DRIVERS ONLY! Hot Hatch Help! New car! (new poll)

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="Bucked20"]Haven't driven any of these cars but how about a Hyundai Veloster or BMW 135i if u want a coupe muscleserge

Veloster is too small and slow.  135i is a good choice, but I'd buy an older model, like an 05 or 06.  New is too expensive for me, and you don't get as much respect for driving a new bimmer as driving an older one.  Good drivers cars though.

[QUOTE="muscleserge"][QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

 

Veloster is too small and slow.  135i is a good choice, but I'd buy an older model, like an 05 or 06.  New is too expensive for me, and you don't get as much respect for driving a new bimmer as driving an older one.  Good drivers cars though.

Fightingfan

WRX all the way.  I have a 2013 and love it.  But I think they are changing the car for 2014.  So might want to wait a couple months to see the new one if you decide to buy one.

These are also easy to mod if you're into that.

Chutebox

Yeah, I heard a new gen is coming out next year!  But honestly, I am liking the current one better.  They are saying that the new one is going to have a 2.0 instead of a 2.5, which is too small to me for a WRX, just doesn't fit, and not as much room for modding.

If I was gonna get a WRX, it would be the 2013 one. 

A few questions: Did you have problems with the clutch, and does the shifter feel notchy to you?  And is the powerband strong past 4000rpm?  (I wasn't allowed past 4000rpm, friends car, new, breaking in turbo), and how do you like the steering feel?

[QUOTE="muscleserge"][QUOTE="Fightingfan"] Going to rear wide drive in a small car will ruin the interior space due to a huge transmission tunnel in the cabin. Fightingfan

As long as you have upper body strength, torque steer isn't a problem.

The only issue was when I was turning left on a bend, and heel-toe downshifted with one hand on the wheel, it would move even farther into the turn and freak me out.

[QUOTE="Fightingfan"][QUOTE="muscleserge"] The veloster and the elantra are FWD, so is the sonata. The engine is a 2.0 so its not that much bigger than a 1.8 in the elantra or 1.6 in the veloster.GOGOGOGURT

As long as you have upper body strength, torque steer isn't a problem.

The only issue was when I was turning left on a bend, and heel-toe downshifted with one hand on the wheel, it would move even farther into the turn and freak me out.

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

WRX all the way.  I have a 2013 and love it.  But I think they are changing the car for 2014.  So might want to wait a couple months to see the new one if you decide to buy one.

These are also easy to mod if you're into that.

Guppy507

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="GTR12"]

WOW TC, 2 of those pics aren't even hatches, do you even know what a hot hatch is?

Anyway, a VW GTI or Scirocco (if its in price range).

GTR12

Yeah, I know. But you can get a WRX in a hatchback, and really it's fine if it's not a hatch the cars are pretty similar without the hatch, it's just that they are wrong wheel drive.

I am starting to doubt you know these cars...

You can get the WRX and Lancer in hatches, and the WRX looks better in a hatch than a sedan IMO.

Have you also looked at the Audi A1 or S3 (A1 with performance package)? they are both stunning looking cars.

I live in the US.  Audis are out of my price range, and If I was going to get an Audi it'd be a TTRS, my favorite car.

Like I said, I'm not an auto journalist, so I don't know the angle of camber or the distance between the diff and the flywheel on every car okay?

I'm so sorry I'm not up to your expert qualifications, and everything I've said about these cars that aren't opinions are true.

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="Fightingfan"] Engine size has nothing to do with it, but having that much torque in a FWD is generally bad. Mazda had to purposely bottleneck their Speed3 due to the torque steer. And Ops-I read Hyundai Genesis in my mind. I don't see the Genesis engine going into a Velo.Fightingfan

As long as you have upper body strength, torque steer isn't a problem.

The only issue was when I was turning left on a bend, and heel-toe downshifted with one hand on the wheel, it would move even farther into the turn and freak me out.

What year Civic?

[QUOTE="Fightingfan"]

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

 

As long as you have upper body strength, torque steer isn't a problem.

 

The only issue was when I was turning left on a bend, and heel-toe downshifted with one hand on the wheel, it would move even farther into the turn and freak me out.

GOGOGOGURT

What year Civic?

*Taking turbo out this week to put in an AC. 

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

WRX all the way.  I have a 2013 and love it.  But I think they are changing the car for 2014.  So might want to wait a couple months to see the new one if you decide to buy one.

