I live in Houston and have a 2020 STI that I bought 3 years ago brand new. My car has the least power between my son’s TypeR and my wife’s RCF but I just love my car more every time I drive their cars. My car just feels perfect for me. I’m 60 years old and I just love the pure raw feeling that the STI gives me. I love driving it when the weather is less than ideal for most cars. Thunder storms with 1 or 2 inches of water on the road is where my car feels invincible. I almost traded it in for an RCF but changed my mind when I drove my wife’s RCF in the rain. My son’s type r is really fast as heck but it does not have the soul of an STI.
If enough people like you, mustered up enough courage to buy these cars, then STI's will eventually be know as the car for people who don't vape and down Monster drinks. We need to take these cars back!!😄
@CreamnCoffee2 Not really, I just like not having to do head gaskets at 100k and think that the WRX is overrated. I drive a kia for gods sake it's nothing special lol, but at least there's no vaping lesbian association with it. Also a 2010 wrx should not be worth 15k, yet here we are lol.
Glad someone finally got the explanation of the center diff in an STI right. It's not sending shit front to rear; it's about controls the lock-up threshold between the front and rear axles.
@kamionkami1 I'm not surprised. STIs are fast from a dig but from a roll they lose their advantage. My buddy had a previous gen sti and it was really underwhelming passing on the highway. He got rid of it for a bmw 435 and never looked back
@@theejoeylee but can it do that in the rain snow or dusty dirty road? STI mechanic awd can do it well especially in the corners. Camry is open diff af of course
Seeing Toddd's return made my day. As soon as I finish my latte, toon my subaru, tear down a cancer research center to build an Applebee's, sweat up a storm swapping in a battery, and discuss the gentleman my girlfriend is leaving me for, I'm gonna get to work on unsubscribing and unfollowing
The STI is the last analog drivers car. Hydraulic Steering, Manual, and a Engine with real character. I don't know why everyone wants it to be replaced because there will never be anything like it at this price point ever again and I'm willing to accept the STIs flaws to actually enjoy driving a car with soul.
It's the same with the Land Cruiser. Not broke, doesn't need fixing. But the first thing everybody mentions is how "archaic" the old school architecture is. Understated, simple, affordable quality is similarly archaic in 2020, but that doesn't mean it's obsolete.
I bought my Series. White brand new right at 2 years ago and I have loved every minute of it. On the tail of the dragon it really shines. The 90s Japanese car feel is the main reason I picked the STI over the competition, I love the transmission and the steering.
I had build sti hatchback specifically for the dragon, there was a whole year where I did the dragon every single Saturday and or Sunday at the sunrise, rain or shine, left foot braking in turns and partial throttle at the same time. The engine and all the components gave zero issues, beast platform! "Raced" all who wanted with me there, v8s, hondas, miatas, mazdas, bmws, minis, lotuses, corvettes, gtis , golf rs, mr2, M3 track build, EVs. Sport bikes are faster, not gonna lie, but I gave hard times to many of them. In 7 years I put 100K miles on that build and sold it to another racing individual still with the same engine and even clutch, absolutely with zero issues.
I'm really glad you guys went back and set the record that you were "nit picking" but the fact is the car is fun. Too many reviewers have lost touch with us normies and compare everything to a 720s or Something unrealistic.
I have one and this is spot on and exactly why I own the car. All conditions fun and great feel. A few minor mods like bushings and an access port smooths them out and can give you more feel if you want to go there
Thank you for discussing the gearbox, and kudos to Jack for asking for the Honda/Hyundai comparison. I know MT feel is somewhat subjective to the user, but that crucial aspect of driving seems criminally underdiscussed in all car reviews out there. I would love a video all about best MTs by particular makes and models. Maybe another sitdown with Todddd and Scott...?
Because its worth mentioning: I was between an STI, GTI, CIVIC TYPE R, and Veloster N. Thanks to a silver lining of quarantine, I got to drive every car by myself. The Veloster for me took last place overall. Well after having my mind blown by the type R, I couldn't justify the price because a used STI seemed to be a better deal. I got into a 2016 STI and was told to "take my time" test driving. I slammed it for 45 minutes and gave it a real hard thought: and I called the Honda dealership and bought my 2020 Type R in the Subaru parking lot that day. I still think the STI is a great car, super unique and fun to drive.
that hood scoop and huge wing on the back. Iconic car design from the 90-s to 2000's A good send off for the engine. I'm sure the 500 people who get them will be thrilled.
