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2013 GT - 2009-12 WRX comparison

20K views 77 replies 24 participants last post by  Callahan 
#1 ·
I just traded in my 09' WRX for a 13' Mustang GT and I thought I'd talk a little about how they stack up against each other.

First off you can't really compare these cars but I have owned them both so why not?
I loved my WRX for the 3 years I had it, it is what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else.
I originally ordered a 12' wrx, but during the 9week wait I thought to myself, do I really want to trade in for the same exact car with a body kit? No

I test drove a 13' 5.0 and fell in love. It has a completely different presence on the road. It feels planted and composed, it's suprisingly smooth compared to the WRX. Im still breaking it in so I haven't gotten on the throttle hard yet. But I can say there is plenty of power down low compared to the WRX in its stock form, where it was dead below 3500rpm and insane from 4500 to redline.

I bought both cars in Base trim. Interior wise the GT is top notch. The WRX was seriously lacking in this department. The GT has an all black interior including the headliner as apposed to the 2tone cream and black in the WRX. The GT has soft to the touch plastics on the dash so it doesn't creak and squeek in the morning. The GT has steering wheel controls standard ( I didn't know what I've been missing) which are awesome. The keyless entry system is one piece with the key, not a 2piece as in the WRX. The stereo is much better than th WRX which goes without saying. Hid's are standard also, which is nice. MPG wise, the 2 cars are rated the same which is crazy since I now have 2x the cylinders. I'm getting 20 right now ( 90%city) which is great considering I'm in the break in period and I'm giving it more gas than I usually would to vary speeds and rpms.

Things I like more about the WRX than the GT. I like the WRX gauge cluster much more, it's so easy to read and the white on red looks awesome. I'm not gonna lie, that's about it. I live in San Jose, Ca where we don't see any snow and hardly any rain, so AWD isn't necessary for me at this time. The WRX has a bigger trunk opening, but I think the GT has more useable space, especially with the trunk lid arms on the rex that prevent you from putting anything below them.

All that being said, I would without a doubt buy another Subaru, although it was lacking in many areas it's still a great bang for the buck and you can't beat the reliability. The GT's reliabilty is TBD but it seems to be solidly built.
 
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#3 ·
First off you can't really compare these cars but I have owned them both so why not?
SECOND!

Because you just said that you can't.

And IBTL.
 
#9 ·
Wrx vs. World?
To many on this forum, there is no world outside of the WRX :rotfl:


I have equal opinion of the new WRX interior... terrible. But at the same time, IMO, the new Mustangs had some of the worst interiors I have yet experienced. OTOH, I thought the new Focus interior was quite good.
 
#8 ·
lolololololol as soon as I saw the thread title, I knew it was a Rex thread!


Seriously though, congrats on the new ride, we ALL know you've wanted one for a while. The new GTs are beautiful, there's no doubt about it.

 
#12 ·
I like the comparison and agree with a lot of it but the one glaring advantage of the WRX is 4 doors. We may have different priorities but having a 2 door car would drive me absolutely nuts. I can't imagine having a kid or friends and having to move the front seats every time they were in and out of the car. A coupe could never be my main car, but thats just me
 
#15 · (Edited)
Definetely for most people 4doors is a necessity and a huge advantage. Right now it's just me and my gf, I honestly think I used my rear passenger doors less than 10times for passengers in 3years. Also I dont plan on having kids any time soon.

Like I said the WRX is a great car, I just don't need two of its major features right now or in the near future, 4doors and AWD, but when I do, I prefer WR-equis.
 
#13 ·
+1 for pics.

It's peaceful so far...hopefully it can stay that way. This is highly subjective stuff, folks...people are allowed to like other cars better than the WRX.
It's interesting to hear you describe a planted feel in the Mustang. For me, in the V6, at least, it really felt more like "heavy". Perhaps the 5.0's suspension gives a different feel.
 
#19 ·
Congrats. They are great cars, performance wise, and with a new set of pipes they sound really mean. I'm one of those who needed four doors, and that made the WRX the purchase of choice. Also, in my area there are way too many Stangs running around - you can't spit without hitting one ... lord knows I've tried.
 
#20 ·
Sick new car, I wish I could of swung a lien on one of those when I converted to v8. Drove a 2012 and it felt just as solid and planted as my 05 sti, and a lot faster. Did you look at the 2013 gt500 while up there??
 
