View Full Version : #024/300 GT tuned by STi has landed!
I took delivery this morning of my Urban Grey 5 speed manual "tuned by STi" sedan, build number 024. Awesome...! I have to say I'm extremely happy so far.... It looks amazing and although I've only covered about 25km so far, very happy with the on road performance....! I'll report back when the engine loosens up a bit :icon_bigg
Mine had 28kms on the clock at delivery, seems about the same as others are reporting. All the guys at the dealership swore that they hadn't driven it.....:lol:
I was a bit miffed to see a new 2.0R in the showroom fitted with the red-stitched leather/alcantara seats and the STi rear boot lip spoiler..... Kind of cheapens the tuned by STi... At least the 2.0R was "puke yellow", so nobody will mistake it for the "real" STi!
I've got some driving to do, so you probably won't hear from me for a while.....:icon_bigg
dmcgowan
01-10-2006, 08:48 PM
CONGRATS!
We need to do a side by side photo shoot...
agctr
01-10-2006, 09:07 PM
Fantastic STUFF.
Let the good times roll.
Thanks for posting up and Im sure the wait is going to be more than worth it.
All the best....
Ada///M.
PS We have to organise TINT Session @ Rob's too prehaps for the end of the month.
elarbee
01-11-2006, 07:34 AM
gratz on your new ride, nice colour ;)
CONGRATS!
We need to do a side by side photo shoot...
Agreed, we need to reunite these cars, I guess they already know each other pretty well after the boat ride from Japan. Maybe after Adam takes delivery of his GT later this month?
Adam, very keen to get the tint done, so pls keep me informed. While I could probably live with it as it is, it still doesn't look quite right from the outside....
gratz on your new ride, nice colour ;)
Thanks elarbee. I have to admit I wasn't sure about the colour. My first choice was black, but they were "sold out". But as soon as I saw the Urban Grey at the dealership yesterday, in the delivery area under lights, I was convinced! It really looks the beez neez, and should prove much easier to maintain than the black. Enjoy your 3.0RB when it arrives!
dmcgowan
01-11-2006, 04:53 PM
Have you also found that the tint is actually alright from inside the car? I'm pretty much only wanting to get it done to deal with the fact that it looks bad - it seems to work ok inside the car....
The Urban Grey just looks the goods though doesn't it...
agctr
01-11-2006, 06:11 PM
It certainly does Darren it certainly does and the Rims and exhaust just set it off just that much better.
Ada///M.
dmcgowan
01-11-2006, 06:14 PM
I'd like to see all three colours in the one spot. I think the black would be winner and loser - look great for the mean, clean days but dirty the rest. One of the guys here at work summed it up - "it just looks fast and aggressive standing still" - works for me :D
i just got a call from the dealer in sydney...it has arrived!...should get a confirmed delivery date sometime this afternoon...i hope its monday.
Was most relieved to hear that they also have one in the showroom, so mine won't be needed for any spurious test drives...
dmcgowan
01-11-2006, 06:23 PM
Well done - should be here next week...
agctr
01-11-2006, 07:04 PM
Curious Gead if they drove the STi to Sydney..... just playin.
Hope its Monday for U too.
All the best.
Ada///M.
dmcgowan
01-11-2006, 07:09 PM
Heh heh Adam, I heard they wanted to do a reliability check so apparently yours was following the truck both ways...
p.s. I'd hate to be within ear shot if your car really did have more than 25 kms on the clock...!
agctr
01-11-2006, 07:35 PM
U know it............
Ada///M
Mondie
01-12-2006, 03:56 AM
Congratulations, nice choice of car and colour :icon_bigg
What else could you buy for $60k that came close to these, NOTHING!!
Mo_GT
01-12-2006, 04:02 AM
Congrats on the delivery of your new baby :)
Have you also found that the tint is actually alright from inside the car? I'm pretty much only wanting to get it done to deal with the fact that it looks bad - it seems to work ok inside the car....
The Urban Grey just looks the goods though doesn't it...
Agreed, from inside the car the rear windows dont look so dark, so the lack of tint on the front isnt so obvious. From the outside it is like the proverbial though, really needs some tint on the front to balance it. Also should help to lower the internal temp a little.
