06 - 07 Impreza STi
Author
Discussion

JWH

Original Poster:

512 posts

293 months

Friday 29th May 2009
quotequote all
I'm intending to finally scratch my Jap 4wd Turbo itch with an early '06 2.5 Impreza STi.

I fully accept this isn't going to be a cheap car to run and, when I'm using it as intended, will guzzle fuel like it's going out of fashion. I've no problem at all with that but am wondering what consumption's like on longer runs.
It'll be the daily driver so does anyone have any experience of what level of fuel consumption to expect on 60-70mph A-road and motorway cruises? Also, what kind of mileage are people generally getting from a set of tires and brakes, given that I tend to drive fairly enthusiastically where possible.....

scoobydude

750 posts

208 months

Friday 29th May 2009
quotequote all
it's going to be good for 25 mpg at absolute best. You should feed it Vpower. The tyres will last anywhere from 3000 miles to about 12000 miles depending on driving style and rubber choice. Servicing isn't as bad as you may have been led to believe especialy if you use an indy. front brake pads will give up to 25000 miles depending on use (they are fighteningly expensive though so taking it easy now and again is advisable). front discs will give you around 40 or 50k if you drive sensibly except for weekends. If you get a proven warranty it'll cost 650 a year but is well worth it for a sub 80K car that's not a P1. they are fantasticly reliable overall so if you don't overtune it and you dont do lots of 1/4 mile action and you buy carefuly in the first place you'll be grinning from ear to ear lots. Just be aware that these cars find speeding tickets very easy to acrue especially in the first few months of ownership.eekwoohoodriving

forty-two

203 posts

209 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
I have 2004 WRX Waggon that does 250 miles to 3/4 of a tank. Used for daily commute 50 mile round trip that has duel carrageway and A road.

225bhp makes for relaxed driving as overtaking is a breeze and usually requires no gear changes.

Mine came from a dealer which has its benefits, such as it came with the 60k service and new cam belt and when the bottom end let go after 2000 miles of ownership they rebuilt the engine at their cost.

GravelBen

16,482 posts

259 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
STi Imprezas tend to be a bit thirstier I think but my '02 Legacy GTB (276bhp 2.0TT) averages about 27mpg in mixed use and 30-32 on a longer cruise, you shouldn't have to expect too much worse that that when behaving. The hard part is convincing yourself to stop booting it. hehe

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

255 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
Buy the 2006 WRX it's a good bit of kit, the engines are really smooth running and stronger than the 2.0L WRX plus have variable valve timing on the inlet side. Throw out the OEM air filter for a high flow flat panel air filter from Green Panel or Cosworth for about £45 and do nothing else to it apart from some very mild and gentle remapping.

10%-15% more power and torque makes all the difference to MPG and overtaking ability, specially on a long run, with super relaxed cruising. Lots more punch mid range and you're not having to press your loud pedal as far as before to get the same effect, but when you want to press on you really feel the difference and it makes the car a lovely drive in any situation specially on motorways, but the B-Road blast will be even more enjoyable than before wink

Go for it!!

Edited by ScoobieWRX on Wednesday 10th June 18:10

stevieb

5,253 posts

296 months

Wednesday 10th June 2009
quotequote all
ScoobieWRX said:
Buy the 2006 WRX it's a good bit of kit
But the STI is better

My opinion is if you can go for the STi go for it I had a 04 WRX and always wanted the STi.. The fuel consumption between them is not that apparent in my opinion 20-22 on the STi and 22-24 on the WRX.

I was averaging around 23mpg on my WRX, Tyres lasted between 8000 and 18000 depending on how you drove it, and brakes I replaced my pads every year and Discs every 2 years. There are plenty of indipendents around that are half the price of the dealer. They usually offer the OEM spec (subaru parts) or beter spec after market options.

I would suggest driving both casrs if you are thinking of the WRX v STI, the STI will be a bit harder than the WRX but it is an overall better car.

4hero

4,505 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th June 2009
quotequote all
I get around 20mpg in my 2006 sti (small journeys, stuck in traffic a lot). Brakes have lasted well (one set of front pads in two and a half years of owning, 25,000 miles now). Tyres last around 10,000 miles.

I owned a wrx before this, they are two completely different machines!

Edited by 4hero on Wednesday 10th June 17:40

Reidy10_0

1,123 posts

233 months

Tuesday 16th June 2009
quotequote all
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.

flatfour1

258 posts

209 months

Tuesday 16th June 2009
quotequote all
Reidy10_0 said:
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.
You'll be paying over 400 a year for tax on a 55 plate as well.

