Again – total budget is 40-45K
Option 1 – A single Swiss Army Knife car (Thanks to GD for this fitting category name)
Potential Candidates
- New Subaru WRX265
- New BMW 328 xDrive or xDrive Touring
- New Audi A4 2.0T Quattro
- New Mitsubishi Lancer EVO or Sportback Ralliart
- Certified used Audi S4
- Certified used Mazdaspeed 6
- Buy out the lease on my current ’08 WRX
Option 2 – 2 dedicated purpose vehicles - 1 utility/winter vehicle, 1 sports/summer vehicles
Potential Candidates (Utility/Winter vehicle)
- Toyota Highlander or Rav4 (used)
- Honda CRV (used)
- Used mid-sized 4x4 Truck
- Subaru Impreza (new or used)
- Suzuki SX4 (new or used)
- Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage (new)
Potential Candidates (Sports/Summer vehicle)
- Honda S2000 (used)
- Porsche Boxster/Cayman or an older 911 (used)
- BMW Z4 (used)
- Nissan 350/370Z Coupe or roadster (used)
- BMW 328i sedan or coupe (used)
- Hyundai Genesis Coupe (new)
With 6 months remaining on my lease, I started the test drives this evening. I took the 2010 WRX out for a quick spin after work. It was interesting to compare my current 08 WRX to the newest WRX offering.
The 2010 model is better...much better
The thing that jumped out most for me was the changes made to the suspension. It is substantially stiffer than the 08 but yet it's still quite compliant over Ottawa's rough streets. The 10 car feels more connected, much less dive, squat, and roll. Yet, I see why some 09+ buyers write they would like the suspension even stiffer.
The turbo changes made to the 09+ WRX engine were also very apparent. At the lower revs I didn't feel much difference compared to the 08. However, as the tach sweeps towards 4K rpm the new engine becomes a different animal. I pulls hard right to upper reaches of the rpm range. In the older engine you feel that wave of torque tail off a little above ~5500rpm. I definitely prefer the engine response in the new car. Plus...it's noticeably faster.