I'm actually finding the lack of a tinted band at the top of the windscreen more annoying though.... find myself wearing sunglasses or lowering the sunvisor when I normally wouldnt need to. Under some light conditions the sunglasses make it hard to read the red dials.... with no speed alert I'm just waiting for my first infringement notice! :icon_mad:
The Urban Grey is clearly the best colour choice, wasnt convinced a couple of weeks ago, but I'm now converted. Everybody that has seen the car so far loves the colour.
dmcgowan
01-12-2006, 05:19 PM
Yeah I'm biased too towards the Grey - just looks so bloody good in the flesh...
I'll PM Rob and see what his time is like for a group tint or at least to flush it out. I hadn't noticed the missing strip but usually wear sunnies year round anyway.
I'll also PM you so we can work out a side-by-side shoot - are you around over the weekend?
Darren
darren,
count me in for the tint session!
dmcgowan
01-12-2006, 06:23 PM
OK, re tinting it looks like I will get Chester and I booked in for tomorrow morning - Rob said he'll work Sat am to do it.
Once it's done, that leaves you and Adam up next. Depending what state his car is in with all the pre-delivery kms it has been doing of course heh heh
thanks darren!
look forward to seeing the group photos!
agctr
01-12-2006, 08:37 PM
Damn it............ U are freaking me out with the delivery K's lol......
Yup Im in with Rob to get the tint done ASAP as well, so no doubt Gead and I will head down there together in the next few weeks.
Ada///M.
sounds good adam...it will be weird seeing you not in racing helmet and leathers ;)
agctr
01-12-2006, 08:45 PM
LOL yeah I know, the helmet hair is a shocker to say the least.
Ada///M.
PS Hope U get some FIRM nibbles on the Cilo this weekend.
me to...i have it in the book of dreams (trading post) next thursday, so i'm hoping that will help too
dmcgowan
01-12-2006, 09:56 PM
sounds good adam...it will be weird seeing you not in racing helmet and leathers ;)
You guys want us to leave you alone so you can have a leather moment together...
i have my alcantara chaps at the ready...
agctr
01-13-2006, 02:15 AM
You guys are sick sick sick...... or as Mr Hinch would say... shame shame shame.
Ada///M.
dmcgowan
01-13-2006, 04:55 AM
Hmmm, so who else thinks we should refer to our Moderator as "The Gimp" from now on....
heheheh....the gimp....at least till he changes his avatar...
dmcgowan
01-13-2006, 05:10 AM
Well that seals it - official from now on then....
agctr
01-13-2006, 06:35 AM
I aint go no gimp"y" knee ok.
And dont forget I have the power to BAN lol...........(enter evil laugh lol)...
Ada///M.
PS Ok Ok Ok, I will seriously have a look at changing it.
Gead stop encouraging him...
Mo_GT
01-13-2006, 06:36 AM
Btw, for you guys with the urban grey cars, it might pay to keep your headlights on at all times(incl day time) cos you'd be surprised how many pple won't see you.
Colours like urban grey, platinum grey, pewter grey, etc. tend to blend with the road colour - esp on overcast days and on shady roads and to a lot of pple you cars will not be easily visible.
agctr
01-13-2006, 06:51 AM
Thanks for the heads up Mo.
Hence I run my FOGS day and night... true Scooby Traditon....
Ada///M.
A couple of photos of "GTSTi1", now that the windows are tinted (thanks Rob!)
I had to include a shot of Marilyn (Monaro), she gets awfully jealous otherwise. By the way, she's looking for a new man in her life... Anybody interested?!
looks swwweeeeeettttt!
love the plates too!...definatley not naf
dmcgowan
01-17-2006, 01:13 AM
I have always been a fan of the new Munro but (and no offence intended) - doesn't the GT STi make it look a bit average? The GT just oozes "you talking to me" doesn't it? Great pics too Chester - can you make Sunday for the WRX club bash?
Darren
Mo_GT
01-17-2006, 06:56 AM
Thanks for the heads up Mo.
Hence I run my FOGS day and night... true Scooby Traditon....
Ada///M.
Are you legaly able to run your fogs at night in Vic? For us in WA, we can't...unless there are foggy conditions... Got pulled over once (a very long time ago) in my WRX for having them on.