These are also easy to mod if you're into that.

GOGOGOGURT

Yeah, I heard a new gen is coming out next year!  But honestly, I am liking the current one better.  They are saying that the new one is going to have a 2.0 instead of a 2.5, which is too small to me for a WRX, just doesn't fit, and not as much room for modding.

If I was gonna get a WRX, it would be the 2013 one. 

A few questions: Did you have problems with the clutch, and does the shifter feel notchy to you?  And is the powerband strong past 4000rpm?  (I wasn't allowed past 4000rpm, friends car, new, breaking in turbo), and how do you like the steering feel?

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="Fightingfan"] It's not it being a problem. It's being an annoyance, but I like smooth driving cars(as do most people, which is why Mazda had to bottleneck it via Tranny). Personally my Civic Si annoys me at times.

Fightingfan

What year Civic?

*Taking turbo out this week to put in an AC. 

Nice, 95-2000 was a good year for civic.  They actually looked cool.  That's awesome you have a turbo in it, but you had to take the AC out to put it in?

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

WRX all the way.  I have a 2013 and love it.  But I think they are changing the car for 2014.  So might want to wait a couple months to see the new one if you decide to buy one.

These are also easy to mod if you're into that.

Chutebox

Yeah, I heard a new gen is coming out next year!  But honestly, I am liking the current one better.  They are saying that the new one is going to have a 2.0 instead of a 2.5, which is too small to me for a WRX, just doesn't fit, and not as much room for modding.

If I was gonna get a WRX, it would be the 2013 one. 

A few questions: Did you have problems with the clutch, and does the shifter feel notchy to you?  And is the powerband strong past 4000rpm?  (I wasn't allowed past 4000rpm, friends car, new, breaking in turbo), and how do you like the steering feel?

Yeah, it feels like the new one won't be as rugged, it'll be more sport car-ish, which is fine, just not for WRX.

Like when you give it full throttle, when do you feel the most power, at what rpm?

[QUOTE="Chutebox"][QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

 

Yeah, I heard a new gen is coming out next year!  But honestly, I am liking the current one better.  They are saying that the new one is going to have a 2.0 instead of a 2.5, which is too small to me for a WRX, just doesn't fit, and not as much room for modding.

 

If I was gonna get a WRX, it would be the 2013 one. 

 

A few questions: Did you have problems with the clutch, and does the shifter feel notchy to you?  And is the powerband strong past 4000rpm?  (I wasn't allowed past 4000rpm, friends car, new, breaking in turbo), and how do you like the steering feel?

GOGOGOGURT

Yeah, it feels like the new one won't be as rugged, it'll be more sport car-ish, which is fine, just not for WRX.

Like when you give it full throttle, when do you feel the most power, at what rpm?

Well, Mitsubishi is discontinuing the EVO, so that shouldn't be hard.Chutebox

You can get the WRX and Lancer in hatches, and the WRX looks better in a hatch than a sedan IMO.GTR12

[QUOTE="Guppy507"][QUOTE="Chutebox"]

WRX all the way.  I have a 2013 and love it.  But I think they are changing the car for 2014.  So might want to wait a couple months to see the new one if you decide to buy one.

These are also easy to mod if you're into that.

Chutebox

I have a 2013 Focus ST.  Having owned quite a few performance cars, I can say that this car ranks near the top in terms of fun.  This was my compromise car.  I had a 2013 Mustang GT 5.0, but traded it in after 10 months because I wanted more disposable income.  Other cars that I've owned- 300zx, Sentra Spec V, a pair of 350z's, a Neon SRT-4, and that beastly Mustang.  

The Focus ST has a level of refinement that you normally don't find in an American car.  It feels very "Euro."  The interior is well thought-out and of decent quality.  The engine has lots of mid-range power, and it will get you 31-33 mpg on the highway.  The best part about the car is the handling.  It never understeers.  Even the best front-wheel drive cars that I had driven before would understeer if you pushed them hard enough.  This one has some crazy technology that allows the rear end to rotate controllably when you want to take a turn sharply.  The level of grip that the ST has is insane.  0.97 or 0.98g's on the skidpad according to some reviews.  That's near supercar territory.  Awesome car.  

