- 376
- GTP_Reikro
This test was conducted using a DFP wheel. Please note that all cars were equipped with N2 tires and all driver assist systems turned off. Straight line times are the best time of three runs and lap times is the best time of five laps at the chosen circuit.
The Basics:
Price (Cr.), Power (Bhp/rpm) and Torque (Lb ft/rpm)
Subaru WRX STi Version VI
Price: 20, 00 (approx.)
Power: 276/6500
Torque: 260/4000
BMW M Coupe
Price: 50, 00 (approx.)
Power: 321/7400
Torque: 258/3250
Wide arched and with a long bonnet. That is the simplest way to describe the look of the BMW waiting in the shade of the testing facility car park. From the front it looks just like any M Roadster, and basically it is, but not as we know it Jim. Step to the side, and the looks change drastically. Yes it still has that beautifully curvaceous long bonnet, but where you would normally find a conventional boot you now find a hatch. That is why BMW cut of the rear wings of an M Roadster and put on a proper roof, turning it into the M Coupe. The styling is debatable, but I love it. Its definitely more interesting to look at than the Roadster, and in the black of our example, it exudes menace. But of course styling wasnt the main reason for putting a roof on, the chassis already proved it capable of handling the power, but the Roadster would still suffer from the inherent handicap of its open-top design. The addition of the roof not only improves handling but also drastically increases the tortional rigidity. The BMW is so eye-catching that I dont really notice the Impreza parked next to it until I actually cast my attention on it. Like the BMW, the Subaru is, to a much lesser extent, slightly unusual in that it only has two doors. Meet the Impreza WRX STi type R Version VI, basically a two door version of the STi 4-door sedan. Where the BMW is unique and individual, the Impreza is, well its an Impreza. That means you still get that rally car for the road look, chin spoilers, flared wheel arches and a rear wing which is almost OTT and in-your-face like the image of the rest of the car. It has to be said though that the dark blue hue of our one here is rather tasteful and works very well with the STi gold alloys. Overall it is much less garish than the ever popular Sonic Blue Imprezas. Right, enough looking, lets start driving.
The Subaru is at the line, the engine throbbing at the beat of that oh so familiar boxer sound. Green light and the car catapults of the line, 60 arrives in 5.4sec, 100 quickly follows at 13.5. That was pretty easy. Being four-wheel-drive, all you need to do is pile on maximum revs and dump the clutch. With no energy wasted on wheelspin, fast times is almost guaranteed, that is if your clutch lasts long enough. Top gear acceleration is pretty impressive as well, 50 70 taking just 4.9sec. These times are going to be hard to beat, nevertheless the BMW awaits the green light. I knew the M Coupe wouldnt beat the Imprezas time, but to take 7.2sec to get to 60 is frankly embarrassing. The 0 100 time of 15.3sec is hardly class leading either. I had a few tries to get the time down, but modulating between too much wheelspin and the engine bogging down isnt easy. Maybe its not the car, but the ability of the meat in the seat to extract proper times. Luckily the 50 70 time of 6.7sec is more respectable. Even though the maximum speed is much higher than the Imprezas, 154mph vs. 171mph, I still feel the BMW is in for a hiding on the track.
After a rather agreeable lunch, we head off to the picturesque Autumn Ring racetrack. This track has everything, from two tight hairpins, a very tricky right-left-right section and a long uphill lefthander. As its the Impreza that set the fastest acceleration times we let it loose first on the track to set a benchmark lap time. Now I have to own up I have never liked Imprezas to the same extent that I like its arch rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Mainly due to the fact that while it has always been safe and vice-free, its understeery nature has always left me somewhat cold. Not so with the STi type R. It has a trick adjustable centre differential, allowing the driver to adjust how much torque can go to the rear wheels up to a maximum of 65 percent. Doing so transforms the handling, alright the nose still feels like it can do with a bit more bite, but at least you have more options than the usual boring understeer. Accelerating hard out of a tight corner sees the back end tweaking out at the exit, while at the longer bends a lift of the throttle will eliminate understeer, allowing you to get back hard on the power sending the car into a very gentle sideways drift. Of course if you want to be a complete hooligan you can, with the help of a Scandinavian flick, throw the car into corners at what seems to be impossible angles. A word of warning though, your neck might take some strain as you need to look almost out of the rear window to see where you are going, before winding off the opposite lock and carry on your merry way to the next corner. For a fast lap time we need a gentler approach. And that is where the Subaru still shows its faults. Turn-in still isnt as sharp as Id hoped, and the nose still feels glassy and prone to washing wide at corner entries, making quick progress difficult and sometimes scruffy when trying to sting a series of corners together. The engine is one of the Imprezas strong points. Much more charismatic than an Evos thanks to that addictive boxer beat, its free revving and has lots of spunk. On a tight course like Autumn Hill you do however feel like you are forever changing gear, using the close-ratio gearbox to keep the engine in the optimum powerband. The brakes are fantastic, able to lose speed as fast as the engine is capable of gathering it.