#26 ·
I see a lot of pre 11' v6 and gt models. Not very many new 5.0s, I see a new sti and multiple wrx. Maybe it's just my area but there's tons of subarus and new evos. Tons of new camaros too.. Makes me a happy 4th gen owner. New gt500s are incredible at the drag strip, I think the current record is 11.3 @ 125 bone stock... Scary stuff for 55k. Post some pics of this beast
 
#30 ·
I actually love the sound of a properly-piped V8. Or something.

I've typically preferred the looks of the Camaro line over the Mustang, going back to the '60's, and I sorta feel that way about the new models. I see many new Mustangs, daily, around here. I loved the new Camaro...until I started seeing them on every corner. It sorta destroyed the cool factor for me.

I hope you enjoy your purchase! It's cool that Ford rose to the challenge, and combined the classic body style with a stout engine and very presentable handling.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Congrats on the new car! Here in WNY, I look at the pony cars, Camaro, Mustang, and my favorite, the Challenger (I don't care if its slower, the rarity factor makes it 10x cooler, and its still faster than I need), but needing the AWD for the winter, plus having 4 real doors made the WRX a hard car to pass up.

I drove all of the listed cars, along with a few others... The WRX had the best balance to me. The Hemi R/T 6-Spd had the coolest retro feel to it though. Not the fastest, not the crispest, but something rarely Americana about it. Like riding my buddies BMW S1000RR then getting on my Buell, or my other buddies Harley Fat Bob, sure they aren't as fast, or crisp, but there's some character to it, and I didn't get that with the Stang. The Camaro just disappointed me all around... I really don't like the cartoonish styling, and the drive was just blah compared to the other cars.

The WRX won out for me due to versatility and practicality... And price, did I mention price?!?
 
#32 ·
Congrats on the new car! Here in WNY, I look at the pony cars, Camaro, Mustang, and my favorite, the Challenger (I don't care if its slower, the rarity factor makes it 10x cooler, and its still faster than I need), but needing the AWD for the winter, plus having 4 real doors made it a hard car to pass up.

I drove all of the listed cars, along with a few others... The WRX had the best balance to me. The Hemi R/T 6-Spd had the coolest retro feel to it though. Not the fastest, not the crispest, but something rarely Americana about it. Like riding my buddies BMW S1000RR then getting on my Buell, or my other buddies Harley Fat Bob, sure they aren't as fast, or crisp, but there's some character to it, and I didn't get that with the Stang. The Camaro just disappointed me all around... I really don't like the cartoonish styling, and the drive was just blah compared to the other cars.

The WRX won out for me due to versatility and practicality... And price, did I mention price?!?
 
#35 ·
I have a Uly. 2006, Race ECM, Jardine Pipe (modified), K&N with open airbox, Sportster Clutch, etc. Love the bike... It will hold its own with all my buddies on 600's and 1k's. They pull hard on the straights, but I get them right back at the corners (its all about balls anyway). Its not the fastest, or the crispest, but its super comfy for the long haul, I can throw soft luggage on it and ride for days, and my GF doesn't complain about riding on the back of it.

Now, if I had an extra $40K laying around, I would buy one of the new EBR 1190RS superbikes and show my buddies S1000RR what an American Sportbike is capable of!
 
#43 ·
I like your pros-cons, the most important thing to me about my WRX over buying some sort of muscle car was the symmetrical AWD. I live in alaska where we have 2 seasons, winter and midwinter, owning a car that is AWD is super important as a Mustang has so much back wheel torque I would drift around everything, unintentionally. But I am sure you don't face those problems as much in Cali
 
#46 ·
My first post on the forum..I too have a 06 Orange Uly with three hard bags and mine for sale.. I was thinking about buying the 2013 Mustang GT, I wanted the 420hp motor. They do run great..serious get-up and go. BUT.. I did not like the "old school" view from the drivers seat..looking over the very long hood and sitting so low that it was hard to see the front fender corners. The back seat is not for people..just not practical at all..just could not bring myself to go for it and I am a "Ford Man" too. So I am picking up a 2012 Silver WRX 5 door in a few days.
 
#47 ·
I'm 6'1 and I have no trouble seeing over the hood. The seating position isn't very low at all, in fact I wish it did go a little lower. You can't really beat the visibility in a WRX though. You can't go wrong with the WRX good choice. I will say this though, it feels awesome to drive an American car built by union workers especially because my grandfather, uncle, and I are union members as well. There's a sense of pride I get from driving this car that I didn't get from WRX.
 
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