My old 370z vs. my new 2012 WRX
 

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.

GL! :tup:

thx for the comparison!

Cool! Got any pics? I like the hatchbacks.

:werd:

You and I are opposites. I came from a WRX to get a Z :)

i had a WRX back in 02'...was new. :icon17:

:icon18::werd::tiphat:

this is after washing, polishing and adding opti-coat. I HIGHLY recommend opti-coat to anyone with thin or japanese paint.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...u/IMG_4958.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...u/IMG_4954.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...u/IMG_4961.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...u/IMG_4960.jpg

I test drove a WRX abut 10 yrs ago. while it did handle well and had adequate power a compact car. Only having 227hp is just to low and with the turbo there was to much turbo lag to make the car and real fun to drive and with the all wheel drive, it just didn't have any real power.

From transfering from 370z to a WRX, I feel you've taken a step backwards and will regret the change, the WRX simply isn't a sports car, Nissan Altima Sport V6 would have been a better all around car, if you make the choice for more room.

The car simply looks to much like an AWD Toyata Corolla with 2.4 L motor, not any real sports car styling to it.

Now if you are into 4 door, AWD rally cars and tearing up back country dirt roads, then the WRX is a good choice, although I would prefer a 4x4 mini truck, with a good suspension and engine for that type of driving.

my neighbor has this car in the dark grey color. been tryin to get him to let me take it for a spin. nice car good luck with it:tup:

Paint looks great....love the blue!

Sounds like your knowledge of the car is out of date.

It has also never been sold with a 2.4l motor...

and it hasn't had 227 hp for how long either? It's 265/244 tq now. The car really isn't much of a step backwards when 2 grand will have me well about the 370's power levels. You also have the symmetrical AWD which for me is a big plus when you live in a climate that has rain and snow.

dont get too boost happy. subie ringlands and high hp dont get along very well

Looks good. What's a Opti-coat? How much and where to get it done?

Nice car. Enjoy your WRX. Ignore the haters. ;) Some won't be able to understand why you'd want to trade-in a RWD "sports car" for an AWD "econobox". Especially in a Z forum, what'd ya expect? :p I owned a 2005 WRX, and I still miss it from time-to-time. Especially when it snows. :tup:

Seriously though, if you've going to mod, be aware of the warranty implications. While no manufacturer embraces mods, Subaru is especially vigilant about denying claims for modded WRX's. They know that people mod them. At least, that was the big hubbub back in 2005-2007 when I was into the NASIOC scene. Maybe it's different now.

Good luck!

Oh i'm not worried about them... I know the car is a very good car. I'm not planning on going to some super high power level... 300 whp or a little over would be fine and not that expensive to do... but i'm in no rush. Most of the guys on here that give the WRX a hard time are mostly upset because the car... as much as I like the Z, just isn't that fast... not as fast as they would like it to be.

I stand corrected I got the HP from wikipedia and took the lower of the 2 ratings, so its a 2.5 Liter 4 cylinder boxer rated at 224 HP and 265 HP.

Right from the start its down, almost 70hp on a stock 370Z and it has 4 doors, there is really no getting over that.

As you stated you still have drop $2k into it just to get it approaching a 370Z's stock numbers.

If anything you should have went for something that more HP than the 370Z, unless your getting to old to handle a more powerfull car.

I learned a long time ago that once you are spoiled by a more powerfull vehicle, going backwards never really satisfies you.

The only reason I could really see to down size in HP would be to get greater gas mileage, lets say 45-50 mpg.

Face it you went from Catrinel Menghia, to a life with Snooki.

I had the WRX STI Special Edition which came from the factory with Spec C suspension. Did autox and tracked it on a road course and was real happy with how it did "out of the box"

and this right here is your entire problem from the get go... you're an uneducated wannabe gearhead who really knows nothing about cars. The Z has more HP sure... the problem is that 310-315 whp is all you're going to get out of it and about how much wtq? I said 2 grand will get me over 300 WHP while ALL the NA mods on the Z will net you the above numbers... get a clue dude. This wasn't to turn into a who's faster or who has more power. If you come up on a new WRX i'd think twice about running it if I were you... i'll leave it at that.

I've used Opti-Coat, Opti-Coat V2 (a nice improvement), Cquartz and Aquartz and semi permanent coatings are the future in my opinion. The Subie looks great btw! I love seeing clean cars.

It isn't that fast? A 300whp WRX might have the advantage to 60 or slightly above but power/tq starts to drop off at the top end, especially when tuned. From experience, my Z pulled on a cobb stage 2 Sti, even more so in the triple digits where the subie started to struggle. It may feel faster from the additional torque, but the Z is hardly "not that fast". Anything with a 3.7l V6 (w/ minor bolt ons) that can keep up with the likes of an E9X M3 is fast in my opinion.

There's a video on youtube with the Z, the Spec C, I think an Audi maybe and something else... that light goes green and that spec C was GONE lol. They are quick man.

This is a great comparison, thanks. I don't think you mentioned it, but why didn't you look into the STi also?

I considered the STi before getting the 370 because the pricing was so similar and I did kinda want the 4 doors + AWD. But something about the Z just made me pull the trigger. I think it was the push start button :p

The STI is one of those cars that was out of the price range I was looking at... and unless you track the car... you really don't need all the car comes with.

