2000 Subaru WRX STI v 2021 Subaru WRX STI | Is the OG Rex STI still the best? 

The 2000 one even looks better

23 years on and like me, the current one is heavier, slower, bigger and less fun 😂

I would pick the first gen wrx sti all day, especially in that condition. The newer one just doesn’t excite me.

20% extra weight for an extra 7% power. Would take the GC any day off the week.

Hands down the GC8 STi models look better (esp in grey) are lighter, sit better on the road and are quicker at 0-100. Good investment

MY00 STI is still a fantastic car and reckon values will continue to climb. Especially if there's only 1000km on the clock!

Someone could do the PHD thesis on how Subaru blew it with the WRX,

21 owner here, on my 5th Subaru, still have 3, the improvements over time are HUGE. AutoCross and Track days with all and jumping from one to the other you feel how much stiffer the chassis is etc. Coil overs, sway bars, better tires, and higher forces in play. That said, LIGHTER IS ALWAYS BETTER!

The only performance car to get slower and tamer as the years go on. The OG WRX’s of the mid 90s to mid 2000s were amazing, had that raw oldschool feel, felt more engaging, the whole nature of the car felt perfect for what it was made for. It targeted people who love hardcore oldschool driving, the newer ones have “grown up” and not for the better, Subaru has barely given the WRX (and WRX STi) barely any boost in performance in over 25 years. It barely gains a few extra kilowatts in every new generation and it gains over 300+kg, so the power to weight ratio is horrible compared to the earlier models. Every performance car now destroys a WRX, it has become a laughing stock, a WRX use to be a V8 killer back in the day, nowadays it barely scraps past a Toyota Camry and pretty much every other performance car would destroy you. Look at how far Hyundai N has come, look at the latest Civic Type R’s, Toyota is now the king of the rally cars with the GR Yaris and now the GR Corolla, heck even the VW Golf GTi’s would leave you in its tail and we all know a Golf R would blow you away, then you have Kia who has come a long way aswell with its performance category, the Stinger was a game changer and the EV6 takes it up another level. And don’t bother comparing the WRX to any BMW M, Audi S or RS or Mercedes AMG because they would all leave you for dead. I’m not saying the WRX competes with any of those cars, however what I’m trying to get at is every performance car has improved ten-fold while Subaru has remained stuck in place and has not given the WRX the love it deserves. 206-221kW 20 years ago was brilliant in a car that weighs 1200-1300kg, it was a supercar killer, but for a car that now weighs almost 300-400kg extra with identical performance figures obviously it isn’t going to be the car it was once known for. Subaru doesn’t market this car anymore to hardcore driving enthusiasts it now targets it as a family sedan to grown ups, as the video mentioned it is now refined, it is all about safety, the car obviously has better technology and is far more advanced than it was 20+ years ago. But fans of Subaru WRX’s don’t care about all that safety shenanigans and fancy new luxury interior, they want a raw oldschool driving experience. Subaru has went downhill, and ever since Mitsubishi killed off the Evo I feel like they didn’t care enough to improve the WRX as its main competition was dead. I understand it’s all about business and sales and driving enthusiasts don’t make up the $$$ but rather a regular consumer buying a car for his family, hence why the WRX now offers an automatic CVT option, but why CVT, why not DCT, are Subaru that lazy or down on money to offer a proper auto performance transmission. Nowadays the WRX gets gapped by cars you would have never imaged decades ago, and it had become embarassing for the car and the brand. *also the 206kW isn’t the offical figure of the early WRX, it was a Japanese gentlemen’s agreement between manufacturers.

I have heard talk of Subaru making a return to WRC the fact that the ceo of Toyota is even publicly taking about it speaks volumes.

Put an exhaust, blow off valve on the grey one and then you’re in business my friend. You’ll feel 20 years old again. Get that up ya

loved watching subaru rally 1998 - 2004 and more and then finally got a SF5 Forester GT Turbo - sported it up a little and wow really great - can go gast and will burble around shopping streets and then - race off to the coast and beach - wilsons prom - nice drive . smiles per miles = enjoy .

The first generation GC8 was the best WRX ever made. Compared to the latter models, the GC8 had the lightest weight, and is so raw and pure to drive. In fact, Subaru won more World Rally Championships in the GC8 model compared to any of the newer models.

The 97-99 models were very desirable here in the UK. The problem was, they never really progressed with the model, and what was amazing in 99 was not so amazing 10 years later, and even 15 years later it was still basically the same car underneath, and had been long since left behind by every other manufacturer of hot hatches and saloons. The newest models that were sold here, felt 25 years old in design.

22b is the king of sti's.

I would LOVE a GC8 WRX one day. Doesn't have to be an STI. Those cars are just beautiful and will be modern day classics. Sadly a lot of these cars have been modded, it's hard to find one stock.

Anyone else wanna shit on the newer STI? My god, I get the older one is great in so many ways and I love it too, but why is everyone acting like the newer STI is the worst car to every be produced? Still a super fun car!

The thing that peeves me off the most is that there’s no wagon equivalent in modern times. The Levorg doesn’t cut it. No manual option and it’s lacking in performance (unless you’re MCM and swap in the guts of the WRX! 👌)

You drive the cars like a bloody grandad!

WRX sedans comes from Imprezas but needs a WRX hatchback also from Impreza and a streamlined-coupe 22B.

In the newer model sounds like they took the fun out of it. You said it's safer. That right there is what makes the original more exciting to drive

After the hawkeye the wrx sti lost what it meant to be a high performance rally beast for the street they became heavy less engaging and less fun

Gc8 best looking Impreza

Wow, I can't believe that MY00 STi only has 924 kilometres on the odometer! Surely that has got to be the lowest kilometre 'Classic' WRX in Australia.

i'd take home my 95 wrx wagon because it's already in the driveway. manufacturer's always start with good cars then get fatter and slower.

still lovers my 06 wrx with 5speed dccd. and i worked at a exotic car valet. some are ok, but nothing compares with a raw subaru.

Which is faster on track tho?

Where is the OG ej20g T Liberty (Leagcy) 🙂

The new wrx sti is the best one yet and beyond.

22b where u at?

Pretty sad to think in twenty years Subaru only made the STI worse in every way.

nothing wrong with older subarus if they arent falling apart from rust

Safer, heavier, more refined. No thanks. Those are all keywords for "it's not as good as the old one" to me. We all know it. Subaru knows it. Carsales knows it. If Subaru did a re-run of the OG STI WRX for double the money the current one goes for, it'd sell out instantly. Something went wrong somewhere

In 21 years they have packed on a few hundred kg and hardly improved power.

This is like f1 cars 20 years ago vs. the f1 cars of today. Ask the f1 drivers, and they all say they would prefer driving the cars of 20 years ago, smaller, lighter, naturally aspirated.

I would love to buy that GC8, please inbox me for details :)

Can we get a road view? I don't wanna watch this fella drive...

He says “including the original”. I think he needs to do a little more research, that may be the first generation WRX. but that’s not the original WRX model.

2000 STI. Look up the weight and real world kw power not the garbage 206kw. Now compare to the fatty 2021 STI lol

Just about 300kg more weight....and slower 😮

WRX gets worse every iteration

The new ones are ugly. American design influence?