MAZDASPEED3 vs. SUBARU IMPREZA WRX

[fmicle]

I've been thinking about giving up my Yaris :cry: and getting myself a new toy :wub: I've been doing a lot of reading and research and I'm still not sure which one would be the best choice for me. If money weren't an issue I'd get the WRX STI Special Edition and call it a day. But money is an issue and the STI (SE or not) is almost $10k more than the standard WRX. And most of the time I'd be driving in boring traffic. Yes, the WRX is faster, but Mazda has the better gas mileage. The Subie has the AWD, but Mazda seems to be a bit more reliable overall. Less parts, less things that can go wrong, right?

What do you think, you enlightened ones? Help me out! :help:

[custom Lftback]

Personally, I like the look of the speed3 over the WRX. But if you want a powerhouse then the subi is the way to go

[hatchbackkid82]

I'm in MD so I would go with the Subie, great in the snow.

[Nexus1155]

MS3 have a limit, most people throw rods with a GT28 on there. and they use a K04 for a stock turbo, theyre great but theyre very tempermental.

You honesly won't be dissapointed with the WRX and the fan base for them and their modability...

[Nexus1155]

LOL coincidentally I am wearing my shirt from Mazdas zoom zoom live event I got a couple years ago.

I test drove all their cars they had out for their lineup including the MS3 which i ebraked to not slide into cones and the RX-8 which i have a vid of me doing a course if i can find it. Out of all the cars there.... The CX-7 Turbo was my favorite. Regardless. The RX-8 lacked power and you had to rev the piss out of it to make any, it had good handling though, but i felt like i was driving a Honda. Nice looking car though, I liked the doors.

[silver_echo]

what year wrx are you looking at? because i had the same options, and chose the wrx, and i am loving the everloving crap out of my choice... and believe me, once you get used to the sound of spool, you won't wanna do without... my 02 is averaging around 20ish mpg, but i spend a lot of time using my gas pedal as an on/off switch

:burnrubber::burnrubber::burnrubber::burnrubber:

[Goose]

Mazdaspeed3 for me. Styling opinions aside, the Mazda is a terrific car - fast, great handling, well-equipped car for ~$22K.

I considered the WRX, but it was hard to ignore the performance value of the Mazda, which felt quicker to me. Mileage between the WRX and the 'Speed3 is so close that it's a wash. The STI is so expensive that I would consider it a totally different car and not comparable. If you live in a snow area, factor in the cost of winter wheels/tires (I'm looking at ~$1,300) if you get the Mazda.

It's your money and your decision. Choose what's fun for you and doesn't drive you to the poorhouse. Despite what you may hear/read, neither car holds its value well so consider this as well. I would resist the urge to mod since these are pretty potent cars in stock form.

EDIT: I've owned a '04 WRX, by the way. Nothing against the Subaru...
ANOTHER EDIT: Oops, just noticed - I assume you don't get much snow in San Jose!

[fmicle]

I am looking at 2010, for both the Mazda and the WRX. On their respective websites, the mazda is rated at 263 HP and the WRX at 265 HP. Every professional review I read said that you get more bang for your buck with the Mazda, interior is classier, but yeah the WRX has AWD which is great in any weather conditions.

We only get rain around here and even that only about half the year :) but I am thinking about moving to Austin, which won't change the average snow precipitation I see by much :)

As for the 2010 MS3, they redesigned the suspension, the reviews I read said the 2010 handles much better than the previous models, they actually rated the Mazda higher than the WRX in handling. They have cone slalom thing and the Mazda was faster than the WRX and the Mitsu Ralliart. and that was a 2008 MS3 I think.

Last night I watched a comparison of the 2010 MS3 with the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (the V6 version) and they said yeah you can do powerslides with the Genesis, but the Mazda is way faster and more fun to drive...

[severous01]

sti is not worth 10 grand.

mazda is ford...you may as well buy a focus...

get the wrx...it's badaxx

[fmicle]

Ford only owns 13.4% of Mazda nowadays and if you tell me which Focus model has a turbo engine I'll take a look at it :wink:

If this were Europe, it would be a different story, but the models that Ford sells around here are lame. Except for the GTO of course :tongue:

[BluYrs]

Yup, it has to be the MS3. Same real-life performance with a more wallet-friendly set-up and a nice understated stance.

[Fenrizwolf]

I am in the market for a wrx. An older one for winter. I can get rid of the yaris and get a new one but the mpg's.... My work is 30 minutes away and I just think i will feel like an idiot if I give up the yaris.

[sickpuppy1]

Both nice cars. For the street, I guess the Mazda might be fun and for hobby rally it would be good. In Cali I cant see where the awd would be any advantage for you unless A) your gonna put alot more power thru it or B) (and I dont mean this as a dis)You need the awd to make up for lack of driving skills, which is usually the case..
On a normal daily basis the Mazda would be a more economical car to buy and own. Only at the fringe ,and first 50 of a start would the awd be an advantage.
Just my.02 cents and not meant to offend your skillz,lol

[hatchbackkid82]

Don't forget about torque steer in a high horsepower front wheel drive car. If your going to mod it, it may be hard to get traction after a certain point. You wouldn't have that problem with a AWD. Anyone buying either of these cars is buying them for the performance aspect, but MPG may be lower with the WRX ( the weight of the AWD system)

[detroiter]

I'd have to go with the 2.0 Rspec Hyundai Genesis over both of the cars. The Hyundai might be a bit slower than the MS3 but atleast it's rwd, not wwd (Wrong Wheel Drive).

