Once More, With Feeling - 2010 WRX vs. 2010 Mazdaspeed 3

So now I'm 30, and with it brings the satisfaction of being able to answer one of my current great questions; which do I want to drive next, the Mazdaspeed 3 or the Subaru Impreza WRX. Yup, I decided to celebrate the double digit flip by driving them. All three of them. I drove a Mazdaspeed 3, the WRX wagon, which the sales person assured me wasn't a wagon though we all know it really is, and the WRX Premium sedan with the SPT exhaust and short shifter.

So, the Girl and I took a ride over to our friendly neighborhood Mazda dealer and test drove the Mazdaspeed 3. I gotta say, I dig it. Before going, I read the reviews about the Speed 3. They all say that the road noise is too great and the ride is too rough. I was particularly worried about the road noise, but it's remarkably better than all of the reviews led me to believe. The interior is incredible. The technology is fun. The car is FUN to drive. When you step on the gas, you know you stepped on the gas. It GOES!

After returning the car to the dealer and learning how to open the trunk, we checked out what the tech package looks like, and what the push button starter is like, and that's frickin' awesome. I was immediately impressed with it. The speed bump test hurt a little, though. That's the only thing.

From Mazda, we drove down to the Subaru dealer to drive a couple WRXs. The first was the 5-door, bottom of the line WRX. We drove it all over. It felt somewhat sluggish. Despite the fact that I know the car is fast (even faster than the Speed 3), the response just didn't feel like it was there. The turning was a little sluggish to me compared to the Speed 3, and the interior was just bland! The clutch was quite a bit stiffer and harder to work with. All in all, I just wasn't impressed. Not at all. It felt like it took the fun out of driving a fun car. Bummer.

After we got back to the dealer, I still asked to see the WRX Premium with the SPT exhaust. While we were waiting for Subaru dude to get the keys, the Girl asked me what I thought. I asked her to tell me what she was thinking first, and she came back and told me that she could read my mind and that I liked the Speed 3 better. It's true. She can read minds. Stay away from her if you have any dirty little secrets.

Dude returned with the keys, and we got to the WRX Premium. Immediately after he turned it on, I noticed the exhaust. I love the sound of a WRX SPT exhaust. I got in afterward, and felt the clutch, and it was WORLDS better. We took it for a short drive, and it was much more fun. It was also much much louder. The exhaust boosted the cabin noise significantly. I'd consider the WRX Premium if it weren't $29,000, a full $3,000 more than the fully loaded Speed 3. The base version of the Speed 3 is even cheaper! I'm not sure that all-wheel drive and an exhaust can justify $3,000. In fact, I know it can't. Not for that interior. Not for that noise. Not when I can haul ass in a Speed 3.

The Mazdaspeed 3 is the hands-down winner. And, it's also not a car you see everywhere. I dig it. I want one...