Just drove the '13 v 2015 WRX STI, much confused

"CallMeTURBO" (callmeturbo)
06/23/2014 at 18:46 • Filed to: Subaru WRX STI

Okay so heres some backstory: I went and drove the 2015 STI at the dealership yesterday. My best friend bought a 2013 STI (Stock except for the sport exhaust, Limited, about 10k miles) about 4 months ago because he didn't really like the look of the new one. I told him the new one was supposedly better as far as chassis went but I couldn't say for sure cause I hadn't driven either.

Yesterday I decided to change that. I took it for a short test drive yesterday, didn't really get to spend as much time in it as I wanted to because the salesman had another customer waiting.

Convinced my friend this morning to go with me in his '13 so I could get a look at both of the cars side by side, as well as his input.

Just like yesterday I was really impressed with the '15 because it just seemed more composed than his in every way. Less turbo lag, Little to no body roll in the corners, the steering was direct and the chunky new steering wheel made it easy to point the car wherever you want and pick up feedback, also surprisingly easy to control throttle inputs even in Sport Sharp too. Interior felt more put together and had less cabin noise as well. Seemed pretty cut and dry, right?

Wrong, because then I stepped out of the '15 and into his '13 for the ride home.

It just felt way more powerful basically everywhere in the RPM range, literally pull you back into your seat whereas the '15 just felt like it was gathering speed relatively quickly. Now remember this 2013 is completely stock, limited trim, with the sports exhaust and ~10k miles vs the standard 2015 ~200 miles ('13 on 93 octane, don't know about the '15) Also noticed that the 2015 was never making more than 11 PSI of boost.

My question is why does the 2015 feel so much less powerful than the 2013 even though the former has the identical engine to the latter, only with better (read: Newer) turbos.

Is it because maybe the dealer didn't put premium fuel into it? Why didn't the boost go past 11psi in the '15 (my friend says he usually makes around 14 or 15 psi in his) Or does the fact that the '13 has had more time to break its engine in so its making the correct power? Or does the sports exhaust actually make the car feel that much more powerful?

-Me and him are just a bit confused about this because I think he is considering trading in and trading up because of the new chassis and while his still is very much a new car, but he was a bit off put by how much less powerful it felt. And once I got the chance to drive it I could really see what he meant, so hopefully one of you can tell me what it means

DISCUSSION (24)

MPA > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:53

What are the torque #s for both? The 2.5 in the '13 should produce more.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:53

Fuel could a bit of it, car break in too. I think turbos take a little bit of time to break in. Exhaust could also change the feel. It is probably a bit of all three but it could just have a bit less braaaaaaaap.

offroadkarter > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:54

Maybe the car has a break in period where it limits boost until X amount of miles or your first dealer servicing? Lots of new performance cars are like that now

E92M3 > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:55

I think its because of the exhaust. Cars with intakes and/or exhaust usually feel faster than a stock version because of the noise.

N51fanatic > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:55

I bet its becuase the chassis/interior is more refined, more sound deading, better materials. So the older gen feels faster becuase its more raw.

Arben72 > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 18:55

Your friends sti is used, who knows what the last owner did to it. It might be tuned, also there's a good chance the dealer used regular too. Also noise can make a car feel faster. Stock for stock the '15 should be faster.

CallMeTURBO > MPA
06/23/2014 at 19:00

well i looked up specs for both and its the same 2.5 engine, 305 hp and 290 lb/ft of torque for both. Dont know where in the range they both make the torque though

revrseat70 > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 19:01

That sounds to me like the car cutting timing and boost because of low grade fuel or a bad batch. The only system I've heard of that lowers the boost in those is the boost select or economy maps on an accessport tuner. Most of these '15's are making far more power than the previous gen. (Like Stage 1 power from the factory) I might say that the more beefy power band might feel like its coming on slower and therefore less exciting (this is why I think LS motors are boring), but my answer changed due to your experience of seeing over 5 pounds less of max boost pressure.

CallMeTURBO > Arben72
06/23/2014 at 19:02

well he bought it when it only had like 400o miles on it, and were pretty sure it was repoed back to the same dealership right before he bought it, basically just stock except for the exhaust.

and yeah the 15 was definitely more muted than the 13 and i know it should be faster, but back to back and with both of us having a go in each the 13 just felt more.

revrseat70 > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 19:03

The '15's are underrated. Dyno results are yielding around 330 hp at the flywheel now.

