WRX2S2K

How has reliabilty been? You're getting 30 mpg in mixed driving?

I really like what Ford has done with the interior on the 2015 ST's.

One thing about the WRX is they don't get great gas mileage, but maybe this has improved with the FA engine. I get bettween 29 and 31 mpg in my Si which I find impressive.

MattZ28

ST is fun in stock form, but once you mod it, you'll be torque steering all over the place which is pretty annoying. I test drove a new WRX and found the powerband to be quite boring for its power level - it completely falls on its face in upper RPMs. I think if you miss your old WRX, the new one will be a disappointment unless you're willing to mod it and void the warranty. Can't speak on behalf of the GTI though as I've never driven one. If you haven't done basic bolt ons + flash pro with a custom tune on your Si, I would definitely give that a shot because it completely transforms the car.

Mistman

How has reliabilty been? You're getting 30 mpg in mixed driving?

I really like what Ford has done with the interior on the 2015 ST's.

One thing about the WRX is they don't get great gas mileage, but maybe this has improved with the FA engine. I get bettween 29 and 31 mpg in my Si which I find impressive.
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My drive is probably 80% hwy, I've only dropped under 30 like twice, that was because I was playing a lot. I'm not in a huge hurry on my commute and notice if I can keep it under 70 I can sustain 30 mpg, start going over and it starts dropping. There are some driving aides that help you get that kind of mileage, not as fun but plenty good for commuting. I like driving in Sport mode best, the torque vectoring is less intrusive so torque steer is more manageable. That is a big difference between RWD and FWD especially in a car with some torque. It will torque steer to some degree but it's pretty predictable once you get used to it. My TSX was never noticeable, different story w/the ST, some complain about it, some people are just wimpy drivers too My mileage has been exactly what you claim from the Si but with a turbo and some torque. There's really no top end on this car, it'll pull hard all the way to 5.5K (RL is 6.5K) and when the turbo spools (depending on throttle position) around 3k it will surge pretty hard. But it pulls all the way from 2k hard, whereas the S2K/Si doesn't really turn on until 3-4k then you have to wait for vtec to kick in so while your shifting sooner your pulling about as long in each gear. While I can see it's limitations it's pretty impressive for what it does. Believe it or not I shift @ 2k pretty religiously when I'm trying to keep the mileage up (play a little, pay a little) and have plenty of torque to get around town. If your on the throttle, just before 2k it starts to come on so you shift right about the time it's kicking in and get a little surge going into the next gear. A friend of mine tried it in his Corolla commuter, he laughed, the car would almost stall shifting that low.

Reliability so far has been great. I hit a deer 2 weeks after getting it, a little fender damage, then hit another one the next week before I got into the shop to get the 1st one fixed (still deer hair on it from the fist hit). It hit the same spot so only broke the bumper and headlight mount a little more. Bummed me out, driving this road for 18 years and never hit one before, then hit 2 in less than 2 weeks. That got me a little jumpy for a while. So I got the car fixed, no issues. Had a wiring splice recall preformed about 2 weeks ago, didn't really experience any issues but did notice my idle was smoothed out a bit (it was more like the turboed S2K before, didn't bother me). Some people were having issues with cars dying at low RPMS (stopping), or some intermittent electrical problem. It was an ST specific issues. I've been letting the dealership do the maintenance and have been o.k. with that, they've been good. It's been a solid car.

One thing about the ST is it's really a different car than a regular Focus. Tranny and engine are both unique to the car (6spd only, no DCT option), suspension is different, it comes with a supplemental guide. They make you feel like you've got a special car and after driving it for 8 months I do feel it's a unique car. In perspective of course

Vitt

You should test drive the GTI with performance package as part of your decision (LSD, bigger brakes and 220 HP to the crank). I lease a 4-door manual GTI S w/o the PP because it was not available when I got it in late September 2014 (they're reaching the dealers now). Even so, I think the car is a blast to drive as a DD. I love going places just to get behind the wheel. The steering is really good, handling is just right, the ride is not too soft, not too harsh, and the power is amazing. VW advertises 210 HP and 258 Ft/Lb at the crank w/o PP but they may be underrating the power. And some people are reaching 300 WHP with an Eurodyne tune. This same guy on the link got 220 HP and 275 TQ to the wheels stock. Personally, I just don't need anymore power for driving around the streets of the LA area. I just got new wheels because I'm not crazy about the stock wheels. Ligher wheels should make the handling even better.