Get a VW golf GTI. Best hot hatch bar none. And before you ask, I drive. Honda Civicmy_name_is_ron

Golf GTI is great, but the Focus ST set a new bar.  

Mazda is best bang for buck - I like the Ford ST the most. (They're actually the same car).Fightingfan

They are not the same car.  Not even close.  The MS3 is based on the last generation Focus platform.  The engines are completely different.  The Focus interior is much nicer.  The ST handles much more naturally than an MS3.  

I have a 2013 Focus ST.  Having owned quite a few performance cars, I can say that this car ranks near the top in terms of fun.  This was my compromise car.  I had a 2013 Mustang GT 5.0, but traded it in after 10 months because I wanted more disposable income.  Other cars that I've owned- 300zx, Sentra Spec V, a pair of 350z's, a Neon SRT-4, and that beastly Mustang.  

The Focus ST has a level of refinement that you normally don't find in an American car.  It feels very "Euro."  The interior is well thought-out and of decent quality.  The engine has lots of mid-range power, and it will get you 31-33 mpg on the highway.  The best part about the car is the handling.  It never understeers.  Even the best front-wheel drive cars that I had driven before would understeer if you pushed them hard enough.  This one has some crazy technology that allows the rear end to rotate controllably when you want to take a turn sharply.  The level of grip that the ST has is insane.  0.97 or 0.98g's on the skidpad according to some reviews.  That's near supercar territory.  Awesome car.  

hartsickdiscipl

Awesome.  I'm pretty much down between the ST and WRX.

Does the ST's turbo kick in anywhere in the powerband?  Or is it pretty steady for you?

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

I have a 2013 Focus ST.  Having owned quite a few performance cars, I can say that this car ranks near the top in terms of fun.  This was my compromise car.  I had a 2013 Mustang GT 5.0, but traded it in after 10 months because I wanted more disposable income.  Other cars that I've owned- 300zx, Sentra Spec V, a pair of 350z's, a Neon SRT-4, and that beastly Mustang.  

The Focus ST has a level of refinement that you normally don't find in an American car.  It feels very "Euro."  The interior is well thought-out and of decent quality.  The engine has lots of mid-range power, and it will get you 31-33 mpg on the highway.  The best part about the car is the handling.  It never understeers.  Even the best front-wheel drive cars that I had driven before would understeer if you pushed them hard enough.  This one has some crazy technology that allows the rear end to rotate controllably when you want to take a turn sharply.  The level of grip that the ST has is insane.  0.97 or 0.98g's on the skidpad according to some reviews.  That's near supercar territory.  Awesome car.  

GOGOGOGURT

Awesome.  I'm pretty much down between the ST and WRX.

Does the ST's turbo kick in anywhere in the powerband?  Or is it pretty steady for you?

Someone earlier said that the ST feels more like a naturally aspirated engine.  Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesnt.  You will feel the turbo come on fairly soon after 2000 rpms, and it falls off after about 5600-5700.  3rd gear pulls really hard and you can definitely feel that they wanted the car to have usable power that would be good for a daily driver, but also great for spirited driving.  There is very little turbo lag.  I have an SCT tuner and a set of tunes of varying aggressiveness.  I usually use the 93 octane performance tune, which makes the boost come on a little bit earlier in 1st and 2nd gears.  It also helps throttle response.  

The only real weakness that I'm aware of is the lower motor mount.  I don't know that they are prone to breakage, but it is too soft for an engine with this much torque.  If you rev out 1st gear and shift hard into 2nd, you can hear the engine thunk.  This is a common observation for the ST.  I'm considering buying a stiffer mount, since it's not a big investment.  That is literally my only complaint so far.  

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

I have a 2013 Focus ST.  Having owned quite a few performance cars, I can say that this car ranks near the top in terms of fun.  This was my compromise car.  I had a 2013 Mustang GT 5.0, but traded it in after 10 months because I wanted more disposable income.  Other cars that I've owned- 300zx, Sentra Spec V, a pair of 350z's, a Neon SRT-4, and that beastly Mustang.  

The Focus ST has a level of refinement that you normally don't find in an American car.  It feels very "Euro."  The interior is well thought-out and of decent quality.  The engine has lots of mid-range power, and it will get you 31-33 mpg on the highway.  The best part about the car is the handling.  It never understeers.  Even the best front-wheel drive cars that I had driven before would understeer if you pushed them hard enough.  This one has some crazy technology that allows the rear end to rotate controllably when you want to take a turn sharply.  The level of grip that the ST has is insane.  0.97 or 0.98g's on the skidpad according to some reviews.  That's near supercar territory.  Awesome car.  

hartsickdiscipl

Awesome.  I'm pretty much down between the ST and WRX.

