In a comparison of five cars in the sub $20k class the Impreza 2.5RS came in second place to a winning Mazda MP3. The MP3 rated 2 points higher, 90 to the Impreza's 88 and the 2 winning points were awarded the MP3 because it handles better than the RS. :eek:

I think that is a very good reason to give an extra couple of points don't you? A stock MP3 has a great suspension. Tokico struts, racing beat springs, 17" rims and tires, and a front strut tower bar. If a RS had that stock, then I'm sure the RS could have won or at least tied.

exactly what mitch said...
the stuff the mp3 comes with are considered stock since they come from the factory, but arm the RS with the same setup, and lets see who outhandles who :)

that's bs. a year ago when they did a similar review w/ the old rs. imo a much better car. it came in last/8th palace. but now that its 250 lbs. heavier, uglier. slower etc. it comes in 2nd.

Yes it is heavier than the GC8, but the chassis is much improved. So, it will be very slightly slower in a straight line, but not necessarily in the turns, even with the absence of the 2000-2001 LSD. The MP3 is a handler! That thing would tear up a race track!

Jeremy

I really like the way that thing looks though... if only it had more power and AWD I'd buy one of those little screamers.

i have bills saying that in a year or two the MP3 has a turbo. AWD, however, i doubt.

as far as it outhandling the RS, are you really suprised. the RS suspension is much more at home in dirt. if they had a handling competion on a gravel road, the results would have been different. also, just put a decent set of tires on the RS and its handling is greatly improved. it would have been a much closer decision with good rubber on both cars.

What are you booing about? The RS came out on top of some pretty weighty competition, including the the supposedly all-singing, all-dancing Sentra SE-R V Spec! I mean, what more could you ask for??!

The last time I listened to a magazine, I bought Automobile Magazine's Car of the Year. A 1995 Dodge Neon. :lol:

Dennis

Originally posted by bluesubie
The last time I listened to a magazine, I bought Automobile Magazine's Car of the Year. A 1995 Dodge Neon. :lol:

Dennis
I used to own one of these. Not only were they first year models of the neon, they were great little pocket rockets at the SCCA events. I would of loved mine more if it didn't have such a weak tranny.
http://www.speakeasy.org/~mnabors/neon.htm

How much does a MP3/Protege5 cost with a turbo kit? ^^

The thing handles like a badass cause it's basically already a tuner car, like the Ford SVT line. It comes off the showroom wuth a truly badass suspension and wheels/tires. That's hard to beat with stock RS suspension and tires. :D

It was a price-point competition - provide the best car you can for the money. And, yeah, the VW was way more, and probably would have fallen in the rankings if it didn't have the sport option. But instead of raggin on C&D, we should be hooping and hollering that a stock RS only got beat by a tuner car. And we should be happy there are cars like the Mazda.

yeah the MP3 doesn't really come with a "Stock" suspension so I can see that.

I just read the article today. I think it's a pretty fair judgement.
According to their test result, RS' performance figures are rather bad compared to others. Longest braking, slowest lap time, average acceleration...etc. It does however have good quality, awd, comfort...etc. So I think 2nd place is fair.

But, if I am not a fan of Impreza, I'd probably think SE-R and MP3 are more suited for the first two places. :)

Think this way, SE-R and MP3 are already factory tuned performers, RS is not, just a econo 4wd sedan, with a little mods, it'll kick their butts no problem.

I used to have a 97' Neon ACR, it handled real well, it was kinda a cheater car. It was considered a stock car and it came with a Koni's. It would do some serious damage to the other cars when it was autocrossed.

Regan-