BMW M3 vs. STi

who is better/would win, and why.

I'll go with the Sti because I love AWD.

m3; looks cooler, better interior.
It's a BMW, nuff said

I'll take the STi, it performs better and looks much better (IMO).

I'll take the STi, it performs better and looks much better (IMO).

:screwy:


sorry, jus a personal opinion on looks. i'll take the M3 over sti anyday of the week.

First of all lets get some detals which models of either car?

i think andee has a lil bit of a biased for BMW...but that's OK. i think i would take an M3 over the STI also...i mean the M3's are just sick...everything is nice.

Win in what? 1/4 mile? C&D got 13.1-13.4 seconds in the M3, and SC.net has the WRX STi at about 13.3. In 0-60 the WRX STi gets 4.7 while the M3 gets 4.5 or so. So the acceleration times are about the same, with a slight advantage to the M3. (I know these times will be argued...) On a track, Im also going to go with the M. This car was born for the track, as good as the STi is, the M3 outclasses it. I've heard of understeer problems with the STi that I just dont get from the M3. IMO these are the only fields in which these 2 cars are competitive. With the BMW, you also get the much better interior of a Luxury car, versus the kinda tacky, nowhere near as comfortable interior from the STi. Styling is very subjective, but I the BMW's.

M3
3.2L I-6 333 HP
262lb-ft @ 4900 rpm
3,415 lbs.
0-60 in 4.8 sec
1/4 Mile (?)

WRX Sti
2.5L H-4 300 HP
300 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
3,263 lbs
0-60 in 4.6 sec
1/4 Mile 13.23sex@104.6mph

i'd say m3... its just so damn good lookin...

a M3 laps aroudn the same as a RX-8 and a 350Z track model and S2000. which is quit a few seconds behind a STi. so in all out speed wise, the STi is faster in a road course.

Ok let me get in here some official times:

All done around Bedford Autodrome by EVO magazine (all of course are UK spec)

M3 CSL 1.19.95
STI spec C 1.20.30
STI ppp Spec 1.25.15
M3 1.26.85

Good times Nuetrino, but those all sound like the Prodrive variants of the STi, which I beleive are a fair bit superior to the standard one. I think on the track, the US one would perform far better than the JDM/UKDM model, due to the 500-odd CC's of capacity.

So I'd say a straight line race comes down to the driver, a race in the wet would be won by the STi and a Road Course is somethin this jury is undecided on.

As an all-round car however, I'd much prefer the M3, it's far better looking (Subtle flared fenders), 19 Inch wheels (About the only difference aside from the mirrors, 4 tips and tiny spoiler), while the WRX STi is hideous (IMHO).

The BMW has the better interior as well, Subaru interiors have never impressed me.


just my $0.02

I don't even know what the M3 CSL or STi Spec C are, but here in America, the STi is pretty much superior to the M3 in performance at the drag strip and at the track, unless you're going at speeds well over 100 mph. Again, looks are very subjective, but I think the STi looks much better than the M3. Performance cars aren't supposed to be luxurious and refined...they're supposed to look rough, aggressive, and intimidating. The STi plays the part much better than the M3, it costs significantly less, and it has the performance to back it up.

As an all-round car however, I'd much prefer the M3, it's far better looking (Subtle flared fenders), 19 Inch wheels (About the only difference aside from the mirrors, 4 tips and tiny spoiler), while the WRX STi is hideous (IMHO).

The BMW has the better interior as well, Subaru interiors have never impressed me.
I agree with all of that. There's "rough and aggressive", and there's plain ugly. Seeing as i'm not a Kev i won't be driving a Subaru. My preference for RWD makes the decision even easier for me. M3 all the way.

I'd jump at the chance to see a M3 CSL vs. a 22B (best car STi ever built) on a road course. Would be marvelous to watch...

I'd jump at the chance to see a M3 CSL vs. a 22B (best car STi ever built) on a road course. Would be marvelous to watch...

That's a tough call...I would love to have either the CSL or 22b...22b to be my street demon/pimping around town...the CSL to be the weekend car/track car

Hmm...

hmm, i've read things that would say that while the 22B is the most extreme impreza, it doesn't quite beat the P1 for the title of best impreza.

^ evo reader ;)


didnt they crown the Spec C as the best Impreza? Or another variant they then went on to test against the Spec C (cant remember the name)...

I'd jump at the chance to see a M3 CSL vs. a 22B (best car STi ever built) on a road course. Would be marvelous to watch...
I'm going with the P1 over the 22B as well. I'd still like to see a CSL and P1/22B battle it out though :D

I'm all for TURBO-4 awd, but in this case I'm gonna have to go with the M3. The performance of the M3 is also great and it also has a killer interior and exterior styling.

Drive both of them, and see which one you like better for yourself. If you're a serious buyer, they'll let you test drive them at a dealership.

Oh, wait. C&D already did this one:
http://www.22b.com/media_cardriver.htm

They picked the M3, with the deciding point given for "highway comfort." :rolleyes:

And the P1 may have a few more neat goodies (being newer and all), but the 22B is easliy the most awesome Impreza to date, save for the real WRC cars. Nothing against Prodrive, they get partial credit for some areas of the 22B, too. But the 22B is the best of STi, Prodrive, and everything else Subaru had lying around.

The new STis are getting fancier, but not awesome-er... :2cents:


Anyway, after the M3 edges out the 22B (or whatever STi) on a track because of better braking, let's see them go for a spin on some gravel. :evillol:

It's an interesting comparison with regards to performance, but I don't think STI's and M3's ever lost a sale to each other.

Different target buyers.

My friend owns a STI and he laughs at my M3. He said if he had the money to buy an M3, he'll modify his STI and kick the ass of everything on the road.

I just keep telling him that he's missing the point. I wouldn't be caught dead in that ugly piece of crap with no nuance, no sense of styling and no comforts. It's pretty much a rally car made road legal. And I'm happy to compromise and live with the minimal performance disadvantage of the M3 in exchange for the comfort, styling and general feeling of superiority over turbo 4 Jap's it offers.

you keep telling yourself that when you get beated horribily by a turbo japanese 4 banger :smokin: . j/p but you'll probrably be pulling your hair out that you got beaten by a less expensive car.

Surprisingly enough, I haven't been beaten by any Jap turbo 4's, or even skylines.

And I'm not talking about track work, I wipe the floor with those cars there. When I get an attack of stupidity and go drag racing, I'm not even beaten there.

Most likely, being in a backwater city like Brisbane, there aren't many good tuners or good drivers. My SMGII is great. It's idiot proof, you can't mess up a gear change. Some of the cars are probably faster, but innevitablly, the drives screws up the launch control or the gear change.

I've actually got a video, Best Motoring, it was show casing some of their hot favourites, like the rx8, evo 8 mr, 350z, m3 CSL, sti, lotus exige well can't really remember all the cars but the overall winner was the M3. The sti was 2nd last. Too much understeer and suspension wise... it couldnt match up. So for me, i'll go with the M3.

if the m3 is so outperformed by the sti on the track.

then why was a m3 running with a nsx evo-7 gsr skyline r34gtr and porche carrera in the wet?

imagine if it was dry.

i'd easily take a m3, performance is close enough to call it a dr and the m3's interior is far superior and looks is opinion but m3 is just beautiful.

for luxery and style -M3 all the way

performence-STi

it's not just evo.
most articles that deal with the 22B say that it is over stiff/twitchy/harsh for real road driving.
whilst it seems cool to have the traction settings switch on the transmission, a button for water spray etc, etc,
it doesn't really translate to something that you would want to drive everyday in the way that the P1, something set up as a 'road' car, does.

anyway.
for me.
as much as i hate to say it, if it was a real world choice, it would have to be M3.
Manual.

i'd pick the sti