Does the ST's turbo kick in anywhere in the powerband?  Or is it pretty steady for you?

Someone earlier said that the ST feels more like a naturally aspirated engine.  Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesnt.  You will feel the turbo come on fairly soon after 2000 rpms, and it falls off after about 5600-5700.  3rd gear pulls really hard and you can definitely feel that they wanted the car to have usable power that would be good for a daily driver, but also great for spirited driving.  There is very little turbo lag.  I have an SCT tuner and a set of tunes of varying aggressiveness.  I usually use the 93 octane performance tune, which makes the boost come on a little bit earlier in 1st and 2nd gears.  It also helps throttle response.  

The only real weakness that I'm aware of is the lower motor mount.  I don't know that they are prone to breakage, but it is too soft for an engine with this much torque.  If you rev out 1st gear and shift hard into 2nd, you can hear the engine thunk.  This is a common observation for the ST.  I'm considering buying a stiffer mount, since it's not a big investment.  That is literally my only complaint so far.  

Yeah I made that observation, noticed it while I was driving, just good confirmation that you noticed it too.  I kind of liked the linear power, but you don't get that smack of acceleration like you do in the MS3 or WRX.  It didn't really feel like a 6 sec. 0-60 time, but maybe I didn't push it hard enough.  I really like the interior, recaros, and brembo brakes.  You couldn't stop faster if you crashed into a wall.  I also agree with the handeling, amazing, and no understeer. 

Lower engine mount?  Do you mean weak?  Or what is it thunking against?

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

 

Awesome.  I'm pretty much down between the ST and WRX.

 

Does the ST's turbo kick in anywhere in the powerband?  Or is it pretty steady for you?

GOGOGOGURT

Someone earlier said that the ST feels more like a naturally aspirated engine.  Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesnt.  You will feel the turbo come on fairly soon after 2000 rpms, and it falls off after about 5600-5700.  3rd gear pulls really hard and you can definitely feel that they wanted the car to have usable power that would be good for a daily driver, but also great for spirited driving.  There is very little turbo lag.  I have an SCT tuner and a set of tunes of varying aggressiveness.  I usually use the 93 octane performance tune, which makes the boost come on a little bit earlier in 1st and 2nd gears.  It also helps throttle response.  

The only real weakness that I'm aware of is the lower motor mount.  I don't know that they are prone to breakage, but it is too soft for an engine with this much torque.  If you rev out 1st gear and shift hard into 2nd, you can hear the engine thunk.  This is a common observation for the ST.  I'm considering buying a stiffer mount, since it's not a big investment.  That is literally my only complaint so far.  

Yeah I made that observation, noticed it while I was driving, just good confirmation that you noticed it too.  I kind of liked the linear power, but you don't get that smack of acceleration like you do in the MS3 or WRX.  It didn't really feel like a 6 sec. 0-60 time, but maybe I didn't push it hard enough.  I really like the interior, recaros, and brembo brakes.  You couldn't stop faster if you crashed into a wall.  I also agree with the handeling, amazing, and no understeer. 

Lower engine mount?  Do you mean weak?  Or what is it thunking against?

The consensus on the ST forums seems to be that the thunking is the engine hitting the firewall.  That only seems to happen when you really get on it hard and shift fast into 2nd gear.  The motor mount has too much give and the engine torques so hard that it smacks the firewall.  

EDIT- Apparently as of late May, Ford is acknowledging this problem.  I'm looking to see if they have approved a fix yet.  

EDIT 2- Ford doesn't seem to want to officially offer a free replacement for the lower motor mount.  This is the part that everyone is buying and putting in-

http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-housing_cm5z-6068-a.html

You can use that part number to find a different seller if you want.  It seems to fix the engine "bang" on shifting issue, as well as most of the wheel hop.  

If you can't get the STI Impreza just get an EVO.

