Just out of curiosity, do you have a specific need for AWD? I get the attraction, we have 2 AWD vehicles here (a 2000 Jeep GC Limited and a 2004 Audi S4 Avant). However, the ONLY reason I feel compelled to have at least one AWD option is for those few weeks here when we get enough snow to make FWD and RWD maneuvering a little tricky. We live on a hill that always get it when it snows in the "lowlands."
I'm not sure I'd have one if I didn't feel compelled to have it in my back pocket for that rare need. I do get the value proposition though with the WRX. However, the Focus ST or Golf GTi seem like more enjoyable cars to live in vs. a Subaru.
Not trying to sway you at all, just wondering about your decision process. My niece's husband went through a similar analysis here and landed on a Focus ST. Having something to track on occasion did factor into his thinking. It was the driving experience that got him -- and the need for a legit back seat. I'm not sure where I'd land in that kind of comparison. The Fiesta ST fit my interests and I did not NEED the slight dimensional advantage to the compact cars.
I live in South Florida so there really isn't a
need at all for AWD. Our winter season is when it gets down into the high 30s on maybe 1 or 2 days per year, and the only snow we get is the fake stuff at a local venue for a winter celebration. The FiST has a fairly tight back seat, and the WRX has a comparatively large back seat. Normally that wouldn't make a difference to me, but with the baby coming any day now, space for a rearward facing car seat is now much more of a priority. Having tracked the FiST a few times, I prefer RWD. The FiST is an amazing handling FWD car, but a RWD platform is just more fun (my reference point is an NC Miata) for me. Maybe that reflects my lack of experience more than anything else. In any case, it's hard to find a new, 4 or 5 door RWD performance car around $25k. The WRX is close, it has a roomy back seat, it's safe, it's got a turbo so the upgrade potential is there, it has relatively large OEM brakes (12.4") and 17" wheels which means if I go for a track day it's not too expensive on consumables like pads, rotors, and tires.
![[driving]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_driving.gif "Driving [driving]"){kind=icon}
