NorCalAthlete

Hey guys and gals, hope your winter season's giving your Subi a good stretch. I read the stickies, but they seem to be about 7-10 years out of date heh so figured I'd start a new thread here.

Basically, I'm considering a 2015-2016 WRX as my next car. I want the AWD for snow trips (I live in the bay area in California, just a few hours from the snow). However, other factors I'm considering are efficiency and performance, and creature comforts in the interior. So far I've test driven a WRX Limited fully loaded with the 6MT, a WRX Premium with no options, and a WRX Premium with the CVT.

One thing that bothers me so far is that there is no CVT option for an STI. Yeah, yeah, purists - relax. BMW went through similar periods/feelings about the M series cars no longer having manual transmissions, and that's a whole other debate. My question in regards to the transmissions - what issues, if any, have you had with either the CVT or the 6MT? Compare/contrast? My test drives were very brief but I didn't really notice any glaring issues with either, and both cars had nice pickup and pull. I'd prefer an automatic these days, but have driven a stick for literally decades so it's not a huge issue preference wise - just performance, reliability, convenience, and to get an idea of real world difference in efficiency (8 speed auto vs 6 speed manual would imply slightly better real world fuel economy, but with an initial price difference of $1200 or so, 1-2 mpg difference is negligible until after tens of thousands of miles of driving).

Another thing that bothers me is the availability of upgraded audio - I listened to the Harmon Kardon system in the Limited edition vs the basic system in the Premium and wow what a massive difference. However...it's a system upgrade that's only available if you get the manual transmission (for the Premium model). If you want the sound system with an automatic, you not only have to bump up to the Limited, but also the package is 2x the price with the inclusion of Eyesight.

Which brings me to the next question - what are the issues you have personally experienced with Eyesight? I've read a few threads about how it slammed on the brakes in traffic when someone was over the line but not actually merging (thus nearly causing a rear end collision) and others who said it saved them from rear ending someone in a similar situation where someone merged suddenly and the system reacted faster than they could. Seems like a double edged sword to me, except that without it, you're at a lesser risk than with it because you simply have to be an attentive driver - you don't run the risk of being rear ended unnecessarily. I'm not a fan of driving aids aside from an automatic transmission, but it seems like I have no choice if I want an automatic plus upgraded audio.

Finally, interior creature comforts. I love that I can have seated seats with the cloth seats in the premium. I love the split dash where I can have audio and navigation and vehicle info on different screens, I love the overall looks of the newer dashes. For those of you with the Premium / cloth setups - would you get the Limited package if you had to do it again? For those with Limited, how's the leather holding up? Any issues you've nitpicked/noticed that you don't like? Would you drop down to the Premium package if you had to do it again? Have any of you done long day trips to go snowboarding or skiing and put the boards and gear inside the car with the seats folded down rather than use a roof rack? What's up with no heated steering wheel and just heated seats? My 2010 Dodge has a heated steering wheel plus air conditioned seats...and maaaaaaan I love having a heated steering wheel in cold weather after a day in the snow!

For those wondering why I'm getting rid of my truck, I simply don't need a truck anymore. I bought it when I was still in the military, and moving around constantly where I'd just pack up my whole life and throw my motorcycle in the bed, rent a uHaul trailer, and move duty stations. These days the most action the bed sees is some golf clubs or snowboards - and it's only a 4x2 not a 4x4. So I really just don't feel the need for something this big and inefficient anymore, even if it DOES have all the creature comforts and power and then some over current cars.

NorCalAthlete

Sooooo. Went to the dealership. A couple of them actually. Went on a couple more test drives. Compared some things. Spoke with a sales rep.


I think this is the build I'm going to order:

WRX Limited
Mirror w/ Homelink
STI short shifter (although there's a WRX short shifter also listed for $518 vs $458 for the STI? Not sure what the difference is)
Upgraded Nav/Harmon Kardon audio
Extended armrest
Lupis Blue

What do you guys think?

Mulder

As a '15 owner I'll throw in my 2 cents-
How short a throw are you after? The factory short throw isn't that much of a reduction from stock and is expensive. There are aftermarket options that offer a much greater throw reduction for less money, I have the Kartboy and like it-
Kartboy dot com :: Subaru WRX :: 2015-2016 WRX :: Kartboy Cable Shift Arm Kit W/Bearing
It does increase effort and notchiness noticeably so you may want to find someone locally that has one so you can try it first. IMO it's well worth the tradeoff but this is a highly individual thing.
As for the different shifter listings, one is probably for the '15-up WRX with the new cable shifter, the other for the STI which still has the old linkage type. At least that's my guess.

