2010 SI coupe vs 2011 WRX hatch vs 2012 SI sedan

mongoose221

mongoose221

Well-Known Member
406
179
middletown, NY
As per requested from Webby, I'm copying over my personal comparison/review of these 3 vehicles. I've owned all 3, started with the 2010 coupe, a year later went to a 2011 wrx hatch thinking I'd love it, and did at first, but after a few months I thought I made a mistake, and a year and a half later I decided to go back to an SI, this time a 2012. These 3 cars tend to be compared a lot and cross shopped, so this may help some prospective buyers.

Here's my thoughts on each of them:

If I were to compare the three (2010 coupe, 2011 wrx hatch, and my incoming 2012 sedan) on a basis of 0-10, with 10 being best, 0 being worst, FOR THEIR PRICE (ie. giving a wrx 10/10 for acceleration is 10/10 for the price bracket) it would look something like this:

2010 Si Coupe:
styling - 8/10 (subjective)
comfort - 7/10 (seat/steering wheel position)
interior ergonomics - 8.5/10 (everything was in great position, lots of console storage)
handling (daily driving/normal) - 8.5/10
handling (back roads/fast) - 8.5/10
acceleration - 7/10
shifting/clutch - 10/10
comfort features - 7/10 (sunroof/stereo system/etc)
utility/usage - 5/10 (narrow trunk opening, narrow passthrough, horrible to get items/people into and out of rear seat)
maintenance/cost of upkeep -9/10 (again this is for THIS price bracket of small sporty cars)
total: 78.5 / 100

2011 WRX hatch:
styling - 9/10 (subjective)
comfort - 5.5/10 (steering wheel is meh, suspension is rock hard and uncomfortable)
interior ergonomics - 7/10 (solid reach for everything, but zero storage)
handling (daily driving/normal) - 7/10 (felt heavy in normal driving)
handling (back roads/fast) - 9/10 (AWD is sticky as fawk)
acceleration - 10/10 (NOTHING under 30k comes close)
shifting/clutch - 5/10 stock (7/10 modified short shifter/bushings) stiff and difficult to shift, poor clutch uptake and too heavy
comfort features - 3/10 (no sunroof, AWFUL stereo, no fogs, poor interior lighting options, seats were meh)
utility/usage - 10/10 (hatchback versatility, AWD)
maintenance/cost of upkeep - 6/10 (expensive oil changes, expensive maintenance, awful gas mileage)
total: 71.5 / 100

2012 Si sedan (these numbers are gleaned from 150 miles so far and other reviews online)
styling - 8.5/10 (personally i think the 9th gen is a visual upgrade from the 8th, subjective though)
comfort - 7.5/10 (0.5 point upgrade for improved headroom from coupe)
interior ergonomics - 8.5/10 (i liked where everything was, though has less sorage than the 8th gen, but improved visibility and I love the new gauges/display screens)
handing (daily driving/normal) - 8.5/10
handling (back roads/fast) - 8.5/10 (going with same #'s, feltgood on test drives, and reviews say its about equiv to 8th gen)
acceleration - 8/10 (smoother than my 8th by 100% in daily driving. I miss the hard VTEC crossover with the scream, but according to most website reviews the 9th is a good 0.25-0.5 sec faster to 60mph, which is neglicable in a butt dyno)
shifting/clutch 10/10 (id go higher if i could haha)
comfort/features - 8/10 (same as previous civic, though the i-mid is a nice change, the bluetooth after 3 days is 10000% better than the one in my WRX, my girlfriend and my friend couldn't even tell I was on bluetooth, before they'd complain I sounded robotic)
utility/usage - 8/10 (4 doors and a trunk ftw)
maintenance/cost of upkeep - 9.5/10 (giving a 0.5 upgrade over 8th gen due to the slight fuel econ increase)
total: 85/100

overall solid upgrade, and yes it's a speed compromise from my WRX, but I know I'm going to love it, and have no regrets so far, about to go on a 400+ mile round trip 2 day vacation to lake George, so I'll be getting a solid amount of driving in the next couple of days, and if any changes arise I'll let you know.
 
Nice comparison. My older brother wants to get a 2011 wrx for utility and for all-season use (mainly for snowboarding). His rx8 is useless during late fall til early spring. LOL. He's still debating though about the car choices.
 
I'm not sure, but around PA and upstate NY. Last time he went was at Washington State.
 
idk I've had an 06 Si and my brother had a '10 WRX and I enjoyed the suspension in the WRX way more. And the clutch was way more comfortable. Also the seats were on par, maybe just a bit less comfortable (a 0.5/10 difference) than the Si, that had great seats. The Si (stock) had way worse handling than the WRX (stock) though. I say this without hesitation.

But, it's all personal preference on that jazz though! The Civic definitely beat the WRX on features though. Especially the stereo. I don't really listen to music so it never bothered me.