Mo_GT
01-17-2006, 06:59 AM
Nice pics. Car looks clean without the sunroof.
jaspert
01-17-2006, 07:07 AM
Great photos from a lower angle. Any front lip rub so far with the STI owners ? It looks pretty low to the ground with the lowering springs. I have a front lip on order which should be here soon after a long wait and wonder if this will be a disaster in my driveway which has a significant dip.
In regard to the fog light, I thought it's no go unless there's inclement weather around.
jasper
dmcgowan
01-17-2006, 04:12 PM
Jasper,
I have already had a couple of run ins with the front lip spoiler and some driveways around Port Melbourne. I think it is probably more robust than it might look (mainly because it's just flexible plastic I think) but I am toying with having the thing removed at the first service and I'll store it in the garage until I sell the car....
Darren
I have always been a fan of the new Munro but (and no offence intended) - doesn't the GT STi make it look a bit average? The GT just oozes "you talking to me" doesn't it? Great pics too Chester - can you make Sunday for the WRX club bash?
Darren
Unfortunately will be out of town this weekend, so wont be able to make the WRX bash.
I have to admit the GT's looks are growing on me. I was pretty luke warm re the standard GT, but the STi in Urban Grey does look the part. As far as 4 door mid-size sports sedans go, it hard to beat. Re the Munro, I still have a soft spot for it. If I had the space I'd keep it (but I'd have to hide it from my wife..!) In profile the Monaro styling is great, sure from some angles it looks a bit too much Commodore, but no hiding where the genes are from. Considering the donor car design is now over 8 years old, it still scrubs up pretty well. Honestly, despite the Monaros shortcomings, I would have bought another one if they hadn't decimated the boot space by putting the petrol tank behind the rear seat (to meet US regulations...) Makes it totally impractical for both family and work use. I think the 6.0 litre HSV coupe would have been an absolute blast, although the asking price is a bit rich. In the end the Subes 4 doors, AWD, full size boot, 5 star safety and overall performance/dynamics won me over
Are you legaly able to run your fogs at night in Vic? For us in WA, we can't...unless there are foggy conditions... Got pulled over once (a very long time ago) in my WRX for having them on.
My understanding is that so long as the lights are genuinely "fog lights", (ie they have to be mounted low and project a low, dispersed beam) then you can run them any time in Victoria. Driving lights, or fogs that have been tampered with, are a different story.
Great photos from a lower angle. Any front lip rub so far with the STI owners ? It looks pretty low to the ground with the lowering springs. I have a front lip on order which should be here soon after a long wait and wonder if this will be a disaster in my driveway which has a significant dip.
jasper
No rub with the lip yet, but I'm being ultra cautious. I think it is only a matter of time. It is very low
Mondie
01-17-2006, 05:01 PM
l am another fan of the Monaro and would love a HSV version if only they had designed the car as a 5 seater and not 4 :( With 3 kids it doesn't make sense to have a second car that cant carry the whole tribe. Sure headroom may be comromised in the midde seat but it would be fine for a child.
l wonder if this may have affected Monaro sales significantly over the years given the target demographic?
Cheers Simon
Mondie
01-17-2006, 05:11 PM
No rub with the lip yet, but I'm being ultra cautious. I think it is only a matter of time. It is very low
It is suprisingly low. l measured 16cm of clearance, my old WRX Sti which was lowered had 14cm so not much in it. l feel its a matter of time before l scrape the lip, the Sti was a mess when l was done with it. :icon_eek:
dmcgowan
01-17-2006, 05:29 PM
I'm definitely getting under the car on the weekend to check out how easy it would be to remove - looks like it's just a bunch of bolts and then it'll be in the shed for 3 years. Don't know whether it would be worse for my wife to do it or if I ripped it off...
jaspert
01-17-2006, 06:45 PM
Darren,
i reckon it will be a 15 minutes job with the right swiss army knife.
I had a go of fitting one months ago but it turn out to be the wrong lip, a JDM GTB lip which doesn't fit our car. It wasn't hard at all.
jasper
dmcgowan
01-17-2006, 06:50 PM
Yes Jasper, I had a bit of feel under the car and just need to have a proper look. It does look awesome but I can see I will rip it off on a kerb or parking spot before the year is out...
agctr
01-18-2006, 05:28 PM
Ok for mine, the Fogs are fine as per Chester's statement (resident law offical). Chester, thanks for posting up pics of the STi, looks fantastic to say the least. Lovin the plate too, very choice.