From what I've read, the VW electronic controlled LSD transform the car even more. It's different than mechanical LSDs and can put as much as 100% of the power to one wheel. VW's VAQ 'diff' explained

The only 'unknown' to me is reliability. So the lease works for me, as I don't have to worry about having the car outside of warranty. So far I've had nothing go wrong but only have about 3500 miles on the car. If it stays reliable after 3 yrs, I'll consider buying it out or getting another.

WRX2S2K

Thanks for the info! I'm excited to try a GTI. I'v owned Japanese cars forever and appreciate their reliability, but they have just been lacking in character lately. At least what's in my price range. I've also had a couple domestic cars so I wouldn't mind trying a European car.

As far as modding the Si, I'm kind of done with that at this point in my life. I'm older now with a two year old and just don't have to desire/time to wrench on my cars anymore even if it is only a downpipe and tune. Don'y get me wrong, I really like the Si, but I'm always tempted by other options.

I'm definitely excited to see what the Focus RS is like. I might wait and get this in a couple years and stay in the Si in the mean time if the RS has AWD and decent power. I'm doing a mid-career switch and going back to school for engineering right now, so I don't want to spend too much money for a couple years.

climhazzard

I traded in a 2012 GTI for a 2013 Civic Si, and while I do miss how fantastic the GTI was to drive, I do not miss the frequent visits to the dealership. Can't really offer an opinion on the WRX or STs beyond they seem like great cars for the money.

EastS2k

The only caveat wit the GTi, if you get one make sure its a manual - a good college friend of mine had an 09 w/ a DSG, every 30-40k miles you had to have the DSG serviced at the dealer, and it ran around $500 if I recall correctly. Not to mention the turbo went out on him while he was in law school, 5k repair at the dealer.

I am still in the honeymoon phase with my Si sedan but so far it hasn't disappointed (Aside the rev hang, which I am used to now)

8.5kallday

From my experience as an auto salesperson I would recommend the Focus if you're going to own but maybe the gti on a lease. Ford has stepped up their game a lot with the focus line up and even though I work for Honda I give credit where its due. On the other hand I get a lot of german cars on trade that are less than 5 years old with problems that aren't common for most cars till they get to about 100k or higher..i wouldn't own a volks,audi,benze,bmw more than 3 years cause everything seems to crap out when the warranties done lol

MiCRon 08

This probably won't add too much to the debate since it is purely 1 guy's experience.

I was in a similar boat last summer. I would really urge you to test drive and check out the vehicles themselves. I was absolutely sure I was going to stay in the Honda camp and get the new Civic Si coupe. I thought it looked a lot better in-person than in the mags. Plus it comes with that Honda piece of mind and reputation. After the test drive I felt like Honda phoned this car in. It really seemed like a bucket full of mediocre and I was really let down.

I wound up with Ford Fiesta ST which technically isn't in the same class. It totally blew me away. After I drove it, I pretty much had to have it. I loved the feel and feedback. I ended up buying it the next day. It felt a like I had fallen in to "opposite world" where I chose a Ford over Honda's offerings.

I can't speak for this car's long term reliability. It is my daily and so far I have clocked 9k miles on it without any issues.
My MPG varies from about 27.5 to 36mpg. 36 being all freeway. Before the engine break-in it would get 24mp which was a bit disconcerting. The mileage started climbing up after about 2k miles. Most of the time it is around 28 combined driving. It is way too tempting to drive this car 'spirited' than it is to think about fuel economy. If my willpower stays firm and I drive with restraint, my mpg is around 30 combined.

I haven't looked back on my choice!

thielepr

I know the feeling as I drive a 13 Si 4'door. I just went to Daytona last week and I´m even more in love with it. However, every time I see a wrx I can´t stop saying to myself that I will trade it in a heartbeat. The Si is a perfect daily with the torque, sound system a great MPG. But those WRX handle on rails. The Si is fun to drive, the wrx is awesome to drive