So you want to know the difference between a Subaru WRX vs a Subaru WRX STi. Well you have come to the right place. Let me assure you that there are many differences between the two, so many that I will not be able to cover every last bolt on the car. What I will do is go over the significant differences between the two.
Well first of all let me assure you that, an STi is much better than a WRX to begin with, much more solid built parts. The STi is faster, more reliable, etc.
The main differences between the two are as follows:
Transmission
A WRX contains the standard 5-speed manual transmission (yes it has an automatic transmission option, but who wants one of those). This transmission really is intended for normal everyday driving, and is not built for racing, spirited driving, track events, etc. The WRX 5 speed transmission can and will break if the car is launched too hard off the line. This happens because of the all wheel drive factor. There is so much traction, that when launching all of the stress is taken out in the transmission, causing a gear, or other internals to break. There is an upside to the 5 speed however, which is there is one less shift to get to the 60 mph mark.
The STi comes standard with a 6 speed manual transmission. This transmission contains much wider gears that are meant to handle much more abuse. These gears are so strong that they can handle most launching conditions.
Engine
The 02-05 WRX comes equipped with a 2.0 liter 227 horsepower engine. The 06-07 WRX comes with a 2.5 liter 230hp engine. Overall both the engines act very similar, you will begin to see differences between the two when heavily modifying, but for this articles purposes we will call them the same power. Both of the engines are equipped with a small td04 turbo.
The STi comes with 2.5 liter 300hp engine. The internals of the STi engine are much nicer than the internals of the WRX engine. The STi can push much more boost, without having to worry about blowing the engine. The STi also comes equipped with a larger vf39 turbo
Interior
The STi definitely has a much more flashy interior. Almost everything is covered in blue suede with pink STi stitching in various places. The interior also features a nicer steering wheel, driver controlled differential knob, turbo gauge, and much more. The WRX looks much plain in comparison, although still a bit more race oriented than the average vehicle.
Exterior
There are a few noticeable differences between the WRX, and the WRX STi. The STi has a much larger hood scoop (well on the 04-05 at least), has the obvious STi spoiler in the rear. The 06-07 STi has a roof-vane type spoiler on the rear window as well as the usual STi spoiler. The STi comes standard with gold or silver BBS rims, which if you look through you will see gold brake calipers that say Brembo on them.
As you can see the STi and the WRX do have a lot of similarities, but when comparing the WRX vs STi, there are a lot of specific deatils.