The lip will be staying on mine, driving ///M's and my sister's WRX, I have been driving like a crab over corners and driveways for years so am/will be so so careful. I wont be removing mine, but STi might be making some serious cashola out of me every year when I want to update if the lip has received significant bumps.
Ada///M.
Mo_GT
01-18-2006, 07:41 PM
If the STi lip on the GT is anything like the STi lip i had on my WRX, you'll find that its quite strong and flexible. It will take a lot of abuse and some(if not most) damage is easily fixable with a bit of sanding and hot water.
Btw, are the roads in Vic that bad? I thought our roads in WA were bad... I've got about 13-14cm clearance with my lip at the most and the lowest part (exhaust in the middle of the car) of the car is about 10cm off the ground and I haven't scraped anything (yet - keeping fingers crossed). Had similar clearance with my WRX too without any major scrapage.
dmcgowan
01-18-2006, 08:42 PM
Mo,
I think your call is right - it does feel more like flexible plastic than a solid piece so I'll see how it goes. Around Port Melbourne there are lots of old streets so the gutters / crossovers can be very deep - that's the problem more than the quality of the paving...
Cheers,
Darren
Darren, i am in fitzroy, so the quality of road is very similar...i have become quite adept at the 30 degree angle of approach!
dmcgowan
01-18-2006, 10:14 PM
LOL yeah - my folks just moved into a new house and I swear the gutter on their laneway drops about 2 feet in a metre or so and then right back up again. Got out thinking "oh sh*t, bet the spoiler is now hanging off..."
agctr
01-19-2006, 04:22 PM
Yeah as I said above, the crab crawl will come in very handy and besides you knock it once and you are very very careful from then on.... here's hoping anyway. PPl behind (if you havent noticed) hate the crab crawl but then again when you are driving Daewoo's and Hyundai's, the 18 - 25 crowd, you would expect them to better understand LOL.... NOT.
Ada///M.
OCDetails
01-25-2006, 11:34 PM
wow.... That is a sweet looking car. That is also the color I would have gotten if it were an option when I bought my GT. It looks great!
agctr
01-26-2006, 12:38 AM
Thanks OCD, I know the colour looks hot in the pics but up close and personal is WOW I have to say, certainly an easy colour to maintain too.
Ada///M.
redrobin
01-26-2006, 09:21 PM
Hey Adam,
Haven't been around lately, what happened to your Sti? I would have thought it would have been delivered before now.
I have had to do a few fast, late night trips in the last few weeks and the Sti is just such animpressive road car. I can really see the extra power on the highway as hills I had to use 4th with in our current 05 Liberty GT Wagon, we can now do easily in 5th with the STi.
I actually suspect that our STi's have a wee bit more than 200 Kw or else that the standard GT's have less than the claimed 190 Kw, as the difference in on road performance is just too much for the slight increase in power and torque being quoted.
I love this car.................
regards
Darryl
Hi Darryl,
I think Adam is due to take delivery around now, or sometime early Feb.... I think maybe he is waiting for those STi logos to be delivered (they are still searching the shipping container for them :lol: )
I'm loving my GT also, I have about 1100 kms on the clock now. I dont have a standard GT to compare it to, but I am still getting used to the lack of grunt below about 3000 rpm (too many years driving cars with big capacity engines! The Monaro will happily idle away from the lights in 3rd if youre feeeling lazy!) Have to keep reminding myself to wind it up before I release the clutch, otherwise nothing much happens.... How does the STi compare to the standard GT below 3000 rpm?
The motoring magazines tend to criticise the standard GT for this also, the actual engine characteristics dont seem to match Subarus claimed torque curves
Beyond that the only other gripes are that reverse gear is a bit tricky to find at times (makes those 3 point turns more of an adventure!) and I've already got a weird intermittent vibration coming from inside the dash somewhere.... (& of course the missing STi logos, Brembos and sunroof...!)
best regards
Chester
wow.... That is a sweet looking car. That is also the color I would have gotten if it were an option when I bought my GT. It looks great!
