My mate has just bought a Subaru turbo 215bhp and I've just taken it for a spin it's didn;t feel that much faster than my standard oct VRS!! Has any body else compared the 2 cars?

drove a 215bhp scooby last yr, my vRS felt just as fast, but god could the Subaru take the corners better :(

have to remember the 4wd drive system will zap more power so the extra bhp gets used up doing that hence a standard vRS feeling as quick.

i know its not quite that simple before you all jump on this reply!!!!

The Scoob has lower gearing and four wheel drive. Off the line it will leave a vRS Octy standing. Once rolling above 40mph there is hardly anything in it. The Octy is more aerodynamic and has a slightly high top speed as well.

Is down the twisties where the scooby is best, traction is awesome and you can get the power down so much earlier especially on b roads and in damp conditions. When you are exiting a corner in the Octy and are thinking about feeding in the power slowly the scoob will already have the pedal nailed to the floor.

Also remember the standard UK Scoob 2000 Turbo/WRX is the bottom of the rung for turbo scoobies and a 280bhp Type RA doesn't look that different from a classic UK scoob but performance is in a different league.

The new shape is even worse, there is everything from the standard WRX through to STi's, STi PPP's, WR1's ,JDM imports and Type 25's, you need to be a Scoob anorak to tell the apart.

Cheers

Lee

About 3 years ago I was thinking of selling my Audi A4 Quattro 2.5 TDi (Chipped) and getting a standard (215bhp like your mate's) WRX.

I test drove a used one with 10k on the clock (so I was driving a loosened-up one) and it felt a) Hardly faster than the Audi and Had none of the excitement of the Impreza Turbo I'd had before the Audi !

The 225bhp version (Feb 03 on) is a lot better in my opinion even though on paper it shouldn't be.

Fabpreza,

Noticed that myself,

My uncle has a bugeye MY01 WRX and it felt slow and heavy compared to my classic, modified, Prodrived, Series McRae and compared to my mates lightly modded UK Turbo.

I recently had a drive in a new shape MY03 and it feels totaly different to the bugeye 01.

On paper they aren't that different but the new Impreza does have a slightly different engine map and slightly different suspension settings.

The new 225bhp figure is only when using 97Ron fuel, use 95Ron and the power is the same as before.

Cheers

Lee

I had a 250bhp Celica GT4 once, and it was mighty fast, booting it in first would literally pin you into your seat as it gripped soooo well

It would also power out of tight corners like only a well sorted rear-biased 4WD could, caterpaulting the thing out of the apex with twitches of oversteer, Oh deep joy!

Yet it was also a beast if you lifted-off in mid bend as it would flick the tail out fast, and with a bit too much turbo lag to pull it back which made it hard to take liberties with!

It would not like 30mph in 5th, nor 4th which made it thirsty in town (like it was never kind in the fuel dept anyway...)

Probably faster in the twisties than a tweaked Fabia vRS, but a lot more risky to drive hard despite the 4WD.

The 4WD must have sapped a lot of power too...

I reckon a Sooby would be more agile, it would be interesting to see how many owners can drive the **** of them though, whereas the vRS is easy peasy to cane!

JT

The scooby, especially the classic, suffers from lift of oversteer as well.

You have to be brave enough to keep your foot in.

Cheers

Lee

I had a 250bhp Celica GT4 once' date='

Yet it was also a beast if you lifted-off in mid bend as it would flick the tail out fast, and with a bit too much turbo lag to pull it back which made it hard to take liberties with! JT[/quote']

You're spot on John

The only car I've owned that I lost control of (twice) was the original GT-Four Celica with ('only') 185bhp. Both times were on slippy roads at honestly sensible speeds when I lifted off mid-bend and the back end came round.

Maybe I wasn't that adept at correcting (mind you, I didn't spin!) but I found that it felt 'heavy at the back' once it started moving - ie as it was rear-biased, the car didn't help you - you had to help the car !

For all its criticisms of understeer, I reckon that the Audi A4 (non-Haldex) Quattro system was the best 4WD system I've owned.

I reckon a Sooby would be more agile, it would be interesting to see how many owners can drive the **** of them though, whereas the vRS is easy peasy to cane!

I think the Scooby is very easy to drive the **** off, although as Lee said, you do have to be committed round corners. Benefit of controllable 4wd is that it makes cr@p drivers like me look like we know what we're doing My Furby is equally chuckable and has got me round some corners I didn't think I'd make, but it didn't inspire the same confidence - must be those damn 14" wheels

Chris

I had a MY01 Impreza before the Octy.

I miss it like mad :(

In fact, the Octy will be for sale soon and I will be buying a jap import STi or Type RA for real action!