@hartsickdiscipl: Have you driven your ST on regular gas? If so, how is it? I know premium is only recommended, not required, but some cars I've been in (my dad's truck) behave oddly when using regular instead. My dad's truck is jerky at really low RPMs with regular gas, and the gas mileage suffers.Guppy507

I've never put anything other than 93 octane in it, so I can't say.  I may put 91 in it on a very long road trip that I'm planning to take soon.  Ford says the engine makes 12 less horsepower on 87 octane.  TBH, I'm surprised that they managed to make it run correctly on 87 with 9.3 compression and a turbo putting out about 20 lbs of boost.  Maybe the direct injection helps.  

[QUOTE="Guppy507"]@hartsickdiscipl: Have you driven your ST on regular gas? If so, how is it? I know premium is only recommended, not required, but some cars I've been in (my dad's truck) behave oddly when using regular instead. My dad's truck is jerky at really low RPMs with regular gas, and the gas mileage suffers.hartsickdiscipl

I've never put anything other than 93 octane in it, so I can't say.  I may put 91 in it on a very long road trip that I'm planning to take soon.  Ford says the engine makes 12 less horsepower on 87 octane.  TBH, I'm surprised that they managed to make it run correctly on 87 with 9.3 compression and a turbo putting out about 20 lbs of boost.  Maybe the direct injection helps.  

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="Guppy507"]@hartsickdiscipl: Have you driven your ST on regular gas? If so, how is it? I know premium is only recommended, not required, but some cars I've been in (my dad's truck) behave oddly when using regular instead. My dad's truck is jerky at really low RPMs with regular gas, and the gas mileage suffers.Guppy507

I've never put anything other than 93 octane in it, so I can't say.  I may put 91 in it on a very long road trip that I'm planning to take soon.  Ford says the engine makes 12 less horsepower on 87 octane.  TBH, I'm surprised that they managed to make it run correctly on 87 with 9.3 compression and a turbo putting out about 20 lbs of boost.  Maybe the direct injection helps.  

18-inchers aren't THAT big.  We don't get much snow in central Texas.  I can tell you this though- I had a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 with a stage 2 KW suspension from 2006-09.  Very similar formula.  High horsepower, high torque front-wheel drive car.  I had 17-inch wheels on it.  During the winter, I put Blizzaks on it, and it was one of the best cars in the snow that I've ever driven.  Those tires are magic.  I lived in Upstate NY at the time, and drove it through a driveway with about a foot of snow in it.  

18-inchers aren't THAT big.  We don't get much snow in central Texas.  I can tell you this though- I had a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 with a stage 2 KW suspension from 2006-09.  Very similar formula.  High horsepower, high torque front-wheel drive car.  I had 17-inch wheels on it.  During the winter, I put Blizzaks on it, and it was one of the best cars in the snow that I've ever driven.  Those tires are magic.  I lived in Upstate NY at the time, and drove it through a driveway with about a foot of snow in it.  

hartsickdiscipl

Yeah, you really can't overstate how much more tolerable driving is with good snow tires.  My mom has an AWD Edge with a set of snow tires and it's amazing.  What's nice with front wheel drive though is that you only need 2 snow tires lol.

Do you know the ground clearence of the ST?  Ford doesn't have it listed anywhere.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

18-inchers aren't THAT big.  We don't get much snow in central Texas.  I can tell you this though- I had a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 with a stage 2 KW suspension from 2006-09.  Very similar formula.  High horsepower, high torque front-wheel drive car.  I had 17-inch wheels on it.  During the winter, I put Blizzaks on it, and it was one of the best cars in the snow that I've ever driven.  Those tires are magic.  I lived in Upstate NY at the time, and drove it through a driveway with about a foot of snow in it.  

Guppy507

Yeah, you really can't overstate how much more tolerable driving is with good snow tires.  My mom has an AWD Edge with a set of snow tires and it's amazing.  What's nice with front wheel drive though is that you only need 2 snow tires lol.

Do you know the ground clearence of the ST?  Ford doesn't have it listed anywhere.

It has roughly 7.5 to 8 inches of ground clearance.  

[QUOTE="Guppy507"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

18-inchers aren't THAT big.  We don't get much snow in central Texas.  I can tell you this though- I had a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 with a stage 2 KW suspension from 2006-09.  Very similar formula.  High horsepower, high torque front-wheel drive car.  I had 17-inch wheels on it.  During the winter, I put Blizzaks on it, and it was one of the best cars in the snow that I've ever driven.  Those tires are magic.  I lived in Upstate NY at the time, and drove it through a driveway with about a foot of snow in it.  

hartsickdiscipl

Yeah, you really can't overstate how much more tolerable driving is with good snow tires.  My mom has an AWD Edge with a set of snow tires and it's amazing.  What's nice with front wheel drive though is that you only need 2 snow tires lol.