[why?]

I wouldn't touch the MS3. Yep, it is a cool car, no doubt about that. But the tourque steer is pretty bad. Yes, it is better, but it use to make the car almost undrivable.

Plus, if you want to mod, you simply cannot beat the Subie community. The WRX is not much slower than the STI, and with a few inexpensive mods, it can be made to be much, much faster.

AWD is much, much more than just for bad weather. AWD helps a car handle better in all situations, including 100% dry roads.

In my mind in that price range it is hard to beat the WRX.

[Fenrizwolf]

edited so as not to hijack

[Thirty-Nine]

I just reviewed the MS3. I loved it. Yes, there's a lot of torque steer, but you just gotta hang on! If you don't need or want AWD, then this is a great sport-compact option.

http://www.subcompactculture.com/2010/08/review-2010-mazdaspeed-3-great.html

[why?]

I just reviewed the MS3. I loved it. Yes, there's a lot of torque steer, but you just gotta hang on! If you don't need or want AWD, then this is a great sport-compact option.

http://www.subcompactculture.com/2010/08/review-2010-mazdaspeed-3-great.html

Tourque Steer can be fun as heck once you get used to it. Nothing like flooring the throttle and going sideways for awhile.

Okay, that front view is gross. It should be painted body color at least.

[yaris-me]

How about the FT86. It's coming.

[PETERPOOP]

How about the FT86. It's coming.

This is what i'll be looking at

[henry33]

go for subaru

[toyo]

can't believe you guys prefer mazda over subaru

the sound of that boxer engine every day would make me come so hard lol

[fmicle]

I just got the MS3 last night. All the guys I gave a ride today at work (one owns an Audi S4, another owns a BMW Z4 M and another a BMW 330) said the sounds of the MS3 engine is awesome! It has a deep growl at low RPM that's totally awesome.

And by the way, this car goes, geez; I understand now why they designed the front fascia like that for the 2010 model. That's how my face looks like since last night :smile:

By the way, all the professional reviews I have read, prefer the Mazda over the standard WRX (not the STI, which is $10k more expensive and of course better).

One poor picture taken last night in the garage:
http://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pasxAQDuSi9eVJIsj6Ur4aaHO0zprJOCaqEue4OGQIR7ze11 YeAy9LH8afQXDnh6tb9prIBzBS1vdklE_OzwqJA/IMG_2560.jpg?psid=1

[redglare45]

I hate you!!!...j/k...lol I would want to get my hands on one of these too. Congrats!!! :thumbsup:

You trade in the Yaris?

[fmicle]

Tourque Steer can be fun as heck once you get used to it. Nothing like flooring the throttle and going sideways for awhile.


Yep, I can attest to that :biggrin: It's like whoooooaaaaaa :eyebulge:


Okay, that front view is gross. It should be painted body color at least.


Honestly, I couldn't care less. I like to be inside the car most of the time and the view from there is wonderful :wub:

And from a close-up it doesn't even look bad, it's not matte black, it's more like dark metallic gray and coated. It's very nice :wub:

I'm biased though :wink:

[fmicle]

I hate you!!!...j/k...lol I would want to get my hands on one of these too. Congrats!!! :thumbsup:

You trade in the Yaris?

LOL, join the club, you're not alone, my wife started the hate club, last night :wink:

I got a really good deal (I think), this red one has been sitting on the lot for a few months, so I got it out the door, all fees and taxes included and a LoJack tracking device for under MSRP!!! I got the Tech Package (Push To Start button FTW!!!) They didn't discount the gray and blue ones as much as the red ones, I guess people are scared they would get more speeding tickets. But I really WANTED the red one :smile:

They sold 4 MS3's while I was there last night, waiting for my paper-work and the detailing.

So, for me, it worked out perfectly. They said my credit score was so good, I didn't have to do any down payment, so I took it home last night without having paid a penny. God bless the USA! :thumbup:

I thought about trading in the Yaris, but it's not ready to be sold, I still have the Blitz S/C on and the Konigs and the Tokico's and dealers don't care about that, so their offer was too low for my taste. I'm going to try and sell it myself in a few weeks. Since they gave me the loan without any issues I wasn't forced to sell the Yaris before buying the MS3, as I has originally planned, so now I have time to de-mod the Yaris first and then sell it.

[redglare45]

lol...:biggrin:

Sounds like you got a good deal. MS3 + LoJack + the Tech Pkg...under MSRP, sounds pretty good.

That's true, dealers don't care for mods on trade-ins.

Well man, enjoy the new ride. Zoom-Zoom :burnrubber:

[kimona]

I've always been a Mazda fan, but is there anyting (aftermarket) that can be done about that f***ing ugly grille?

[fmicle]

^ Don't know yet, it's a bit too early for me to be thinking about mods :wink:

[marcus]

heard there is a new front kit for mazda3 n mazdaspeed3 good luck!!




^ Don't know yet, it's a bit too early for me to be thinking about mods :wink:

[Imagine]

Congrats on the MS3! I'm jealous.. Love them!