The Impreza sets the pace with a time of 136.46. I grab the keys of the BMW. With 321bhp from a silky smooth straight-six derived from the E36 M3, the M Coupe should put up a good fight. Sticking with the classic front-engined, rear-drive layout, the BMW feels markedly different to the Impreza. That glorious engine is definitely the star attraction, pulling cleanly from 3500rpm right up to its 8000rpm limit, accompanied by a sonorous soundtrack that will make grown men cry, and undoubtedly urge a few to the nearest lavatory. The zigzag section can easily be taken in third gear whereas in the Impreza you need to drop down to second making the M Coupe easier to drive, but ultimately less frantic. The M Coupe might not have the mathematical precision of a M3 or Porsche 911, but it is still a pure driving machine, and then some. The turn-in might be a little dull, but the chassis feels composed at all times, only settling into gentle understeer once the limit of adhesion is reached, curable by throttle lift. It doesnt take long to get into the flow of things and neatly string a series of corners together. Of course it doesnt take much persuasion to up the ante and start having some serious fun. Without the safety net in the form of four-wheel-drive, you cant take as much liberties in the M Coupe as you would do in the Impreza, but if you are committed enough you can clench your thirst for oversteer with all that power on tap and with a great chassis. A dab of power at corner exits would see the tail wagging, with a bit more provocation you can soon build up the confidence to clear whole corners looking out of the side windows without fear of the chassis biting back. If you go a bit too over the top, then the torque of that wonderful engine should be more than enough to get you out of most situations. This is a true drivers car. The only gripe, and it is only slight, is the brakes which does its job admirably well, but could do with a bit more bite. After its lacklustre performance in the acceleration tests, the M Coupe is back on form with a time of 136.72, which still isnt Impreza beating but nothing to be ashamed of either.
So, here we have two completely different, second-hand, 2-door coupes. The Impreza was a pleasant surprise, despite some minor flaws, its still an impressive machine and a real hoot for a fling round a track. Of all the Imprezas I have driven so far, spec C included, for me this is the most fun. It is however, not quite as good as the M Coupe, wich I totally fell in love with. Yes the Impreza might have trounced on it when it came to the performance figures, but its hard to think of any car which can match the BMWs grin factor. It just shows what a huge difference a good engine and a well balanced chassis can do.
The Times: (Speed measured in mph)
0 - 60, 0 - 100, Top speed, 1 - 400m, 0 - 1000m and Best lap
Subaru WRX STi Version VI
0 - 60: 5.4
0 - 100: 13.5
Top speed: 156
1 - 400m: 14.19
0 - 1000m: 25.60
Best lap: 136.46
BMW M Coupe
0 - 60: 7.2
0 - 100: 15.3
Top speed: 171
1 - 400m: 15.78
0 - 1000m: 27.14
Best lap: 136.72
The Basics:
Price (Cr.), Power (Bhp/rpm) and Torque (Lb ft/rpm)
Subaru WRX STi Version VI
Price: 20, 00 (approx.)
Power: 276/6500
Torque: 260/4000
BMW M Coupe
Price: 50, 00 (approx.)
Power: 321/7400
Torque: 258/3250
Wide arched and with a long bonnet. That is the simplest way to describe the look of the BMW waiting in the shade of the testing facility car park. From the front it looks just like any M Roadster, and basically it is, but not as we know it Jim. Step to the side, and the looks change drastically. Yes it still has that beautifully curvaceous long bonnet, but where you would normally find a conventional boot you now find a hatch. That is why BMW cut of the rear wings of an M Roadster and put on a proper roof, turning it into the M Coupe. The styling is debatable, but I love it. Its definitely more interesting to look at than the Roadster, and in the black of our example, it exudes menace. But of course styling wasnt the main reason for putting a roof on, the chassis already proved it capable of handling the power, but the Roadster would still suffer from the inherent handicap of its open-top design. The addition of the roof not only improves handling but also drastically increases the tortional rigidity. The BMW is so eye-catching that I dont really notice the Impreza parked next to it until I actually cast my attention on it. Like the BMW, the Subaru is, to a much lesser extent, slightly unusual in that it only has two doors. Meet the Impreza WRX STi type R Version VI, basically a two door version of the STi 4-door sedan. Where the BMW is unique and individual, the Impreza is, well its an Impreza. That means you still get that rally car for the road look, chin spoilers, flared wheel arches and a rear wing which is almost OTT and in-your-face like the image of the rest of the car. It has to be said though that the dark blue hue of our one here is rather tasteful and works very well with the STi gold alloys. Overall it is much less garish than the ever popular Sonic Blue Imprezas. Right, enough looking, lets start driving.
The Subaru is at the line, the engine throbbing at the beat of that oh so familiar boxer sound. Green light and the car catapults of the line, 60 arrives in 5.4sec, 100 quickly follows at 13.5. That was pretty easy. Being four-wheel-drive, all you need to do is pile on maximum revs and dump the clutch. With no energy wasted on wheelspin, fast times is almost guaranteed, that is if your clutch lasts long enough. Top gear acceleration is pretty impressive as well, 50 70 taking just 4.9sec. These times are going to be hard to beat, nevertheless the BMW awaits the green light. I knew the M Coupe wouldnt beat the Imprezas time, but to take 7.2sec to get to 60 is frankly embarrassing. The 0 100 time of 15.3sec is hardly class leading either. I had a few tries to get the time down, but modulating between too much wheelspin and the engine bogging down isnt easy. Maybe its not the car, but the ability of the meat in the seat to extract proper times. Luckily the 50 70 time of 6.7sec is more respectable. Even though the maximum speed is much higher than the Imprezas, 154mph vs. 171mph, I still feel the BMW is in for a hiding on the track.
