Well, I unfortunately had to make the switch from a car i've wanted for a long time to the WRX, but surprised about a few things I thought I would share.
With my 370 having the sport package, the brakes and handling feel better on in than on the WRX. The 140 rated tires on the Z also do help with this as well though to try to be fair to the Subaru. Obviously we're not coming it to an STI here.
The WRX's first tank today I filled up equated to a total of 27.3 mpg. I know some may not believe this since it's not rated that high, but do keep in mind the speed limit here is still 55. The Z I have gotten an average of 25.8 total I believe it was, after the exhaust and ART pipes it dropped a few mpg though.... probably because of the tune.
The WRX is more comfortable hands down... the suspension is softer yes, but seats are also very comfortable. This is a big thing for me because of having scoliosis, so any sort of long trips must be taken into consideration when it came to picking a car.
I almost went back the Evo route, but because gas mileage was not as good, and because of the weight of the X's... the WRX seemed like the better choice since it was 6,000.00 less.
Rare.. both the Z and the WRX's are both rare here. Although I did see 1 or 2 Z's within about 30 miles of me. I have seen 0 WRX's.
Power... on a stock for stock basis, obviously the power in the Z is rated higher. I have also read however that the WHP on the WRX's are under rated and that they are within about 10 whp of the STI's. We have guys here that have run 12.9's stock and the same with the WRX.
The tuning potential obviously would go with the Subaru simply because of the turbo and the pretty rich OE set-up that it has. A down pipe, a better top mount IC and a electronic boost control solenoid with a protune will yield around 290-310 or so whp, but the biggest part is that the torque will jump up to 320-330. That's a pretty impressive number. With the almost 2 grand that I spent on my exhaust set-up I could have those numbers. vs. the 20-25 whp that the Z would have given me... just the perks of having a turbo though.
If I wanted my car to handle like a Z or even like my old Evo, it would take sway bars... coilovers and a big brake set-up... and i'm pretty much done with doing all of that kid stuff and with a house and a wife, don't have the money to do it anyway.
The subaru's steering is very ... well easy I guess is the word? It takes VERY little effort to turn the wheel, while the RWD pushes the car more... a little weird to go to from my Z.
Safety I guess is about the same.. the 370 I never could find info on, the Subaru gets 5 stars all around except rollover which is 4. Safety is important for my wife driving around in the car.
Coming from AWD and going RWD was strange... now it feels like I never left. I loved my Z very much and whoever buys it is getting a great car that was well cared for. I will keep the WRX for a long time and hope that the thin paint subaru tends to use holds up well (which is why I opti-coated it
)
Different cars, but anyone would enjoy driving either and any time if they got the chance IMO.