last gen STI vs. new WRX vs. Corolla GR vs. Evo??
 

Hey guys i'm getting married next year and planning to try for kids shortly after so its coming time for a 4 door car. Car will be a daily that gets also used for canyon runs, autox, and possibly some track days down the road. I don't drive tons lately since i work from home most days, but i do some back and forth driving between San Diego and Los Angeles every month or so and also like having something I can drive to the mountains for weekend trips, etc.

I have a first gen BRZ that is pretty dialed in at this point (kw coils, stage 2 uel/tune, good wheels/tires, project mu pads). Its been my daily for 5+ years and very reliable. Love the driving experience even though its not exactly "fast." I would love to have a comfy daily and keep the brz as a weekend car and throw on a supercharger but doesn't really work for me financially.

I have always wanted a WRX or STI since i was a kid. Unfortunately the STI is gone from the world now and the WRX looks ugly until you mod the fenders lol. I do like that the new WRX is getting the FA24 with a little more torque and a less laggy turbo, hate the tradeoff through that its twin-scroll and not ideal with a UEL so the sound will never be the same as old ones. The limited trim looks like it runs around $32k and you don't get the recaros/ultrasuede because you can't get it with the stick. Also probably going to spend the money right away to get paint matched fenders because its the only thing that saves the styling of the car. i would give the new seats a chance, but i always wanted the recaros. the seats in the new WRX don't look as good as the seats i have now in my BRZ limited (which i really like)

a lightly used low mile STI (if there is such a thing) is around the same price, though you lose the warranty of a new WRX. You get the trick differential, the brembos, the good seats, better tuned suspension/steering, and the EJ25 which is a blessing and a curse as we all know. it makes a little bit more power than the fa24, the UEL sound, and of course the documented possible reliability issues, but a very robust aftermarket. From what i understand the 2019+ STIs have the type RA mods with some forged internals that are hopefully a bit more reliable. Buying a 2020 or something will probably still have some warranty left if i were to buy one. finding a decent used STI is always a challenge. The plus side is the resale/depreciation stays pretty good, especially if this is the last gas-powered STI ever. having the older infotainment system and slightly worse gas mileage is something that matters but not a dealbreaker.

Corolla GR checks a lot of the boxes... its more "hardcore" than a base WRX and more like the STI in terms of how its set up for handling, AWD with the vectoring differential, good seats, etc. the hatch is also a big plus. love the toyota reliability. obviously nobody has driven one yet but they look really promising from a performance standpoint. i like the looks but i don't love them. Also im undecided whether or not i like the 3-cylinder.


what are you guys' thoughts? anyone else test driven new WRX vs old STI? I want something daily-able, but don't want to be missing having a sportscar every time i drive. will modding a newer WRX get an STI-like feel without voiding the warranty or do you just gotta do the work and get an older one?

(btw, not considering Type R, GTI, Veloster N, etc. because i don't like FWD when driving hard personally)

Keep in mind that in today's car market you might not be able to get the car you want, especially not for MSRP. This is particularly true for the GR Corolla with potential zero availability in the coming years.

This might have a bigger impact on your decision than the actual car preference, especially with a hard deadline of getting married and having kids. If you can only get the Corolla in 3 years or pay an extra $10,000 for it to get it in a year, would it still be on your radar? Same applies for most other cars (new and used).

Finally, as a parent I can say that giving away the fun car is not always necessary. Yes, newborns take a lot of passenger and cargo space, but the car situation greatly depends on how many cars you have, where and when you drive the child(ren) and how much are you willing to sacrifice to keep a car you like. Also, it's often cheaper to buy a compact car seat or stroller (even if it adds up to $1,000 or more) than buying a different car.

I would say, to make as simple as possible, is to chose whatever vehicle is more appealing to you. Is the new WRX a car you'll stare back as you walk away, or one that you'll look for the most isolated parking spot and make sure no one is looking so you can get out of it. If the latter is the case, get the latest year on which the STi was released.



Either Subaru is bound to give you some sort of problems, is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.



Golf R is around the same price and you get a practical vehicle. Can't speak for reliability but should be comparable in terms of fun.



The cheaper option, is to keep your twin, and get a random Sedan for the kid hauling, trips, errands. Mazdas are relatively cheap, safe, reliable, and family friendly.



GR Corolla is all the hype, so availability will be scarce.

Yeah the GR corolla is definitely the best on paper (especially if it ends up in the same price range) but if i'm remembering right theres only going to be like 5,000 built in the first year so it really might not be realistic. I'm on Toyota's mailing list for it and i could probably put a deposit down if they ask for one but its not going to be that simple probably.

i also really like the mazda 3, just wish the turbo option came with stick. golf R is a cool car to me but a little bit too buttoned down. if ford was still doing the Focus RS i would definitely cross shop it.

believe me definitely thought about it, but i just don't want to deal with reaching back into my smaller 86 with a baby every single day. one car seat can work in a brz for a while, but if you ever have a second kid (and they gotta stay in car seats/boosters until age 8 in my state) its just going to blow it up. we also have two dogs.... two dogs is perfect for a BRZ, just as long as you don't have any humans back there lol.

I was aiming more at the common scenario where there is a family car in addition to the fun car, and you rarely take the baby in the fun car (and if you do it's only a driver plus baby so you can sacrifice the front passenger seat, for example). It does depend on your car situation and particular needs, but if you're working from home and can use the family car for kid duties keeping the BRZ might work.

I have 3 kids and take them in my BRZ to school and activities. I find that the Goldilocks zone for kids in a Twin is 3-12 - old enough to be front facing and easy to manage (and the older siblings buckle themselves with the seat belt in a booster seat) but not too big yet to be a tight squeeze. It does depend on the size of the driver and the size of the kids, though.

For me, the Corolla GR would be the ideal car. It's AWD, manual, turbo 3, and a hatchback. But I'm 100% certain it will be a unicorn till it's eventual discontinuation. Add insane inflation into the mix and you got a recipe for a near impossible car to obtain. However, I feel the demand for the Corolla will cause people to flock from the new WRX. And while it's basically fuck ugly compared to the previous generation, it does have a charm to it. And I would use those factors to get a better deal. So for me I'd probably go for the WRX solely because it will be more obtainable. But then again, I won't be in the market till Dec. 2023.

Honestly if you put a deposit now you'd probably have to wait at least a year and a half to get one (once its actually on sale).

I notice that almost all of your choices are AWD, yet you live in southern CA, to which I ask "why do you want AWD?" If the reason is just because you're considering hatchbacks (which are otherwise only FWD) I understand. But have you considered a RWD sedan? Perhaps an Chevy SS or lightly used BMW 340i (E90 or F80) 6sp?

Dollar for dollar (and not knowing the released price yet), I suspect this will be on par with the launch price of the Focus RS (ballpark $40k). If this is the case, I think it's too bad because the WRX is still a major value. That said, the new WRX is fugly.

Sound-wise, I think the Corolla GR sounds awesome.

prior to the brz i was driving a fwd hot hatch (volvo c30 r with a turbo 2.5). It was a fun car but after being in the brz for the last 5+ years i really enjoy RWD type dynamics a lot more than FWD. I know AWD cars like the WRX don't exactly handle like a RWD car, but much closer and much less understeery. theres just a lot more fun to be had when you're driving the rear wheels, at least for me.

rwd sedans were on the radar for me but other than an m340i or m3 (both out of my price range) nothing was really appealing to me in terms of having a light, dynamic sportscar type feel, and most options aren't really available with a stick anymore. to be honest with you my ideal next car would be something like an RX8 - a proper sports car with four doors. unfortunatley the RX8 isn't really a dailyable car at this point given age and reliability, but if they released an RX9 with suicide doors tomorrow i would be the first one at the dealership.

An often overlooked option is the Genesis G70. It came with a manual with the 2 liter turbo engine and is pretty nice to drive. I test drove one before buying the BRZ and quite liked it. Sadly they offered the manual only for a few years (I think 2020 and 2021) and in very small amounts so finding one is probably tough.

This reminded me. Kia Stinger.

Forget about the GR. If markups and long wait times don't put you off the fact that it's a FIRST Model Year should! Look at the the Gen2 Twins or the Focus RS.
We've had six Subarus and three were STi's. I've read all the bad reports but really I don't get it. I drove the shite out of my 2006 for 13 years and loved every minute of it. I haven't spoken with the present owner lately but last I heard he was loving it with no major problems. The wife only had her 2011 hatch for 4+ years before getting her 2016. She's had the sedan now going on 6 years and again, no problems.
As always, YMMV

As mentioned GR Corolla will be hard to get if you’re not paying a premium.

Also take a look at the size of a Corolla Hatch and see if you’re okay with it. It’s very cramped in the rear and if you’re a tall person the rear will be even more cramped and may not even fit a car seat without the back of the seat touching it.

The Latest WRX is a nice refinement over the previous Gen. Great space and drives well. Probably not as raw as GR Corolla or STI.

Sadly those are auto only.

The drivetrain in the GRC is almost identical to that found in the GR Yaris, which has been on sale for a few years. And this is Toyota we're talking about. I'd be more worried about a meteorite hitting me while driving, than a Toyota engineered engine failing on me. :thumbup: