The STI's transmission alone justifies the price....top it off with the 6 pot Brembos....those two alone cost more then $8000....and not even adding on the rest.
Yeah I read once about if you would fully convert a WRX to a STI, the price difference (WRX + all the parts), would be more than to just buy an STI stock.. that in itself is great value.
This video shows up in my recommended tab. Bitten by the Subie bug yet again. Went back through your old vids and this time I've made up my mind. I'm getting a 2020 STI. Subscribed.
Really? I owned both (2019 STI and BRZ Ts) and I kind of miss the brz more haha. Yes the STI had more power but the BRZ felt more like a pure drivers car.
@@C_Suarez Just me. I'm getting my license in about a year. Trying to save money now, so I put most of my money away for whatever car I will be getting.
@@willcollison1144 do you like carrying people around or need to? Otherwise it’s probably best to get a BRZ. It’s a really good car/daily driver. It’s cheaper than the STI to own.. I would not recommend the STI as your first car from a safety standpoint not that you don’t know how to drive it I just think you probably don’t want to eff it up given the fact that it’s pretty pricey. As far as the WRX it’s a great daily too but just feels heavier than the brz. At that point you would have to test drive those and see which one you like more.. the brz will feel slower than the WRX, that’s a given but it just feels better in the corners and overall just being in the car.
Honestly, I think you hit the nail on the head with this. First to 2nd gear on the wrx definitely makes you feel like you don’t know how to drive. I used to have an 18 wrx premium, now I have a 2020 sti. Stock for Stock, Huge different in handling between the two. To me, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you are a penny pincher, go with the WRX. You’ll find yourself making some mods by default in order to fix the some of the sloppiness the car comes with. But if you want to start modding the WRX to mirror the same handling and performance as the STI, you’re better off going with the STI. Obviously there’s pros and cons. Take your pick on what matters to you.
I am really glad I didn't test drive the wrx then. I hadn't driven a stick in damn near 20 years. I really want an sti. Yesterday I convinced a dealer to let me drive one in an empty parking lot. I had no stalls, and car handled like a dream. I am definitely getting an sti....once my fiance gives me one.
@@jonathanb1987 Sadly no. My wife got screwed over on her student loans during covid and it will have to wait a bit. Still torn between an STI and a Type R.
@@Catgat37 sorry to hear that man. 😞 Between the two, the STI will be the better winter vehicle and a bit more raw. However, the fuel economy is worse. In my experience with my 2019 STI I get around 18-25 mpg. The Type R has more comfortable seats, better fuel economy and slightly more usability due to it being a hatchback. It's a tough one. I would drive both back to back to find out what would work best for you and what you enjoy more. Either one fits two car seats so you can still use them as a family car as long as you don't have more than two kids.
I just bought a 2020 WRX with Performance Package which gives you some STi goodies. Reason I went with that car instead of the STi was really because of the commute. I drive 90 miles a day for work so mpgs was on my mind and smoother ride and couldn't justify too daily driving a STi 90 miles a day and racking up the miles quick. Very happy with the purchase really but say If I lived closer to my job, I would gone with the STi no doubt. Oh well such is life.
The sti stock tune is def not fine out of the box, it sucks just as much as the wrx minus the rev hang. Basic DP, intake and ecu reflash is a must to make this car wake up.
One thing I have leaned with these cars is that you can justify buying an older wrx and mod it to your liking. But buying a brand new one and modding may not be the best decision because the warranty can come in clutch. Both amazing vehicles though.
i regretted not getting the sti until i made my wrx stage 2 now i couldnt be happier. sure i miss out on the great trans or big beefy breaks but im driving to work and back not around a track all day.
I owned a Sti and it’s only worth the upgrade if you using it for performance driving and tacking once a while, other then that you’ll be just as happy in the wrx for mild spirited driving and corners :)
LOL, once you get a smile from that mild spirited driving, you will get hooked and want's to do it more often and more aggressively. That's when thing start to break....