ScoobieWRX

4,863 posts

255 months

Tuesday 16th June 2009
quotequote all
stevieb said:
ScoobieWRX said:
Buy the 2006 WRX it's a good bit of kit
But the STI is better

My opinion is if you can go for the STi go for it I had a 04 WRX and always wanted the STi.. The fuel consumption between them is not that apparent in my opinion 20-22 on the STi and 22-24 on the WRX.

I was averaging around 23mpg on my WRX, Tyres lasted between 8000 and 18000 depending on how you drove it, and brakes I replaced my pads every year and Discs every 2 years. There are plenty of indipendents around that are half the price of the dealer. They usually offer the OEM spec (subaru parts) or beter spec after market options.

I would suggest driving both casrs if you are thinking of the WRX v STI, the STI will be a bit harder than the WRX but it is an overall better car.
The STi is better if that's what you prefer. There are lots of people that buy WRX's because the STi is just a little bit too firm and in your face than the WRX however for you and me the STi is a better car but only because we prefer it.

I've got a WRX but next time i would buy the STi because it's harder and has the 6spd box. There are plenty of very satisfied WRX owners on the road that love their cars even if a bit softer than an STi. It suits their requirement.

Reidy10_0

1,123 posts

233 months

Wednesday 17th June 2009
quotequote all
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.
You'll be paying over 400 a year for tax on a 55 plate as well.
Are you sure?
My mate has a 911 and a another mate has a 350Z both on a 55 plate and they both pays less tax than me in my 2006 WRX.
Why?

flatfour1

258 posts

209 months

Wednesday 17th June 2009
quotequote all
Reidy10_0 said:
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.
You'll be paying over 400 a year for tax on a 55 plate as well.
Are you sure?
My mate has a 911 and a another mate has a 350Z both on a 55 plate and they both pays less tax than me in my 2006 WRX.
Why?
It's an emissions based system now which has been backdated to pre 2001.

Zeonalarm

185 posts

238 months

Thursday 18th June 2009
quotequote all
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.
You'll be paying over 400 a year for tax on a 55 plate as well.
Are you sure?
My mate has a 911 and a another mate has a 350Z both on a 55 plate and they both pays less tax than me in my 2006 WRX.
Why?
It's an emissions based system now which has been backdated to pre 2001.
My WRX was a 55 plate registered in Nov2005 and it does not fall into the £400 road tax bracket. I believe it applies to cars registered after 23 Mar 2006.

Zeonalarm

185 posts

238 months

Thursday 18th June 2009
quotequote all
scoobydude said:
...front brake pads will give up to 25000 miles depending on use (they are fighteningly expensive though so taking it easy now and again is advisable). front discs will give you around 40 or 50k if you drive sensibly except for weekends...
My front discs and pads lasted 9000 miles. laugh It was good fun though.

Reidy10_0

1,123 posts

233 months

Thursday 18th June 2009
quotequote all
Zeonalarm said:
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
flatfour1 said:
Reidy10_0 said:
Around 10K for front tyres but beware they do wear on the outside edges.
I am told it is normal on a Scooby.
Not sure about MPG on a STI but i do know that the road tax is £400 a year which is a bummer.
If you buy a 55 plate i think you would pay normal tax.
You'll be paying over 400 a year for tax on a 55 plate as well.
Are you sure?
My mate has a 911 and a another mate has a 350Z both on a 55 plate and they both pays less tax than me in my 2006 WRX.
Why?
It's an emissions based system now which has been backdated to pre 2001.
My WRX was a 55 plate registered in Nov2005 and it does not fall into the £400 road tax bracket. I believe it applies to cars registered after 23 Mar 2006.
So i am not that mad.

Evil.soup

4,047 posts

234 months

Thursday 18th June 2009
quotequote all
I have an 06 WRX and it was registered 3/3/06 and i dont yet pay £400 a year tax, but i will eventually. £300 next year and then £400 the year after i think it is?!?

As for general ware. I do go out on 5-6 spirited runs a year and use the car as a daily driver. Tyres last about 10k give or take. The original discs and pads lasted only 16k then i upgraded to an Sti brembo set up all round. They had covered 16k when i fitted them and the car is on 35k now, so they have covered 35k in total and are now in need of replacing. Subaru quote £1550 to replace all discs and pads!!!!!!

If you take it to an independant garage you can upgrade to better than standard for about £500 and even less if you fit yourself, which is easy by all accounts.

As for the Sti/WRX argument. If i had the cash i would have bought the Sti and since owning and modifying the WRX it is now at least as hard as an Sti and runs more power than the standard Sti. Not saying i wouldnt have spent money on the car, it just would have been spent on something else and it would now be even more hardcore because some of the work is done for you. I do like my 5 speed box though, its quite short and sharp next to the 6 speed.

Hope this helps?!?