My Panasonic FZ2000 mic is great, too. I can hear the always-on image stabilizer motor rumble in it. Your Sony probably sounds better, since it's a V6.
Ah finally a Japanese car, this is refreshing from all of the European cars you’ve been reviewing lately... I STILL WATCH AND LIKE SO DONT WORRY I LOVE U
You hear this from people that either mod the car the wrong way or don’t tune the car at all or both or just abuse the car and don’t do their maintenance, and the list goes on as far owner error vs the actual car failing. I’ve owned various STIs and one currently over 3 years with 0 issues. It’s all how one treats it.
I just can't get over how these "Economy" Rally Cars are pushing $50k. I mean, What happened to "Affordable" when these Rally Cars first came out, it was all about the best bang for the buck. Now? At least where I live a base STI is $39k. I just can't justify the price any longer. There are just other cars now, that are just as fun to drive, for far less money. It is what it is.
Agree. It's funny to me to see cars with ~ 15yr old designs, and often not even updated infotainment asking for $40-50k. They aren't even close to justifying prices. New safety features are probably the biggest change (blind spot monitors, lane keep assist, auto braking, etc). A 2020 Lexus IS350 is nearly identical to the 2005 model.
Inflation my dude, $1 in 1990 is $1.99 today, the purchasing power of the average worker just hasn't changed in a long time and actually peaked in 1978
@@theman3343 these cars were marketed as "affordable sport sedans". I guess it just depends on who they are referring to? When i bought my 1st Evo i. 2003 i paid $28k for it brand new. I think Subaru is padding the bill in these STI's. It's basically the same car for 15 yrs.
FINALLY, someone who took the time to research and understand how the center differential in this car works. The only use I ever found for the manual mode in my STI was to force 100% lock in the center diff so I could pull a truck out of the mud it was stuck in.
I'm a Subaru Tech, we got one Series.White STI and two Series.White WRX's. The paint on these is fucking gorgeous. Its really pops out in the sun. Ive never seen such a good white color before. Seriously debated taking out a loan becuase the paint was so immaculate.
@@wigletron2846 It will have new FA24 engine. It is currently used in (if I remember correctly) 1 model and tuners had already pushed it to over 500hp with minor changes without reinforcing body.
haha I love you trying to discuss the interior with the pickup being silly behind you, almost heard you start to laugh 1:58. please always keep this semi-subtle humor!
I love the fact that the best car reviewer isn't in New York, LA, or Miami, but in rural Illinois. There is just something so satisfying about that, its just like how the best investor of the past generation is in Omaha Nebraska and not on Wall Street.
My wife has a 2016 hyperblue sti. fantasitc car. if they never improve it, it will still be a fantastic car. the fact that is has almost no 'tech'/screens/etc. IS A PLUS... It is too fast for backroads (no need for more power). The visibility out of the vehicle is the best in the industry. It's fits my 6'-4" frame. Seats (4) comfortably. Good trunk space. And if you wanna know it's true potential, I suggest you google 'Dirtfish'. (Honestly, guys at Savagegeese, you really should make the journey to Dirtfish... will change your life... and will certainly show you how to truly drive an sti...)
The corrosion and rust issues are a huge turn off for me. At least put some underbody panels or coverings, but damn they just leave it open, and no coating either like wtf
I hate rust. My 2010 GTI sprouted a couple rust spots near the rocker panel and under the rear VW roundel. Granted it’s 10 years old and I live in New England but it really pisses me off. Once a car starts to rust it’s really hard to keep up with it. No structural rust though.
As a mechanic in the north east I can say that underbody panels typically make rust worse. They trap road salt and sand between the panel and the body of the vehicle. The worst offenders are brake and fuel line coverings that cause the lines to rust twice as fast under the cover as the exposed lines. Subarus do have rust issues but I can confirm that they are very aware of it and take actions to correct it. When I was a Subaru tech in Buffalo NY we had engineers from Subaru of Japan actually come here to do rust studies on older vehicles.