Great video Serg! You missed a few things.. 1) 2.5 Liter vs 2.0 Liter 2) Side view mirror turn signals 3) Rear differential box 4) Red coated manifold 5) +40 more horsepower 6) hydrolic vs electric steering 7) and that sick red STI logo 😁 Great video Serg!
Love my Sti. Three other people at my job has WRX. Now there looking at my car. Not me looking at theirs. The Sti is the Boss point blank. Keep up the good videos.
As a WRX owner, I'm glad to see the STi is worth the extra money. That being said, you do have to go in prepared to spend an extra 8k if you decide to get one. I picked up a WRX because I was moving from an automatic Camry, so the manual + turbo aspect was enough for me. Both the FA and EJ engines are great for the respective vehicles and the kind of people that own them imo. With that in mind good video and breakdown, I think that your opinion is true 👍
I've the MY18 WRX and could have bought the STI. Almost 2 yrs in and I'm still torn. STI looks, drives, sounds, handles, stops better and feels like an experience. The WRX is fine (damning with feint praise, I know) but it doesn't draw attention to itself. I also find the STI fuel economy (not a priority, granted) absurdly bad given the power output. And I don't want to mod my car. I still hanker after one just for the sound alone. The rumble is iconic.
@@SergiRodas it's insane. They're still marking up some 2019s upwards to 42k. I've had some try and sell me a 2021 for 50k. There's no way I'd pay that much and I can't believe anyone is paying that. Sadly those people aren't helping the issue
2020 Altima here (haha) 11k left on this slave payment from the bank then imma trade it for an Sti can’t wait!! Getting CDL next month so hopefully can pay this off as fast as possible
The new WRX with FBO and a good E85 tune beats any STI out there with the same mods and tune. Can’t wait for the STI to come out with a new direct injection engine and not to old EJ25. Til then, I will keep taking STIs to gapplebees in my WRX.
That’s why I threw a bigger turbo on my STI. Can’t have you FBO E85 WRXs beating me 😃. I’ve also raced a FBO E85 FP Blue FA20 and beat that too. I’ve had both a FA and EJ and they both have there places.
I hear you but I'm sticking to the WRX being better overall. I don't believe a 20+ yr old engine design (EJ), beefy transmission, and big brakes are worth the price tag of the STI. FA20DIT in the WRX running Equal Length header, waaaay less turbo lag, and is very tunable. For example a 2017 WRX with 54K miles for $18K I put 4K in parts I do all my labor and I'm at 320WHP and 350 ft lbs Torque. The ONLY things I want from the STI is the transmission and Brakes, but those get cheaper and easier to find as people wreck their STIs. I'm actually excited for the EJ to be replaced by the FA24DIT in 2022, Prime Motoring has a stock FA24 out of an Ascent and they're able to get 550WHP 😳 Over 600WHP if they add secondary injectors. RIP EJ series ✌ great content BTW 👍
I think you misunderstood the beauty of the EJ motor. it's a 30+yr old engine but it's sitting on a very solid performance platform. Machine is different than electronics, A good design never gets old. If you ever witness how FA and EJ engine were being assembled, you will know why Subaru makes the switch to FA but still kept the STi lineup with EJ engine.
Dude you took the words out of my mouth. I’m just trying to daily drive it with no mods , but also just to have fun and that RUMBLEE. I’m saving 12k to make it feel like I’m buying a wrx. Grabbing one on my birthday
The downfall of the sti is the cylinder 3 cooling issue, having port injection instead of direct injection, and a few others I forgot about. I have the 2018 wrx limited and I have the active headlights off the sti, I have the upgraded sound system, leather seats, sunroof, heated seats, etc etc. I’ll get an sti one day when the EJ is more fine tuned and they fix the issues with the motor. I heard the new gen sti’s are supposed to be NASTY.