OCD, thanks for the compliments! The colour is great, actually it was my second choice as black was "sold out", but now that I have taken delivery most definitely my first preference.
I had a local detailer apply a paint protection system and it now looks almost too good to drive! After a country trip last weekend I had to race it back to the detailer to get the bugs and the dust removed, couldnt bear to see it dirty:( I guess the "new car syndrome" will wear off soon....
redrobin
01-26-2006, 10:30 PM
Hi Darryl,
How does the STi compare to the standard GT below 3000 rpm?
best regards
Chester
My Sti at 2000 rpm is what the standard GT is at around 26 to 2700 rpm. Below about 3000 rpm the standard GT really isn't very strong at all, where the STi is at least quite driveable.
At lower RPMs standard GT will stall, snatch, shudder and / or buck where the Sti will hang in quite smoothly and slog till the revs rise. Much more tractable.
Darryl
Thanks Darryl, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Just have to keep working on that launch technique!
DarkWatch
01-27-2006, 12:08 AM
VERY AWESOME NICE CAR MATE!!
Love the STI GT and the Plates!
agctr
01-27-2006, 02:23 AM
Hey Darryl,
Yes my delivery is up pretty soon and looking very forward to it to be honest. Im sure its going to be worth every bit the wait that is forsure. Great to both yourself and Chester are settling into the STi quite nicely. Might have to have a group meet on launch techniques.... could be interesting to say the least.
Really happy to hear that the Paint Protection looks fantastic too. I saw this on a demo car at STi.. (UG) and just make the paint POP and look silky smooth and very glassy.
Have a great weekend guys.
Ada///M.
Adam, just read the Wheels review on the "tuned by STi". Great write up, always good to have your purchasing decision reinforced by some of the industry "experts". Some great photos of the GT too...., that's not your UG 5MT that they have given to the media to break in is it?! I hope they dont put too many kms on it..... (just joking....!)
Re the paint protection, I'd say it is worth the money, so long as you get a professional job done and dont pay the dealers asking price! Anything more than $300 is a rip-off! Let me know if you want to get it done, I know a very professional detailer that will look after you.
agctr
01-30-2006, 04:18 AM
Really because the dealership is asking $2K... but that includes inside, outside and a written guarantee against stonechips for 2 years...... how does yr stack up to that ?
TIA
Ada///M.
I didnt bother with interior protection. With black leather, carpet and alcantara I figure its pretty bullet proof. (It helps if you threaten your kids with a fate worse than death if they as much as leave finger prints on the leather...!:icon_twis ) I may use some Scotchgard on the fabric and carpet. With the leather I think it is best to regularly clean and apply a good quality conditioner (not once in a lifetime). These products should cost less than $50 and an hour of your time.
There are quite a few paint protection systems around, and some of them make outrageous claims. The guy I went to has tried a few of them and recommends Toughseal www.toughseal.com.au (http://www.toughseal.com.au) The product is out of the UK, a 2 part acryclic compound with PTFE (teflon) additive. They provide a 5 year warranty against paint deterioration. I asked about stone chip protection and he just looked at me in disbelief! I tend to agree that no wipe-on paint protectant is going to stop a piece of granite travelling at 110 km/hr. But if they are willing to give you a written guarantee, then it may be worth the money....! (check the fine print though...)Toughseal also provide a DIY kit, including exterior and interior protection products, for $190.
The "clear bra" paint protectant adhesive film will provide good stone chip protection, I think this costs around $600.
Lots of options, lots of wild claims and lots of fine print, who do you believe?!
agctr
01-30-2006, 06:12 AM
Yup who to believe , totally agree. Well the stonechips have to be less than 1.5mm which is TINY but.... have a look at yr paint next time, plenty of those so for mine, I will be riding that guarantee home like u wont believe. Ive seen a demo OB @ Docklands with the PP on and it looks FANTASTIC, very glassy and really POPS the colour so for mine it could seriously be worth it. There are a few other benefits to the PP as well like dents and stuff like that so for 2K I think Im getting my monies worth. Will have to see how I go though but for the moment, it will be on.
Thanks for the report mate.
Ada///M.