Mine came with the factory SPT exhaust and after a long drive it got rather annoying and would drowned out the audio system. Fit and finish is not as nice as the 370Z IMO. It seemed rather baseline and for $40K it should have been a little more upscale to me. Handling was great on both autocross as well as full track road courses.

I'm not talking Cobb maps here man... i'm talking a protune that's going to give you 15 or more whp than any OTS map. Cobb makes great stuff don't get me wrong, but with all of your mods for instance I need 3 simple, less expensive mods to get about the same power... a downpipe, a thicker top mount IC and a pro-tune.

Thanks for the compliment... yes, I love the opti-coat ... just use the hose to wash the car and that's it... blow it dry, or drive it and you're done lol. Of course now i'll be bored and wish I could polish my car once in a while. Oh well, more time to detail other cars and make a little extra money I suppose.

Interior sucks compared to the Z most defintely... especially for an STI. They really should have done something about that years ago on those and the Evo's as well. My OE exhaust has a nice little growl to it and I don't want anymore tone than that. I'm happy with the car though. I would have kept the Z... my wife and I are going down to 1 car though and I wanted something I could put a few things in if I needed to and wanted to go back to AWD.

Opti-coat is sort of like putting on a sealant or wax... it's a semi permenant coating that nothing will adhere to. When it's fully cured it has a level of 9h on the hardness scale. I read that's about as hard as pencil lead... pretty good. Bugs, tar, etc etc don't stick though.. you use the hose and the stuff just sprays right off. For many it works for 2 years... depending on conditions in your area. I really like it. You can get it pretty much at any auto place... autogeek, etc and can apply it yourself, but you really should polish the paint or have someone do it. 1 syringe of it costs 60.00 and you only need about 15 cc's to do a car. You can do headlights, wheels and plastic as well. The car MUST be cleaned with an alcohol/water wipedown before applying as well. I have a youtube video on it... look it up, you'll see the blue WRX on there.

Sorry to tell you tell you, I have over 35yrs, working on muscle cars, sportscars, all motorcycles, and complete rebuilds and mods on most of them, electronic engineering and. CNC machining. So I don't need the "clue dude ", sounds 13 yrs, old

I miss my Subie at times. I went the reverse of you, going from a 2010 STi to my Nismo.

I came from 2 evos I know what you mean. I just really like being back with the awd but to get the most out of any turbo car... it must be tuned

Very nice pick up! The Suby has a 2.5l boxer motor with 265hp and a turbo, which gives it more potential for future mods. I have an 03 Bugeye WRX with a stage 2 cobb setup for a daily driver and am always thrillled with its performance.

Congrats and enjoy your new ride!!!

Thanks man... it's been a lot of fun so far. I just really enjoy getting into it and just going for a ride for no reason sometimes.

Congrats on your new ride. I love AWD sport sedans like the EVO and STi. Those cars might not evoke the same level of maneuverability but the turbos make for alot of fun. So its all love here. One thing though... why do some of you keep saying the Z isn't fast. I can pull 12.96 quarters on my Z and my mods are mild thus far. I think for a 3.7 v6 that weighs around 3300lbs. Its pretty fast. I can hang with many v8 cars that test me. And the suped up honda guys need more supe to get with me so far... so why do people say the Z isn't fast? I compare the performance to cars under $50k and I think I'm doing good. And if y'all start comparing mustangs. Remember the only engine you can compare it to is mustangs 3.7, or a camaro's 3.6. Again, the Z is doing damn good... but enjoy the whip bro. Stay safe.

hey I am looking into getting a Nismo or a STI, just curious seeing as you have owned both what you liked/disliked about each.

The Z is fast... where people are getting that from is just because these days you have the new mustangs running 12.2 or so? I think that's right. The times are lowering more and more... people forget when the old mustangs were considered "fast" and they would run low to mid 14's. I had an old 03 LX 5.0 and it was a really fun car... but in comparison to one of my old Evo's the 370z... hell even my MS3 was faster in a lot of areas.

You can take a car like the Evo or the STI and get the power and times to much lower levels than the Z because the Z isn't FI... and it's so expensive to do so.

For me? If I know my car can run a 12.5... i'm happy with that. It's fast enough when I need it to be. With all of the NA mods and some of the best drivers on here the best time is 12.2 and that's with gears and all of that. A turbo makes all of the difference.

Modded hondas are just gay ... I don't care if one beats me or not because he's still in a honda and it's still gay. Sorry if anyone here is a honda fan. I think they make great cars... but every SI driver out there thinks he's fast. My Wife and I's 09 MS3 SMOKED an SI stock for stock not long ago and I even missed a shift. It was amusing because he tried his best to get the jump on me lol.

I'm just wondering why (aside from looks) some people go the Nismo route... as I said before... I heard it wasn't any faster than a base 370z and Nissan had that whole issue with the brake pads too. You pay all that money and they put junk pads on it? I don't know if they are still doing it or not though.

Im not gonna lie, that is one of the main reasons i am going towards the NISMO, the looks

It's an expensive route to go for mainly looks man... just saying.