I got a 2019 one pretty much the same. I feel the need to tune and go at least stage 2. Good car but needs more. Just waiting for time to go by to not risk warranty
The Sti is a whole different world. You can’t even compare them lol. Sti is a beast! It’s so raw, you literally feel the power while driving it and it always puts a smile on your face. Even going at slow speed, you feel like you are driving a fast car. I drove a Wrx and it just feels like a regular car. You may mod it and make it as fast as you can and it still won’t make the driving experience as fun as an Sti!
I’ve always liked building my car and it’s fun. I feel like buying a WRX was the perfect challenge for me to see how hard I can push it. Yes I’ll end up spending a good 10 grand but I can say I built it from nothing. I think it’s a pride thing for me.
I love my 2020 Wrx, for a daily driver that your gonna rack up miles on the Wrx is the better car I get about 400miles a tank. I would like to buy an Sti one day for a fun week end car but not to drive long distances every day.
I don’t think there is any argument that the STI is a better car, who in there right mind would spend an extra 8k on a car that isn’t better. I would imagine If you have the budget you would get the STI. Heck I would, unfortunately I didn’t so it was the WRX for me and I am very happy with my choice. There was no way I could stretch to the STI so I accept the WRX for what it offers at the price. Love both cars and to those that own either.. great choice 👍🏻
I almost settled for a WRX. But im glad i was patient and saved enough for the sti and i never get enough of it. Wrx and sti may look the same but Sti is an entire different driving experience and way more fun.
When getting the WRX, i feel there’s always that risk of regretting not saving for the Sti. With the Sti, you’re never going to say dang, i wish i got the WRX lol
@@SergiRodas I say it everytime I get in my fbo e85 2020 wrx I do wish I got the sti even though my car came with brembos and recaros from factory. The transmission is not very good at all the engine noises are disappointing and the power you get for the money u spend would be better spent on a STI IMO
I do a lot of city/highway driving on the daily and even with having a little fun with my 2020 sti I average 16mpg. If I drove it casual all the time and used Intelligent mode more I could get closer to 20. But I like to have a little fun.
I mean the sti is overall better but the wrx is the better daily in town driver because of fuel mileage and the fact the power band is down low you get power fast rather than needing to build up to that 4500 rpm mark for the sti. So each has its advantages and disadvantages.
That is what I miss the most about my Sti the sound and my older wrx. What I don’t miss is the terrible gas mileage for a daily car, if you are commuting, wrx is the better choice and still fun to drive.
but no where near as fun or cool to own and drive though, if the fuel consumption is what your main concern is I’m sure there are plenty of other vehicles/ways to commute that are way cheaper than a WRX
I totally agree with you bro, keep telling the truth! I had a 2020 WRX and was let down by the stock tune. Great car, but it builds power then there’s a very noticeable dead spot, then power picks up again. As far as rev hang, i would blip the throttle and count to 3 before revs dropped. Lastly, to anybody reading I’m not a specific brand’s fanboy i’m an Automotive Enthusiast! #facts
short answer ...yes ;). I've had both. 7-8K psssh I wish ...here in Cally its a 10K delta 🤑😒. Agreed the cars looks similar but the STI drives like a completely different vehicle ...different in the sense way better in all aspects of driver experience.
I will say this. The 15+ STI is way better than the WRX. The stink eye is a different story. From 08 to 14 the WRX is a EJ25 and even though it's not as good as the STI it is close and gives a similar feel. Only big thing to me is the gearbox.
you should add the rear brake light, just got my 2020 STi 2 months ago after dreaming of it for 3 years lol. Also what coils are you running? Also, i definitely don’t think i need to do any engine mods. I go for looks , i get more looks from people in public.
it all boils down to what you will be using the car for, if you are going on the race track or anything related to that or, you want to make more than 350hp on your stock engine, the sti is the clear winner, if you wanna have a beautiful daily driver with some fun low down power and youll most likely mod the car, the wrx may make more since, as long as your goals are 350hp or less. you might be able to get away with 400 as long as you arent launching the car but its always better to be conservative than to blow everything up. i chose the wrx, its my daily, it takes me on long trips and with 2 simple mods ive made the driving characteristics of my 2020 wrx extremely better, a nameless muffler delete and a boomba bpv although im thinking of going to a cobb one instead, but those 2 mods made it so my car now pull close to redline instead of dropping off. i also plan on using my wrx for rally so 300whp is all im going for. not that hard to achieve.
