Subaru WRX STi vs Volvo S60R
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fungwun,
Having been an STi owner in Toronto for all of two days now I can state quite flatly that I have no regrets about taking a pass on all the new Euro-AWDs that are coming down the pike, including the Volvo, new S4 etc. The STi is, in a word, wow. It's the real deal. And that's at a max of 3500 rpm so far.
In terms of Subaru reliability, I had a WRX for the last 25 months and its repair costs were exactly $0 and it went to the dealer exactly 0 times (oil changes excluded). Before that, I had a Legacy Turbo for five years that needed nothing beyond routine maintenance (tires, brakes, plugs, belts and a clutch). Its second owner hasn't seen the dealer yet.
There is no doubt that the STi is a much smaller car than the Volvo will be. In terms of luxury, it depends on your definition. I find the STi very refined for such a hardcore performer. As good as the WRX was, it simply does not compare with the STi.
The Volvo will surely give you things the STi won't. But to me $13,000 is not chump change (there is even a bigger difference in Ontario WHERE WE HAVE SALES TAX!!). The Volvo has a lot of the same goodies, on paper. But the STi has the pedigree in terms of its performance credentials. In my humble opinion, it simply has no real competition in this country in the AWD segment. The Volvo is designed to compete with and is therefore more comparable to others in the luxury sport sedan segment, such as the new S4. For me, the choices were STi, M3, Carrera 4S. The S4 and Volvo didn't really enter the picture.
One comment as to exclusivity: there are no more than 300 STis a year planned for Canada. I am not sure where you got the 600 figure.
I think the proof of the pudding is that you may find it a lot harder to buy an STi than the upcoming Volvo. My Toronto dealer says they are sold out of STis for the next year and a half.
Bottom line of course is your preference. Based on my experience, though, I expect they are totally different cars.
Phun, only four days to go? Trust me, it will have been worth the wait!
Having been an STi owner in Toronto for all of two days now I can state quite flatly that I have no regrets about taking a pass on all the new Euro-AWDs that are coming down the pike, including the Volvo, new S4 etc. The STi is, in a word, wow. It's the real deal. And that's at a max of 3500 rpm so far.
In terms of Subaru reliability, I had a WRX for the last 25 months and its repair costs were exactly $0 and it went to the dealer exactly 0 times (oil changes excluded). Before that, I had a Legacy Turbo for five years that needed nothing beyond routine maintenance (tires, brakes, plugs, belts and a clutch). Its second owner hasn't seen the dealer yet.
There is no doubt that the STi is a much smaller car than the Volvo will be. In terms of luxury, it depends on your definition. I find the STi very refined for such a hardcore performer. As good as the WRX was, it simply does not compare with the STi.
The Volvo will surely give you things the STi won't. But to me $13,000 is not chump change (there is even a bigger difference in Ontario WHERE WE HAVE SALES TAX!!). The Volvo has a lot of the same goodies, on paper. But the STi has the pedigree in terms of its performance credentials. In my humble opinion, it simply has no real competition in this country in the AWD segment. The Volvo is designed to compete with and is therefore more comparable to others in the luxury sport sedan segment, such as the new S4. For me, the choices were STi, M3, Carrera 4S. The S4 and Volvo didn't really enter the picture.
One comment as to exclusivity: there are no more than 300 STis a year planned for Canada. I am not sure where you got the 600 figure.
I think the proof of the pudding is that you may find it a lot harder to buy an STi than the upcoming Volvo. My Toronto dealer says they are sold out of STis for the next year and a half.
Bottom line of course is your preference. Based on my experience, though, I expect they are totally different cars.
Phun, only four days to go? Trust me, it will have been worth the wait!
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Originally posted by fungwun
...As for Canadians liking Saab's and Volvo's I think it's b/c they are different and not as common as Bimmers, Merc's, Audi's, and Lexus's...
...As for Canadians liking Saab's and Volvo's I think it's b/c they are different and not as common as Bimmers, Merc's, Audi's, and Lexus's...
Its not for exclusivity, our friends up North aren't as hollow in that way as we Yanks are. No the real reason is the same as why New Englanders drive tons of SAAB, Volvo and Subie vehicles and their used car market is rife with dogged but functional units.
The reason is because they kick butt in the snow_and_ can most often withstand an ungodly amount of punishment and hard use without blowing a tranny or trequiring a "bumper to bumper" warranty program.
Audi's have 'Quattro' which is arguably the best car based AWD system in the world (with Subie coming up a close second), but that and a quarter does you no good when the car is 'fragile' and/or requires frequent trips to the dealer for 'maintenance & adjustment'.
As for Merc & Lexus, they are strictly for the sailboating crowd. Bimmers just flat cost too much to own second or even third hand and no one in their right mind is going to drive a Bimmer into, through and/over a snowbank.
Many old school & longtime SAAB, Subie and Volvo owners can tell you stories seemingly as old as 'Jonah & The Whale' about how their cars made it through all manner of Dukes of Hazzard style adversity through snow, over ice, across gravel dirt & mud and some even through, under and out of water (me!) without slowing down to enjoy the scenery. And they always startup the next day like nothing happened.
Too bad for Volvo though as they have lost that reputation for solid lead ingot durability and their buyers are moving on to other offerings. SAAb is suffering too from a dearth of new-school buyers hence the GM buy-out/rescue which will be the final nail in their coffin.
To borrow from another favorite of mine 'FedEx' (bka Federal Express); 'When you absolutely positively have to be their on time, go it by Subaru!'
- Janq
Last edited by Janq; Jun 1, 2003 at 10:13 PM.
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One More Thing
Hi Guys:
One more thing.
I also had a look at everyday replacement parts including oil/air filters, pulleys, belts, plugs, wires etc when I was car shopping in '94. Volvo really made an attempt to keep prices down especially compared to Nissan and BMW.
The synthetic oil change on the Volvo is only a very few dollars more than the Corolla - and that's saying something!
The STi will be driven daily by either myself or my lovely wife!
Cheers
ps Some posts have been commenting on some noise in 5th and 6th in the Suby Supercar. Here's why:
One more thing.
I also had a look at everyday replacement parts including oil/air filters, pulleys, belts, plugs, wires etc when I was car shopping in '94. Volvo really made an attempt to keep prices down especially compared to Nissan and BMW.
The synthetic oil change on the Volvo is only a very few dollars more than the Corolla - and that's saying something!
The STi will be driven daily by either myself or my lovely wife!
Cheers
ps Some posts have been commenting on some noise in 5th and 6th in the Suby Supercar. Here's why:
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