@@jameswilson8907 Are you still in Buffalo NY? Do you recommend any pro shops to apply undercoating? Dude I'd love to learn more, I really thought panels would protect from salt and corrosion, since it would just deflect all the debris during winter. Hmm now this makes me rethink the care of my vehicle. Only problem with driving a sedan is that you cant crawl under the damn thing to start spraying and praying lol
@@descendinggod9740 I'm no longer in buffalo but I do still work and live in NY. most vehicles don't have corrosion problems along the floor board area like the old trucks do that the panels actually cover. Typical salt corrosion happens along areas that have openings or shelves, such as the rocker panels, wheel wells, frame rails and the front fenders behind the wheel since many manufacturers think packing that area with foam for sound deadening is a good idea but it just traps salty water. That's just the body. Basically all subframe and suspension components suffer for the same reason because they are usually made of stamped sheet metal that can trap salt and sand. I'd recommend finding a shop that uses fluid film undercoating and does an underbody pressure wash and let's it dry prior to application. Fluid film and other wax coats have to be applied on a yearly basis but are far superior to rubberized coatings that can actually trap water and salt and speed up the corrosion process
I bought a lightly used 2005 STi in 2007. I used it for my daily for 8 years, brought my daughter home from the hospital in it; also years of SCCA Autcross, track days, etc. and put about 60,000 miles on the car. I sold it in 2019. I'm not a kid. I don't vape or wear a flat brim cap. I got sick and tired of the negative attention and stereotypes. I just don't think I can do another one.
I’m so happy seeing the very same car I have in this vid, I have done upgrades to the speaker systems and added an exhaust to make it rumble the way I love.
You gotta remember something with the incredibly high production value of SG: If you are seeing something it's because you are supposed to be seeing it. Everything is placed and framed perfectly, Mark is a believer of Mise-en-scène.
The interior section was a nice surprise haha subtle interruption from the usual. I wondered “are they going to really leave that ass!$#* in the take?” then the chainsaw sequence haha nicely done guys
Having driven both, I'd say the STI gearbox is better than the Civic Type R's which straight from the factory has a 2nd gear grind and 4th gear lockout. Shame because the Type R is incredible otherwise. That said, the STI gearbox is a joy to shift and feels SO much better than the same model year WRX.
Agree 100%. I had a 2017 wrx with the 6 speed manual. It was the worst manual experience I ever had. I sold it after 6 months mainly due to how crappy the transmission was.
It always cracks me up the number of channels and comments, below that criticise Subaru, WRX STi’s, (headgasket issues or vaping) yet again and again, they keep getting videos posted on STIs of all models and generations! why because they generate and they generate when you drive them, those they don’t will never get it. But the vids posted and the views never lie, at the end of the day, it’s not what people say that matters, it’s the results and they don’t lie! the difference between BS and reality.
Best video ever....realistic, approachable, true, humble, and beautifully crafted. And helpful. Looking forward to you guys test one that has perhaps a bolt on tune at 2019..... And the 2022....which looks less aggressive to me if you look at the JDM wagon out now.... Thank you.
DylaN Wodrich dude you can’t beat the 100k mile/10-year warranty for your car. Subarus are nothing but headaches, had a 2012 wrx hatch and glad I sold it.
@@ChrisWalksFast for sure man, I've been a Hyundai guy for a while but the warranty is what really gave it the edge over the Civic Si, GTI, and the WRX. I autocross/track the N a lot too so the fact that Hyundai still honors their warranty if you take it on track is what sealed the deal.
Thank you for a fantastic review of my new 2021 STI (non-Series White). It replaced my 2013 STI and it's amazing. Interior design/layout and build quality are far superior, NO rattles, ride quality is noticeably improved and it looks way more aggressive. Keep giving us your phenomenal video reviews!
That front-end feel difference is definitely due to the lack draw stiffeners and a lack of a flexible strut tower brace. You can get both after-market for your run-of-the-mill STI and "tune" the feel back up. Otherwise the chassis, while stiff, will definitely flex enough to absorb the load you'd otherwise be feeling in the steering wheel. Blame that on the boxiness of the front-end and the engine being in front of the front axle. Too much leverage counting against it :(
Selfie!! Great video and really a nice car. The STI flexible strut bar makes a difference as does wider, 18" rubber........ Could not be happier with mine.
STis are decent fun on dry pavement, but absolutely come alive on gravel roads where you can really feel the AWD setup. And best of all, is winter... on good snow tires you can do some amazing things with these cars..