@@SergiRodas the cars a night and day difference. For me it was a no brainer. It wasn’t the power difference because that was minimal, but the quality of technology hands down made all the sense in the world.
gotta remember that the drivetrain in the STi is worth more than the difference in cost between the two. especially having the DCCD in a car like this makes it preferable if you're wanting to track the car.
For me, it was the interior and the transmission. Night and day difference. My wife and I test drove both and after she was like....... F that, were getting the STI
for me it was the insurance. sti is better its more raw but the general upscaled interior (base vs base) I feel balance it out a bit its the insurance premiums over the wrx its ridiculous.... i ended up getting the wrx premium which the price difference is a bit less than the base STI but it really wasnt about the cost of the car its paying almost twice for the insurance the killed it for me.
It’s simple really, people who say the WRX is better than the STI can say what ever they like but what it all boils down to is they would like an STI but just can’t afford one
For being my first car i purchased, i have no complaints for my wrx. Yeah i get bullied, but for what. To each their own. I love both cars. Next time I guess. But honestly i dont like getting bullied for my choice. The equal lenth header joke gets old.
I love my 2015 sti but the rev hang is still there and the throttle response is so laggy even in sport sharp but I love the car. I really love how the steering feels in the Sti.
Both are great I had an 04 sti pushing around 650hp to the wheels, pros it was fun as hell, cons sucked as a daily. The EJ is on its way out great motor but the thickness of the FA motor cylinder is greater when thinking about boring or sleaving the cylinder walls, I now have a 17 wrx with tasteful mods and it’s just a daily for me but yes once upon a time I did have a street monster with my old STI. Both are good just depends on how deep is your wallet especially for moding haha. Just save your money and buy a used GTR lol 😂
What makes the STI transmission so much better than the wrx transmission? I've always heard people make the point about the transmission and how its superior but they never explain why. Just curious if anyone wants to reply and let me know.
The biggest thing is its a single case design vs the split case on the base making it WAY WAY stronger as the power climes when modding. You can grenade a wrx trans on not much more than stock power if your hard on it, not to mention the synchronizers are better too. Next is the gear ratio spacing, its a close ratio trans meaning no huge rpm drops between shifts like the 1-2 on the standard wrx. BUT, there is one area it inferior, and that is the overall gear ratios. What I mean here is the speed vs rpm. It's the only thing that I hated, the sti has pointlessly short gears, and that has nothing to do with being close ratio, the spacing is perfect, but it needs a much longer final drive/differential ratio. (edit) I forgot that the newer ones got a longer 2st-4th, so their better than the early ones I was basing my comparison on.
I love my WRX premium, I recently installed the sti headlights, sti seats , sti spoiler and sti wheels . A dude traded me for super cheap ! I kinda want an STI , I still need the big brakes
@@balenci8425 I thought the same thing till I did it . It looks amazing I get tons of compliments. They are just oem upgrades , I don’t run the badges . I got the parts for super cheap off of someone with an STI . I’ve been driving WRX since 2002 when it first came out and there was no sti
Comparing a stock WRX vs an STI doesnt make sense. I dont think anyone is going to say that a WRX is better stock vs STI stock. The STI is LITERALLY the top of the line version OF the WRX. If youre going to compare them, you have to take into account the capabilities of the two cars.