Do you know the ground clearence of the ST?  Ford doesn't have it listed anywhere.

It has roughly 7.5 to 8 inches of ground clearance.  

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

 

Someone earlier said that the ST feels more like a naturally aspirated engine.  Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesnt.  You will feel the turbo come on fairly soon after 2000 rpms, and it falls off after about 5600-5700.  3rd gear pulls really hard and you can definitely feel that they wanted the car to have usable power that would be good for a daily driver, but also great for spirited driving.  There is very little turbo lag.  I have an SCT tuner and a set of tunes of varying aggressiveness.  I usually use the 93 octane performance tune, which makes the boost come on a little bit earlier in 1st and 2nd gears.  It also helps throttle response.  

The only real weakness that I'm aware of is the lower motor mount.  I don't know that they are prone to breakage, but it is too soft for an engine with this much torque.  If you rev out 1st gear and shift hard into 2nd, you can hear the engine thunk.  This is a common observation for the ST.  I'm considering buying a stiffer mount, since it's not a big investment.  That is literally my only complaint so far.  

hartsickdiscipl

Yeah I made that observation, noticed it while I was driving, just good confirmation that you noticed it too.  I kind of liked the linear power, but you don't get that smack of acceleration like you do in the MS3 or WRX.  It didn't really feel like a 6 sec. 0-60 time, but maybe I didn't push it hard enough.  I really like the interior, recaros, and brembo brakes.  You couldn't stop faster if you crashed into a wall.  I also agree with the handeling, amazing, and no understeer. 

Lower engine mount?  Do you mean weak?  Or what is it thunking against?

The consensus on the ST forums seems to be that the thunking is the engine hitting the firewall.  That only seems to happen when you really get on it hard and shift fast into 2nd gear.  The motor mount has too much give and the engine torques so hard that it smacks the firewall.  

EDIT- Apparently as of late May, Ford is acknowledging this problem.  I'm looking to see if they have approved a fix yet.  

EDIT 2- Ford doesn't seem to want to officially offer a free replacement for the lower motor mount.  This is the part that everyone is buying and putting in-

http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-housing_cm5z-6068-a.html

You can use that part number to find a different seller if you want.  It seems to fix the engine "bang" on shifting issue, as well as most of the wheel hop.  

Is that external component easy to fix yourself?  I've done engine mounts before, and sometimes they are hard to reach.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="Guppy507"]@hartsickdiscipl: Have you driven your ST on regular gas? If so, how is it? I know premium is only recommended, not required, but some cars I've been in (my dad's truck) behave oddly when using regular instead. My dad's truck is jerky at really low RPMs with regular gas, and the gas mileage suffers.Guppy507

I've never put anything other than 93 octane in it, so I can't say.  I may put 91 in it on a very long road trip that I'm planning to take soon.  Ford says the engine makes 12 less horsepower on 87 octane.  TBH, I'm surprised that they managed to make it run correctly on 87 with 9.3 compression and a turbo putting out about 20 lbs of boost.  Maybe the direct injection helps.  

Trust me, once you drive it, you won't care about mileage.

@hartsickdiscipl: Have you driven your ST on regular gas? If so, how is it? I know premium is only recommended, not required, but some cars I've been in (my dad's truck) behave oddly when using regular instead. My dad's truck is jerky at really low RPMs with regular gas, and the gas mileage suffers.Guppy507

The only negative that comes from using regular gas in a premium-recommended car is that the engine knocks, and you may lose some power.

It's usually a myth that regular will damage a performance car.

And you have to run premium through it every once in awhile to clean it.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

 

Yeah I made that observation, noticed it while I was driving, just good confirmation that you noticed it too.  I kind of liked the linear power, but you don't get that smack of acceleration like you do in the MS3 or WRX.  It didn't really feel like a 6 sec. 0-60 time, but maybe I didn't push it hard enough.  I really like the interior, recaros, and brembo brakes.  You couldn't stop faster if you crashed into a wall.  I also agree with the handeling, amazing, and no understeer. 