CallMeTURBO > E92M3
06/23/2014 at 19:04

fair point, my 99 si did feel like it breathed a lot better with a cold air, didn't realize how much of a difference it could feel like it made tho

CallMeTURBO > N51fanatic
06/23/2014 at 19:06

i thought that as well when he was driving it and talking about it feeling less powerful, then i actually drove his and it felt like it was being held back. Im thinking it just might be the combination of the things

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > offroadkarter
06/23/2014 at 19:07

Or it's use X amount of boost or void your warranty.

sketchcat > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 19:41

"seats" and the often used word "effortless"

The seats in the '15 had your whole body cupped like my balls at the Butterfly Spa, and the seat cushion didn't have 2+ years of butt weight and farts pressed into it.

a good seat makes a huge difference.

... and how many times was the word "effortless" used in recent reviews of the '15?

My recent spin in a '15 taught me the meaning of that word.

Cant testify to the boost number, but i will jump on the low octane gas bandwagon as well.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > CallMeTURBO
06/23/2014 at 21:06

The quieter cabin might play a role. Obviously not the whole problem, but we enthusiasts like noise. I know that was one of the weird things about driving a 14 Taurus. Not a SHO just a Taurus. I know it's a faster car than my Civic, but it just felt slower because of it;'s size and the very quiet cabin.

WRX Curve > CallMeTURBO
06/25/2014 at 14:07

If you're only getting 11lbs of boost, there's a problem. I own a 2015 STi and my max boost is 17.6lbs. My handling on my 2015 is greatly improved over my 2012. The rear end of the car now feels much more composed than my 2012 did and torquesteer has almost been completely eliminated by going to a 13:1 steering ratio over the 15:1 in previous STIs, as well as the addition of torque/brake vectoring. The 2015 is 0.2 seconds slower in 0-60 times by the addition of 60lbs. of weight compared to the 2011-2014 models, but the increases in handling performance are well worth it. There's been a 40% increase in body stiffness and more than a 16% decrease in body roll over previous STIs and it shows. You won't feel all of this in a 10-minute test drive. Buy one, go beyond the 1000-mile break in, and I promise you'll feel a difference.

WRX Curve > WRX Curve
10/14/2014 at 16:15

I know this is an old topic, but check out Jeff Perrin's blog covering everything 2015 STi including some interesting dyno results.

http://blog.perrinperformance.com/author/jeff-pe…

ChrisSTI > CallMeTURBO
12/21/2014 at 02:49

I just bought a 2015 STI and it put out 17.8 psi. I am a little nervous about driving the car hard during the break in but the dealer said it was fine.

ChrisSTI > WRX Curve
12/21/2014 at 02:50

did you take it easy the first 1000 miles or so? The dealer told me to drive the car the way I am going to drive it. So I have been, which is hard.

WRX Curve > ChrisSTI
12/23/2014 at 01:24

Yes, I absolutely took it easy. Turbo'd cars can be finicky, so I wasn't taking chances. I've since had the opportunity to put her on the track and she hasn't skipped a beat since. The break-in was worth it in my opinion.

CADURE > CallMeTURBO
05/08/2015 at 09:11

Very tight motors prior to break in. FWIW, the 2015 2.5L is showing about 20 HP more max than the previous iterations on the dyno.

fdesalvo > CallMeTURBO
07/16/2015 at 14:32

Old post...if you were riding shotgun in your friend’s 13, then there’s your answer. Every car feels faster when you aren’t controlling it.

CallMeTURBO > fdesalvo
07/16/2015 at 18:02

No I’ve driven his car a few times and was allowed to give it the beans.

Wouldn’t do an apples to oranges comparo

We’ve figured by now it was because the boost controller keeps the psi lower for the break in period. I've driven another since and it feels much quicker

Skeeter281 > CallMeTURBO
10/16/2015 at 15:18

I had a 2010 hatch that was stock. “Felt” much faster than my 15 STi. Like totally different. I would let a couple of well trusted friends drive my ‘10 in S# and the car was a BEAST. ‘15 seems much more tame for some reason. Never had my ‘10 dyno’d so don’t have numbers to compare but I never felt like I “needed” more power with that car. With my ‘15, I’m looking to mod it to get it to feel as fast as my ‘10.

I thought maybe it was because I was living in NY and had 93 octane and now I’m in CA and have 91 octane. Some knowledgable racing friends said it shouldn’t make THAT big of a difference. I had to try so I even used a calculator and mixed E85 with 91 to create 93 octane, felt pretty much the same as with 91 octane so that isn’t the issue.

I have had the EXACT same experience. One other thought is the car seems a lot more solid, less cheaply put together now whereas the previous felt more of a bare bones, generic interior. Maybe it’s added weight that has slowed the car down.

Still love my ‘15 overall but disappointed when I compare it to how awesome it felt to drive my ‘10 hatch STi.