Good write up though!
 
bugeyes ftw : O
i also reviewed a 2011, they did some suspension changes from 10 to 11.
i also did state that at the limit, the wrx suspension was definitely tighter, but in everyday driving it felt heavier to me, and it was rough.
are you comparing it to your 8th gen or to a 9th gen also? because even those feel different.
i just got back from a weekend trip to lake george (about 4 hours each way) and i'll tell you what, it was so smooth and comfortable in my 9th SI. even my girlfriend acknowleged she's glad i got it a couple of days ago, because her and her son would have been in rough shape if it was my old WRX (and she's a car freak, loves cars fast and loud, was wary f my decision bot definitely is on board now)
 
06 si is 8th gen; same as '10 si.
If I were taking my child (assuming a toddler? but really this applies any kid under 9 or 10) on a road trip, I would have to have a smoother, quieter ride than a wrx, that's for sure! Personally though, I enjoyed the stiffer more responsive suspension of the WRX.

I haven't been in a 9th gen yet but I've heard nothing but good things
 
they're definitely nice man!!
yeah the 06-11 are the same save for a couple of cosmetic changes (and the 09+ has the USB dongle, and has the fixed 3rd gear issue from the factory)
and i meant the 10-->11 WRX was where they made the suspension changes and made it tighter : )
 
just wanted to throw some input in here.
i was averaging between 18-22mpg in my WRX per tank (mostly highway/mixed driving)
the long trip i took it down to cape may (3.5 hours of highway) with some traffic netted me about 25-26mpg on the trip there and back

this weekend i took my new SI (before it was broken in, hit 400 miles on the top half of the trip, woot) and averaged 37mpg for the trip on the way up (windows half down, sunroof open)
i averaged 35.3mpg on the return trip (AC on) for a 3.5hours highway each way (roughly the same as cape may) though it was higher in the mountains and 85-90 degrees this trip, vs sea level and 75 degrees for the cape may trip. we also hit some stop-go traffic for about 40 minutes outside albany on both the way up and the way back on this trip

i'm infinitely pleased with my gas mileage already, and it further solidifies my decision

just doing some simple napkin math:
190 miles each way x2 = 380 miles round trip
civic = 380 / 37 = 10.27gallons = $4.05 per gallon (3.99 at a half tank fillup up there, 4.10 down here, so i averaged) * 10.27 = $41.59 in gas for the trip
wrx = 380 / 25.5 (my long trip avg) = 14.91 gallons = $4.05 per gallon * 14.91 = $60.40 in gas for the trip had i used the wrx
60.40 - 41.59 = $18.81

so TLDR version? i saved almost $20 on my road trip already, and i average about 350 or so miles per week, and so far i'm getting 32.1mpg on daily driving vs 18-22 in my wrx so, the gap will be roughly $20-$30 saved per week in gas in the long run, which makes me smile : )
 
I disagree with some of your WRX perceptions. Yes the ride and suspension is harder/stiffer than other cars but most other cars are not ready for racing (road track, auto-x, rally) right from the dealer. When the WRX is driven for what is was designed, it's hard to beat. Yes the interior is plain and plasticy and the car has a severe lack of sound deadening but again i think it was designed as such to make the car quicker by not adding additional weight

As for the back roads, put on some star specs tires and then you'll know sticky. The stock tires on the WRX, while good at 280 tread wear, are meh in comparison


-Keith
'11 WRX (31k mi) & '99 2.3CL (41k mi)
 
what are you disagreeing with keith?
i said the suspension is harder/stiffer, which you agreed with... and my subjective perception was that i disliked that stiffness/harshness personally for everyday use... other than the fact that i thought it "felt heavy" which is personal feel... i said i preferred the SI for everyday driving, i never stated it "handled better" at the limit and such
and like you said, "wrx driven for what it was designed for" which for me, i didn't need that, i thought it's what i wanted, but it was too harsh and unforgiving in everyday driving for my personal preference

i'm just saying, you may disagree with my opinion, and feel that for everyday use your WRX suits your needs, but to me it didn't, so i'm still not sure what else you are disagreeing with good sir, because in the end the SI is a comfortable daily driver with a sporty, quick, fun daily driver with decent trackability, while the WRX is a fast, sporty, quick fun to drive track car with decent everyday driveability/livability for most. I think they both fall in the "compromise section" of the market, with the WRX leaning more towards the track side (less comfortable, more performance) and the SI leaning more towards the daily driver/back road warrior side (more comfortable/ammenities, less performance)
both are great cars, as i stated above, and each person wants something different out of a vehicle, and for me, the WRX didn't meet my personal preference in the long run
 
If you want better mileage on the WRX get an access port asap.

On my 04 STi with economy tune I got 24-27 in the city and 30-35 on the highway (actually 34.8 was the best average MPG I got on highway)

And then switch it over to a fun tune when you get to the backroads >:)

My 00 2.5 RS only got 20-23mpg anywhere, and it was dumb slow compared to a wrx. Best handling car I've ever owned though.
 
my wrx had a cobb intake, invidia catback, process west TMIC, step colder plugs, and an accessport dyno tune
which surprisingly increased the MPG from the stock one
and i'm also not sure if they include economy tune on the 09+ AP (i never checked)
and yeah the 2.5rs was slow as hell, although the '00 was a snazzy body =D
 
Hahha, I dont know where I was going with that, maybe the number ratings. :)


-Keith
'11 WRX (31k mi) & '99 2.3CL (41k mi)
 
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