^ makes sense..if the RA was a MT i would say no doubt its the better car and even think with the SST its still the better car maybe by like a hair..me personally would still get a genesis

 

Well, there certainly is higher drivetrain loss in the R/A than in the gen coupe - I don't think this should come as a surprise, or be impressive.

If the coupe is already running lean and the injects are just about maxed out, and the intercooler is tiny, it'll take a bit more than just a tune. The car is cool, it's just not necessarily amazing. That said, I'm still considering one

 

Reminds me of a stock 2G DSM, without the lean part.
210hp? Check.
Tiny turbo? T25/Td04, check.
Tiny injectors? 440s on the DSM, proabably something similar on the Gen, check.
Tiny sidemount intercooler? check.
Weak internals? Thin rods in 2G probably only good to 450whp. Check.
But RWD, great!

And a price in the mid 20's. My GS-T was 24K new, and that was FWD.

 

Haha. The injectors on the gen coupe are 335cc.

 

Only an issue from 5500 RPM and up. So redline run ups will be falling flat up there.

 

"210HP is enough for anyone"

:P

 

I went with my brother to test drive the 3.8L V6 Genesis Coupe about a week ago. It was fun, but I can't see it as a daily driver and I wasn't that impressed after all the anticipation. We went to test drive the '09 Ralliart soon after that and he drove it home that day. We both are really impressed with the SST, the handling is great, the power is more than I expected, and the interior is far better than I expected. Out of all the cars we test drove (sub $30k) the '09 Ralliart was the only car that truly impressed us.

 

Did you like it enough to give up the IX?!

 

No, but the Ralliart and X MR/GSR would be the only two cars below $60k I would be looking at if I were to trade in my car.

 

I test drove the 09 WRX and then the 3.8 coupe. The 09 WRX is a nice car for the money. Interior fit and finish was better quality overall. The coupe interior appears to be nicer due to color scheme and layout but when you really look at it its worse than the RA. The RA doesnt try and hide the fact that its plastic. The gen coupe steering wheel is what your really notice. Its made out of almost the same plastic as the dash. Very crappy. The AC and Radio jog dials have a nice feel to them and the basic stereo completes its mission but door controls and LCD on dash display are awkward to use and add to the cheese factor. The 09 wrx radio was slacking and the headroom is gianormous. I felt like a little dwarf once inside. That being said, the dash presentation and layout is more serious and less show.

Driving. The WRX has tons more steering feedback, sense of control, precise clutch engagement and sensitivity. I had no fear of giving it power and letting a slight drift occur. ( I was fortune enough to test drive alone. ) The 09 WRX feels like a sports sedan. Strong footing, steering input was responded to immediately. The gen coupe, in comparison, felt like a boat with a very muted "go" factor. The clutch was soft in comparison and didnt give a precise point on engagement. It only takes a little gas and some cltuch work to spin the rears. Steering input was replied with sponge like reaction from the chassis. Exhaust note was pleasant though reminded me of a timid 350Z and compared to the WRX which droned and was almost anoying if not for 4K and up race growl.

I was unable to test the rev limit on the gen coupe but in the WRX once the engine hits redline it just quitely dies, as if you just let off the gas and slipped into neutral. I didnt like that.

In comarison to the RA I find it hard to consider gen coupe as an option. The RA has so much more to play with and in its base form is more repsonsive, has much better driving dynamics, responds quicker to driving input, has much more of a hard racing edge and doesnt pretend to be somethings its not like the gen coupe does. The most noticeable difference between the RA and the wrx / coupe is the 210+ WTQ at 3000 rpms. No car had such a gut tugging effect as does the RA.

I didnt realize how business oriented the SST is until I compared it to the other two cars. The SST does a hell of a job switching gears under load in sport mode at full tilt. In addition to quickness, the fact that it bounces hard off the limiter ( though is not good for the car and not a real measurement of performance ) does show that Mitsu gave the decision process to the driver when requested. The RA just feels more sport oriented and meant go fast.

I would give the RA 1st and the coupe dead last. After a 40 minute test drive alone in the WRX, I would actually buy one to put in the garage as an enhancement to my collection. I would consider the gen coupe at the rental counter.

 

Dude, nice write up! I'm not saying that in response to your selection, but because that was well written with a good amount of detail.

 

+1000 Good info. I have not driven a COUPE yet, but have driven the others. I think the RA and WRX are very comparable. It just depends if you want a stick shift, or leave it to the auto. If the WRX did not have engine issues, I think I would have gone that route simply because a Subie dealer is 2 miles away and the MITSU dealer in about 15. Just a convenience. Nothing wrong with the RA especially with them selling much cheaper now!! Great deal for the money.

I particularly like the insight on the torque, etc.

 

I'm wondering what, if anything, they changed about the wrx steering system between the 08 and 09. My friend has an '08, and I found the steering to be very light (especially compared to my 07 impreza), and leaves a bit to be desired in feedback. I know they stiffened the suspension between the two model years, so I wonder if that communicated right back into increasing the car's steering feel.

 

Ralliart > WRX > 3.8 V6 Genesis Coupe. I agree 100%. I had very similar impressions after test driving the three.

 

To each their own I guess. I also test drove all 3 and would rank it Gen Coupe, Ralliart, WRX. Not saying that any of them are bad cars, as they are all great choices. I wasn't a big fan of the WRX's interior and the transmission seemed a little sluggish. The RA was very well rounded, but I'm just not a big fan of the styling.