Stock for stock, of course the Sti is a much better version of the wrx. Brakes, transmission, LSDifferentials and DCCD. Is it worth the extra money if you just do spirited driving on the way to work and back? No. Not at all. It is only worth the money if you FEEL satisfied having the badging and knowing you have top end stock parts. Here is where it gets tricky: most Imprezas of both varieties don't remain stock. So for example my stage 2 2009 narrow body wrx had a ringland failure in 2018 at 139k miles. Both wrx and sti suffer from the same kinds of engine failures. If looking to increase power, decent chance at some point either kind of Impreza will need an engine rebuild. Handling: Both could use similar handling upgrades as they both suffer from understeer stock. Stage 3 power: Both need all the same bolt on upgrades before upgrading the turbo to a significantly higher boost turbo. This all said, the wrx will be limited safely to about 350 wheel torque by it's transmission, while the sti transmission if not abused from what I've read is safe to less than 500wtq. Then you have better brakes on the sti, which if you wanted to upgrade the wrx is not cheap at all. I had my engine rebuilt, full bolt ons, upgrading to an MHI 18k turbo, flex fuel, Cusco rear clutch LSD that is all about $16k. Car was $24k when i bought it if i remember correctly. So for about $40k once i get the turbo installed soon / tuned it will be about 390 whp on 91 and 430 whp on E85. The cusco rear lsd makes the car handle like a dream I can steer with the throttle. 430 whp is about 530 crank (magazine) horsepower. In a very unassuming little awd narrowbody hatchback. I only await the day my 5 speed tranny kicks the bucket and then Ill upgrade to an Sti /DCCD transmission. Had I gone the STI route, I would have had to do all the same mods eventually except the tranny. In hindsight, the best thing to do is find a used 100k mile Sti with bolt ons for as cheap as possible, then have the engine immediately rebuilt / turbo upgrade and cusco rear clutch lsd.
I bought a WRX as a daily (premium trim) but I couldn't stand the notchy gearbox and I wasn't a fan of the FA sound. When I pushed it, it didn't quite feel confident around corners. Ended up selling it after a few months. It does seem like the STi fills in those gaps that the WRX is lacking.
if i would spend the extra 8k i would go civic type r. I drove the sti and it was brutal to drive on my rear end lol. The low end power was considerably different than the wrx so felt same if not slower. great car for the track but 99% of peeps that get sti they dont track. Just like lifted trucks dont go off roading. its all show imo but each their own. shifter also felt light as glass, my modded rex manual feels much more substantial.
I've owned both too, ended up selling them (should have kept WRX though...). It's stupid that WRX stock tune is so lame that you have to sweat over deciding to use acessport or to have issues with warranty. It is as stupid as STI 2020 has 16/22 mpg (pretty accurate EPA numbers as it turned out) - you see the fuel go real time as you get on the throttle, even driving conservatively - yes, it's THAT bad. Why Subaru didn't fix those things over past 5 years? Now I would rather get Kia Stinger GT v6 for almost the same money as an STI, but you'll get twin turbo, brembo brakes, AWD, quiet almost luxurious interior, even 17/25 mpg - I don't care about extra money spent on gas, it matters that it is not wasted chasing a myth of an almighty rally car, just like all the upgrades that are supposed to make it faster (add the costs over time). Dang, previous gen WRX 2012-2014 were more fun and quicker than the current gen WRX or STI! Enough said - if you are considering a turbo Subaru - go test drive BOTH, several times, thoroughly. Watch that fuel gauge needle, drive it on highway and compare the transmissions. Dang, if you are buying a used one - buy from Carvana so you can easily return or exchange it within 7 days (YES!). Kudos to Sergi for awesome content.
Well would you buy a new Vf 2017 v8 commodore but say it’s sweet just Chuck the old ls1 in it for shits n gigs he’ll no ls3 all the way! Same thing I’m so excited to buy the new sti with fa motor 😍. I have a stage 2 2018 wrx atm
I've owned both as well bro. 1 year with a wrx and about to turn 1 year with my 2020sti, btw it feels more authentic... so I agree, follow me on IG bro bro, subieyo_