Steve

I had a MY01 Impreza before the Octy.

I miss it like mad :(

Steve

Remind yourself how expensive they are to run before you do that though Steve. I went the Impreza to Octavia route but never missed the Impreza (was 4x4 not FWD though).

My Octavia's just gone due to a company car, but I looked at my overall running costs over the time I owned it (over 22,000m and bought secondhand just like the Impreza).

For fuel, insurance, tyres, servicing and excluding depreciation (which incidentally was identical in % terms), the Octavia was 60% cheaper :eek:

If you can afford it then enjoy. How about an Jabba'd A4 1.8T Quattro or S4 2.7T instead ?

How about an Jabba'd A4 1.8T Quattro or S4 2.7T instead ?

Not as charismatic in my eyes as a scoob

Steve

I wouldn't mind a Legacy 3.0 Spec B in 18 months when its lost a lot of its value, but Imprezas don't really do it for me anymore.

Maybe the fact that the engine disintegrated in my last one (under warranty,phew) sort of made me re-think things?

My uncle has a bugeye MY01 WRX and it felt slow and heavy compared to my classic' date=' modified, Prodrived, Series McRae and compared to my mates lightly modded UK Turbo.

I recently had a drive in a new shape MY03 and it feels totaly different to the bugeye 01.

[/quote']

Those were exactly my impressions when comparing a bugeye to an Octy 4x4 some two years ago. There was none of the old GT Turbo urgency whereas the chipped 4x4 felt quick, poised and more solid from day one. It might be different with a new-shape WRX but haven't driven one yet, although the Legacy Spec-B would be more toward my current tastes...

I had a 'run-in' with an Imprezza wrx (new shape). He had me from a standing start (4x4) but once the speeds got around 60 I reeled him in np's (215bhp vs 240bhp ). If the road was twisty i'm sure it would have been a different story but on the striaght there isn't alot of difference between the two. Also this wrx wasn't an Sti or wr1...just a 'standard' wrx, where as my octy had been breathed on by Jbs. Never driven a standard OctyRs but I've driven a wrx sti and in the wet on a twisty B road...nothing can touch em imo, evo's are a little too 'twitchy' for my liking. I take comfort that I only pay a third of what I would to insure a prezza.

Oh and you expect to be overtaken by an Imprezza...the look of shock you get when you fly past 'premium' cars in a Skoda is worth every penny imo

Went from a STI 3 290 bhp to a Octy 4x4 ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS !!

Also this wrx wasn't an Sti or wr1...just a 'standard' wrx' date=' where as my octy had been breathed on by Jbs. Never driven a standard OctyRs but I've driven a wrx sti and in the wet on a twisty B road...nothing can touch em imo, evo's are a little too 'twitchy' for my liking. I take comfort that I only pay a third of what I would to insure a prezza.

Oh and you expect to be overtaken by an Imprezza...the look of shock you get when you fly past 'premium' cars in a Skoda is worth every penny imo [/quote']

Before my Octy VRS I had a STI Type RA Jap import, RR'd at 285 BHP. Acceleration was to be honest, brutal in the extreme due to the 4WD, low ratio gears and the huge power - 0-60 must have been around the 4.5s mark. Trouble is the running costs are massive, esp fuel (97 ron), ~ 25mpg (on the motorway) and big group 20 premiums. After getting the VRS, no regrets. In real world terms, performance is roughly the same, due to 2WD, more driveable ratios and the nature of the uk roads, so overall a winner (and cheaper/better build quality too).

Loved the sound of the scooby tho (with cat removed and big zorst), but don't miss the boy racer looks.

Brian

I want a skyline next. Only scoob I would go back to would be a clean, low millage P1.

Gotta pay for the skoda first tho. Sigh.

In reality it would probably be a 330d or another skoda (if they do a new vRS.)

The scooby' date=' especially the classic, suffers from lift of oversteer as well.

You have to be brave enough to keep your foot in.

Cheers

Lee[/quote']

If you want to experience lift off oversteer you have to try driving an old Triumph with swing-axle rear suspension :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

You do not IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES lift off in a bend! :bigshock: :bigshock: :bigshock:

If you want to experience lift off oversteer you have to try driving an old Triumph with swing-axle rear suspension :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

You do not IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES lift off in a bend! :bigshock: :bigshock: :bigshock:

Like a MK1 spitfire with no seatbelts?

Scary as hell.

Like a MK1 spitfire with no seatbelts?

Scary as hell.

Very scary :eek: :eek:

Very scary :eek: :eek:

Not very good over hump back bridges if you took off either.

Not very good over hump back bridges if you took off either.

Vitesses were not good for yumping - that big lump of straight six up the front meant you always landed nose down :shock: :dung: :dung: