Quote:
Originally Posted by wjones14
I might buy one too if they offered them with a manual. I currently drive a Mini as a daily driver/winter beater, and the M235i is "that trophy in the garage" as my wife calls it. 
But now an option I am considering is downsizing to a single car I can drive year round in New England. A sporty AWD would be perfect. If the Audi S3 and M240 xdrive were offered with a manual, I could live with either one. |
The STi has everything but class. It drives very well however there is zero sound insulation, and at highway speeds the gear ratios dictate tons of cabin noise even in 6th gear due largely to high revs. It is a practical but exceptionally ugly car that looks like it should belong to the teenager who mows your lawn. I owned one for a couple of years as my "practical" car and I could not wait to get rid of it.
If you are looking for "sedate" with power in a grown-ups car in this class, you wouldn't go too far wrong with a Golf R 6MT, my current "utility" car. The interior is acceptable, and the exterior very forgettable. Major downside is that it feels a bit too "clinical" when it comes to driving it. The manual transmission is OK but no better than that. The electric steering is tolerable, but way less pleasing to drive than the STi's hydraulic rack. On a practical side, the 5 doors (including hatch) make the car very usable for hauling stuff, and more than 2 people.
On the plus side, it gets hugely better mpg than the STi, and like the STi is designed for driving in foul weather, with its Haldex AWD system.
You could do a lot worse in this segment.