 

Lower engine mount?  Do you mean weak?  Or what is it thunking against?

GOGOGOGURT

The consensus on the ST forums seems to be that the thunking is the engine hitting the firewall.  That only seems to happen when you really get on it hard and shift fast into 2nd gear.  The motor mount has too much give and the engine torques so hard that it smacks the firewall.  

EDIT- Apparently as of late May, Ford is acknowledging this problem.  I'm looking to see if they have approved a fix yet.  

EDIT 2- Ford doesn't seem to want to officially offer a free replacement for the lower motor mount.  This is the part that everyone is buying and putting in-

http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-housing_cm5z-6068-a.html

You can use that part number to find a different seller if you want.  It seems to fix the engine "bang" on shifting issue, as well as most of the wheel hop.  

Is that external component easy to fix yourself?  I've done engine mounts before, and sometimes they are hard to reach.

Ehh.. it's fairly easy to access.  I will probably pay a shop to do mine.  I doubt it will be more than an hour or 2 of labor.  

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

 

The consensus on the ST forums seems to be that the thunking is the engine hitting the firewall.  That only seems to happen when you really get on it hard and shift fast into 2nd gear.  The motor mount has too much give and the engine torques so hard that it smacks the firewall.  

EDIT- Apparently as of late May, Ford is acknowledging this problem.  I'm looking to see if they have approved a fix yet.  

EDIT 2- Ford doesn't seem to want to officially offer a free replacement for the lower motor mount.  This is the part that everyone is buying and putting in-

http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-housing_cm5z-6068-a.html

You can use that part number to find a different seller if you want.  It seems to fix the engine "bang" on shifting issue, as well as most of the wheel hop.  

hartsickdiscipl

Is that external component easy to fix yourself?  I've done engine mounts before, and sometimes they are hard to reach.

Ehh.. it's fairly easy to access.  I will probably pay a shop to do mine.  I doubt it will be more than an hour or 2 of labor.  

Yeah I would too.  Whenever I do work myself on a car, something else always seems to go wrong. And I've worked on a lot of cars.

Guess I'm just not meant to do that haha!  Thanks for the input though, been one of the most helpful commentors.

I think I'll wait on either the ST or WRX.  I'll wait for the ST to get the problems fixed, and wait for the new WRX so I can get the 2013 one at a big discount if I need to.

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

[QUOTE="Guppy507"] I haven't liked the designs of Imprezas at all since 2007 or so. I hope the 2014 looks good and can keep up with the Evo again.chaplainDMK

All I can find are articles from 2011 saying they were cancelling it.

[QUOTE="punkpunker"]

the Golf definitly

GOGOGOGURT

Not enough power.

I would so recommend the Golf R. 256 hp, AWD, and good-looking. Then again, my family is full of VW drivers. I just love the build quality in and out.

[QUOTE="GOGOGOGURT"]

[QUOTE="punkpunker"]

the Golf definitly

gamah_killah

Not enough power.

I would so recommend the Golf R. 256 hp, AWD, and good-looking. Then again, my family is full of VW drivers. I just love the build quality in and out.

No offense, but I'd have to be bonkers to pay almost $40,000 for a golf.  If I had that money, then I'd just get an Audi TTRS.  Audi is owned by Vdub, so It's be even better.

I say go with a motorcycle... lamprey263

Oh you have no idea how badly I want one of those.  But I need to have a practical car first.

But trust me, a Ducatti is on my list.

[QUOTE="chaplainDMK"][QUOTE="Chutebox"] Well, Mitsubishi is discontinuing the EVO, so that shouldn't be hard.

Chutebox

All I can find are articles from 2011 saying they were cancelling it.

1. Suburu

2. Ford

[QUOTE="Chutebox"]

[QUOTE="chaplainDMK"] No they aren't, all they are changing is that it's gonna be a hybrid from what I know. It will still have 0-62mph under 5 seconds. chaplainDMK

All I can find are articles from 2011 saying they were cancelling it.

Dodge Challenger would blow all those out of the water.

[QUOTE="GTR12"]You can get the WRX and Lancer in hatches, and the WRX looks better in a hatch than a sedan IMO.Guppy507

Well again its personal opinion but I really dislike the Impreza sedan. I'm not sure if the US has a slightly differently styled Impreza or what but here in Australia, the sedan looks ALOT like another car, especially the rear tail-light assembly.