The mirror- you can buy an aftermarket Gentex with more options (compass, temp, Homelink) than you'd get from the Subaru mirror, again for less cash. It's basically the same mirror, you might have to splice the wires if it doesn't have the correct plug but that's about it. The wires for the mirror are already there in the headliner next to the map lights.

Unlike the extended armrest in the older models, the one that Subaru sells for the '15 no longer has an additional storage compartment. It's just the extension. There is a JDM version that does have the added storage, I have this piece and it's nice-
https://smyperformance.com/jdm-inter...ion-black.html

Finally the audio- If you've heard the system and find it to your liking and worth the extra cost, then fine. Some have found it not worth the price and went aftermarket instead. So you'll want to be 100% sure about this before you go for it. Again might be a good idea to check with some locals so you can get their opinions and maybe try it out in real-world conditions.

Overall, consider what factory options are really necessary and what you can do on your own both for less money and for better results. After some further research you may find you can purchase a car that is already in stock and take it from there. Mine is a base model bought from stock and I don't regret it.

NorCalAthlete

Well, for the audio system it's not just the audio you get with the package - it also includes the LED headlights, the keyless access, and a couple other things I forget offhand. So for about $2,000 more all that is worth it to me. I mean hell, LED headlights alone are a $1900 option on a BMW.

If you go off of TrueCar, the mirror is $219 and the shifter is $310, the armrest extension is also cheaper but I DO like the little bit of storage you get with the JDM one so I'll likely go with that I think. I looked up the differences in the shift kits and it would appear that one includes an aluminum shift **** while the other is just the shifter. No biggie there.

I did consider going the Crutchfield route for the audio, but the Harmon Kardon system has a whole different wiring, plus the 7" display has a few other features like reading your texts to you and displaying them on the screen for you to read easier that the 6.5" display doesn't have. And yeah, I could probably still get a deck that has all that and more and get a better custom speaker setup - but honestly I've done that route before on my old truck and used to help install systems in peoples' cars when I was in high school and I just don't have the appetite for the time and effort it takes anymore. Plus there's not a whole lot of options for aftermarket speakers if you don't have the Harmon Kardon system and wiring already there, so...might as well. Seems like the cleanest and easiest nice setup.

Mulder

Ok I see you've done your homework, so if you feel it's worth it then by all means go for it.
While the LED headlights are a cool concept, from what I've read they may not have the same light output as the regular halogens. One thing to bear in mind is that if for whatever reason you are not happy with the LED's there are no upgrade or modification options other than selling them off and replacing them with a set of the standard lights. Again an instance where it would be beneficial to find someone nearby with a Limited so you can see the lights at night.
I'd still suggest trying to do a shifter comparison to see if you'd be better off keeping the stock shifter and going for one of the aftermarket options. One note here, even if you do get the short throw and decide you want it even shorter you can still install the Kartboy plate. However that will give you an even shorter throw than if you installed it with the stock shifter.
That price for the mirror isn't bad and is actually in line with what you'd pay for a Gentex. So no problem there if you can get it for that amount and you don't care about not having a compass.

NorCalAthlete

Yeah not particularly worried about a compass. I drove both a WRX with the stock shifter and one with the factory short shifter and definitely liked the short shifter more, but I haven't tried one with the Kartboy thing. If someone's near me great I'd love to try it...but ultimately, wouldn't it still be possible to both find a stock shifter (from someone converting theirs to short shifter) and then getting the kartboy, both at a later date, if I ordered it and decided I wanted the kartboy + stock combo after all? It seems like plenty of people mod these so I have to imagine there's a fair amount of OEM and aftermarket parts available out there.

I found this video for the LEDs:


Also, this thread compared the BMW LEDs, but they still look to be an improvement over Xenon - let alone over regular halogens.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1030409

Mulder

Yes of course you can do the shifter mods later, as well as many others. Unfortunately the cable shifter is considerably more difficult to work with than the old linkage, adding an aftermarket short throw to the linkage type meant swapping levers from inside the car which was a 10-minute job. Now to install the short-throw plate it's done underneath at the tranmission, considerably more time and labor. Swapping the factory shifter assembly for the OEM short-throw one requires working both inside and under the car. Still can be a DIY but you need the tools, time and under-car access.
There is a large Subaru community where you are so you can check in with the regional forums here and at NASIOC, and try to swing by some local meets to check out cars and ask questions.

NorCalAthlete

Argghhhhhh...So I ordered my WRX on the 14th of January. Its delivery date has been delayed twice - by 2 weeks each time - so I've been without a car for over a month now. April 11th is my delivery date .

And I just got a call from the dealership yesterday telling me the salesperson I'd been dealing with retired this week and that my order had been handed off to a new person.