This is disappointing, especially considering that I was very much looking forward to tweaking my turbo thrusters and filtrating my intake system to a R3-SI so I could get that extra umph from the horsepower. I always miss a light near my house and I was hoping that Subaru would provide an economical solution to this so I could shave off a couple seconds from my commute.
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The new WRX STi - or how I learned to hate the current auto market
- Thread starter Cheeto
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TurtleSnatcher
Member
<3 my Mazdaspeed 3.. though technically it isn't competition to the STi..
SnakeswithLasers
Member
How novel.
I like manuals just because they're funner to drive and they offer a little more control. Easier to get a burst when trying to switch lanes during rush hour highway traffic imo, and my two manual cars have been an '89 Bronco II and an '03 Corolla, so trust me, I was in no way trying to pretend to be a racecar driver. :lolCheeto said:
TurtleSnatcher
Member
That's the main reason I got it. Awesome performance for a much cheaper price then the Wrx and Gen Coupe or Z Rally Lancer or Cooper S etc.Cheeto said:
Comes pretty loaded as well too
Actually they've been offering a auto option in Japan with the STi A-line for a few months now.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/24/automatic-equipped-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-a-line-available-in-ja/
Anyhow, I don't mind if the auto makers offer automatic option (they should always be dual-clutch) on sports cars, as long as a manual option remains. It will only help increase ownership of these models and their bottom line. I'd like to imagine great cars like the S2000 would still be around if they offered the option. Many people want the sporty cars, just a lot of people refuse to learn or don't want to deal with it on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, a lot of good cars die early when it's only offered in a stick.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/24/automatic-equipped-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-a-line-available-in-ja/
Anyhow, I don't mind if the auto makers offer automatic option (they should always be dual-clutch) on sports cars, as long as a manual option remains. It will only help increase ownership of these models and their bottom line. I'd like to imagine great cars like the S2000 would still be around if they offered the option. Many people want the sporty cars, just a lot of people refuse to learn or don't want to deal with it on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, a lot of good cars die early when it's only offered in a stick.
Get used to it. Stickshift will be gone soon. Replaced with faster autoboxes. It will be a relief when we no longer have to listen to seventeen year olds mangling their changes at red lights. Or do completely unwarranted downshifts.
I like driving a stick with a nice gearbox, but it's fast becoming a pointless antique.
I like driving a stick with a nice gearbox, but it's fast becoming a pointless antique.
DarkJediKnight
Member
scoobs said:
There is no automatic sports car on the PLANET with a higher resale value than its manual counterpart.
ecnal
Member
as an 05 sti owner, i kind of like the idea that subaru might/will offer an automatic alternative.
sure as hell know i'd like to have an automatic most days in typical road conditions.
and i also like that the newer sti's are hatchbacks. i wish i could just pop open the back of my car and throw my surfboard or bike in
sure as hell know i'd like to have an automatic most days in typical road conditions.
and i also like that the newer sti's are hatchbacks. i wish i could just pop open the back of my car and throw my surfboard or bike in
ecnal said:as an 05 sti owner, i kind of like the idea that subaru might/will offer an automatic alternative.
sure as hell know i'd like to have an automatic most days in typical road conditions.
and i also like that the newer sti's are hatchbacks. i wish i could just pop open the back of my car and throw my surfboard or bike in
The older models had the STI's in hatch and sedan. Also manual and auto.
Cohsae said:
With the "tiptronic" style selectors, you can choose whatever gear you like. The only thing that's automatic is the clutch. A manual Clutch being a primitive and crazy solution to a modern problem.
Right now, most auto clucthes are a hair (or more) slower than their manual counterparts. Some are much faster and more accurate. Eventually this will be the case for ALL shifters, and the only stick shifts left will be legacy junkers built in India and South America.
But even when ALL auto shifters are faster and better, someone here will still claim otherwise.
thesoapster
Member
Anyone who buys a car like that in an automatic deserves to be kicked in the nuts.
N
NinjaFridge
Unconfirmed Member
OuterWorldVoice said:
Soon? It's going to take years before manual goes. Remember, America != The entire world.
And honestly the shit some of you guys say about manula cars is laughable. Have you actually ever been in one?
Call me when these equally-fast auto gearboxes cost the same as their manually counter parts. I should not have to pay more ($1200 for the auto in the Audi S5, $1300 for the auto in the Nissan Z) to get an "equal" experience from a technological standpoint. That's bonkers.OuterWorldVoice said:
Technosteve
Banned
why are you guys focusing on the automatic and not how dumb adding carbon to the impreza is. It's a fucking rally car, they put a fucking quarter inch steel plate on the under body of the car because it's built to fucking launch 5 feet in the air on fucking avalanche conditions.
Mohonky
Member
This in WRC Blue & Gold is the last proper hardcore STi to go into production in my mind. Lightweight, simple and designed to go like a rocket point to point. Every model since has just gotten heavier, chunkier and aimed at a more 'mature' market that wanted comfort and features with their ride.
I do like the hatch, it looks awful in pictures but in person it's a nice looking car, but they aren't the lightweight performance rockets they once were. Subaru have grown up a bit where the Evo's have continued on the slightly more hardcore street.
Also, the more ironic thing is that a paddle-shift automatic gearbox will put you closer to a racing car like the Formula 1 than a manually transmission would. So, no, wanting to drive a manual has nothing to do with wanting to be a racecar driver.
NinjaFridge said:
Probably safe to say I've driven more stick shift cars than you, unless you're a valet.
And everything I said is objectively true, or likely to be true.
Your entire argument appears to be that you like stick better. Which is fair enough, since it's subjective.
I don't see the issue here. It's a limited edition trim for the japanese market only.
Now if you are still butthurt about the Impreza becoming a hatchback, nothing can be done about it. The car is more practical, balanced and puts better numbers all around than its predecessors. More importantly, its selling very well, with recent records for Subaru.
Now if you are still butthurt about the Impreza becoming a hatchback, nothing can be done about it. The car is more practical, balanced and puts better numbers all around than its predecessors. More importantly, its selling very well, with recent records for Subaru.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Cheeto said:
Not every car is the same. An automatic 370Z is faster than a manual 370Z. Teh fuckin shock.
People's perception of modern day automatics is very uneducated. Yes, a lot still suck, but there are tons that are fantastic.
chaostrophy
Member
It must suck in a way to be into cars as an enthusiast. The expensive machines I'm into are cameras and synthesizers...while there are some people who use these things as status objects, it's not all that widespread and the majority of the people who buy the high-end ones either know how to take advantage of them or are seriously interested in learning how to.
But it seems that with cars, the poseur to true enthusiast ratio is really annoyingly high. What exactly does this "wider range of customers" find wrong with a "regular" WRX or a Legacy for that matter, that they would be interested in paying the premium for an STi? Lack of STi badge and associated bragging rights?
But it seems that with cars, the poseur to true enthusiast ratio is really annoyingly high. What exactly does this "wider range of customers" find wrong with a "regular" WRX or a Legacy for that matter, that they would be interested in paying the premium for an STi? Lack of STi badge and associated bragging rights?
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Road course, yup. 1/4 track, nope. The auto will hold the boost.DarkJediKnight said:
Still a stupid decision because Imprezas are made for road courses before drag strips. Disappointing but I'm fine with my 06 WRX for now.
reilo said:
I don't think Manuals need to be phased out, people like them, but because they're inherently more complex than autos and because economies of scale and technology will win out, they will go away.
My main argument is that they are not by logic, faster. Right now, manual boxes change (when operated by a skilled driver) faster than their auto counterparts. But this is already changing - F1 boxes are often quoted, but there are fast consumer shifters now too. And bluntly, it's not like most drivers shift properly to begin with, which is why there is a large transmission repair industry, and why half the stick shifts you hear are mangled or mistimed (everyone on gaf of course, is a master rally driver, and shifts like robot Colin MacRae - heaven forbid that anyone here is a shitty driver).
Right now they are cheaper to make, but that's changing. When auto clutches in consumer cars inevitably beat manual changes - even the hand-eye speed of hand-to-paddles will make the stick slower (and more dangerous and inconvenient, since hands are off the wheel - the main reason F1 moved to paddles).
My personal preference is irrelevant. Sticks will go away, except perhaps in collector and retro cars and kits. Let's call it 20 years - but in that time - a lot of gasoline systems will go away too, in the US at least - and gearing is going to change more dramatically than the shift between auto clutch and manual.
I don't particularly want them to take away your toy, but they are going to. Clock is ticking.
Stick fans just like them. Which is fine. Convertibles aren't pratical either, but nobody is suggesting they should go away.
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