreza = 5.3
ms3 = 5.4
mini+GTI = 6.2

 

Wahh, i must have misread then. I just glanced at it today in a friend's hands, kind of surprised me and I guess I now know why, heh

 

An STi would have fared better. Unfortunately that car is still a cheap tin can inside but at least it's fast I guess. If I had an sti, the first thing I'd do is change the carpet and add padding and a couple hundred pounds of sound deadening material to the car. It needs it. My little Civic is a limo inside compared to them. Then it might actually feel a bit more refined. Of course then it would just be too heavy for what it is. It's already too heavy and only getting worse.

 

Just goes to show how subjective these tests can be. Have a look at this comparo. It's different I guess, but the WRX came in first in this. Last in the next. Go figure. I guess they did a re-do, and this time they decided to change things around.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...preza-wrx.html

 

That article is titled "The Quickest Cars of 2007". Different criteria. As we 8 owners know, acceleration is only one performance metric and does not, in and of itself, determine which car is the overall best or most fun to drive.

 

That comparo was just for the quickest car. The newest test was was for the best all around car.

 

I kind of figured that. The Speed 3 deserves to be #1. It's new, exciting, and fast as hell, while looking good, and having fabulous interior and practicality. How can a WRX really stand a chance in a comparo like that when it's the oldest of the group saying goodbye this year in this generation, and when the STI, which is a far superior car is over it's head. The Mazdaspeed 3 is the top dog in it's trim, the WRX is the middle dog in it's trim. One is a permament car, the other is a 2 year limited production run car. Perhaps we'll see a Speed 3 comparo vs the all new WRX hatch next year. Should be interesting.

With that said, if the Speed 3 was AWD, I'd own one. That's the only thing that I don't like about, and it's why I have a Speed 6 instead. I've been bitten by the AWD bug as a daily driver car, and I just can't see myself ever owning a FWD car again., unless it's a cheap slow economy beater. However, if the Speed 3 was AWD, it would be more expensive and considerably heavier. It's not all that light now. I'm so proud of Mazda. Keep up the good work.

 

Quickly looked at the article today.

The WRX is very very old compared to its competitors. The new one should fare much better.

The MS3 is the bomb. Incredible reviews from all the journalists. The GTI seems to be pretty good too.

I saw two at Almaden Mazda. Dealer was asking $1995 above MSRP. Both were base but one had nav.

 

Think road noise is a factor in the STi? Try an Evo 8 or 9 out, back to back with the STi! The Evo makes the STi seem like an Audi A8! Besides, a couple hundred pounds of sound deadening isn't needed, only a few medium size pieces of DEI's Boom Mat or the older Dynamat, just to kill resonance on the larger metal panels. Believe it or not, Dynamat was never designed to be placed wholesale on every interior surface. It was meant to be a lightweight, sound-wave-killing self-adhesive coating which could be attached as small pieces, and yet effectively kill sound.

The WRX TR is an ill-handling machine. The entire rear suspension is different compared to its STi bretheren. It lacks the braces under the rear seating area too, making the chassis flex more. Driving a TR really illustrates the economy car nature of the Impreza; understeering to a fault on those crappy tires!

 

Has anyone driven the Volkswagen GTI? I'm pondering getting a new car while my 8 is in the shop getting it's engine replaced. About all i'm considering is another 8, the GTI and the Speed3. I haven't driven the VW or Speed 3 yet, but I've pretty much heard nothing but good things about both cars.

 

I think if I had to replace my 8 today, I'd have to either go with another 8, used M3 or S4.

The GTI seems overpriced for what it is. The speed 3 is a good deal if you don't mind the FWD.

 

If I was going to get a GTI, I would get the 5DR. I'd get the MS3, but the GTI is a much more adult and luxurious feeling car as opposed to the take no prisoners MS3.

 

The WRX has fallen from its perch, and is certainly showing its age. 5+ years ago it was the darling of the automotive world, now it's just an also ran. It's still a very good car but there are a few glaring weaknesses that the other cars in the comparo don't have. The biggest one is the tires, the all seasons while none of the other cars had all seasons. On top of that they're about the worst all seasons you can get... The sound deadening is quite bad as well, but that was part of the fun of the car when it came out. Lastly, the ABS system has always been lacking in the WRX, I don't know what the problem is but it never felt right to me and it would sometimes come on at the strangest times.

Take the Suby and ad a rear sway, get some good rubber, and it feels like a different car. I'll never understand why Subaru is content with letting such simple things detract from the WRX. Lastly, I've always felt the door thing was a silly complaint. The noise they make has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with having frameless windows and lightweight doors.

It's comparos like this that make you realize how important it is for automaker to keep updating models and adjusting to the market.

 

The RX-8.....

 

Been in both a MS3 and GTI, but only actually driven the GTI. It is plenty peppy... lots of power all through the tach. The interior is as the magazines say... beyond it's price range. With leather seats... it's perfect. The MS3... seats are great, but no all leather option. I'm not a big fan of the gauge cluster arrangement. The plastics while not dirt cheap... they aren't luxury.

If you hunt, you can find a good deal on a GTI. Some on mkvgti.com have walked away with a loaded car for $22,000.

Ultimately... test drive them both and go with your gut. The MS3 is more "boy racer" whereas the GTI is more "executive racer"...

 

If you just want something fast go with the MS3....263hp / 280 tq. I drove one a few months ago and was quite impressed. The salesman told me to drive the way I wanted to. So, I floored it in 2nd, 3rd & 4th....it threw the salesman back in the seat each time. I told the guy my wife would killl me if I had one. The torque is very nice in the MS3. I wasn't a big fan of the interior compared to the 8 but I could live with it given the power and torque of the MS3. In comparison to my buddy's WRX with intake, complete exhaust and chip I still think the stock MS3 was faster. If you add a few aftermarket parts you'd be very close to STI numbers........300hp / 300tq.

 

I'd love to test both the MS3 and GTI.