After a rather agreeable lunch, we head off to the picturesque Autumn Ring racetrack. This track has everything, from two tight hairpins, a very tricky right-left-right section and a long uphill lefthander. As its the Impreza that set the fastest acceleration times we let it loose first on the track to set a benchmark lap time. Now I have to own up I have never liked Imprezas to the same extent that I like its arch rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Mainly due to the fact that while it has always been safe and vice-free, its understeery nature has always left me somewhat cold. Not so with the STi type R. It has a trick adjustable centre differential, allowing the driver to adjust how much torque can go to the rear wheels up to a maximum of 65 percent. Doing so transforms the handling, alright the nose still feels like it can do with a bit more bite, but at least you have more options than the usual boring understeer. Accelerating hard out of a tight corner sees the back end tweaking out at the exit, while at the longer bends a lift of the throttle will eliminate understeer, allowing you to get back hard on the power sending the car into a very gentle sideways drift. Of course if you want to be a complete hooligan you can, with the help of a Scandinavian flick, throw the car into corners at what seems to be impossible angles. A word of warning though, your neck might take some strain as you need to look almost out of the rear window to see where you are going, before winding off the opposite lock and carry on your merry way to the next corner. For a fast lap time we need a gentler approach. And that is where the Subaru still shows its faults. Turn-in still isnt as sharp as Id hoped, and the nose still feels glassy and prone to washing wide at corner entries, making quick progress difficult and sometimes scruffy when trying to sting a series of corners together. The engine is one of the Imprezas strong points. Much more charismatic than an Evos thanks to that addictive boxer beat, its free revving and has lots of spunk. On a tight course like Autumn Hill you do however feel like you are forever changing gear, using the close-ratio gearbox to keep the engine in the optimum powerband. The brakes are fantastic, able to lose speed as fast as the engine is capable of gathering it.
The Impreza sets the pace with a time of 136.46. I grab the keys of the BMW. With 321bhp from a silky smooth straight-six derived from the E36 M3, the M Coupe should put up a good fight. Sticking with the classic front-engined, rear-drive layout, the BMW feels markedly different to the Impreza. That glorious engine is definitely the star attraction, pulling cleanly from 3500rpm right up to its 8000rpm limit, accompanied by a sonorous soundtrack that will make grown men cry, and undoubtedly urge a few to the nearest lavatory. The zigzag section can easily be taken in third gear whereas in the Impreza you need to drop down to second making the M Coupe easier to drive, but ultimately less frantic. The M Coupe might not have the mathematical precision of a M3 or Porsche 911, but it is still a pure driving machine, and then some. The turn-in might be a little dull, but the chassis feels composed at all times, only settling into gentle understeer once the limit of adhesion is reached, curable by throttle lift. It doesnt take long to get into the flow of things and neatly string a series of corners together. Of course it doesnt take much persuasion to up the ante and start having some serious fun. Without the safety net in the form of four-wheel-drive, you cant take as much liberties in the M Coupe as you would do in the Impreza, but if you are committed enough you can clench your thirst for oversteer with all that power on tap and with a great chassis. A dab of power at corner exits would see the tail wagging, with a bit more provocation you can soon build up the confidence to clear whole corners looking out of the side windows without fear of the chassis biting back. If you go a bit too over the top, then the torque of that wonderful engine should be more than enough to get you out of most situations. This is a true drivers car. The only gripe, and it is only slight, is the brakes which does its job admirably well, but could do with a bit more bite. After its lacklustre performance in the acceleration tests, the M Coupe is back on form with a time of 136.72, which still isnt Impreza beating but nothing to be ashamed of either.
So, here we have two completely different, second-hand, 2-door coupes. The Impreza was a pleasant surprise, despite some minor flaws, its still an impressive machine and a real hoot for a fling round a track. Of all the Imprezas I have driven so far, spec C included, for me this is the most fun. It is however, not quite as good as the M Coupe, wich I totally fell in love with. Yes the Impreza might have trounced on it when it came to the performance figures, but its hard to think of any car which can match the BMWs grin factor. It just shows what a huge difference a good engine and a well balanced chassis can do.
The Times: (Speed measured in mph)
0 - 60, 0 - 100, Top speed, 1 - 400m, 0 - 1000m and Best lap
Subaru WRX STi Version VI
0 - 60: 5.4
0 - 100: 13.5
Top speed: 156
1 - 400m: 14.19
0 - 1000m: 25.60
Best lap: 136.46
BMW M Coupe
0 - 60: 7.2
0 - 100: 15.3
Top speed: 171
1 - 400m: 15.78
0 - 1000m: 27.14
Best lap: 136.72
