I drove a 2009 WRX for a while. The turbo lag didn't bother me much and heck, the gas mileage didn't bother me much either. It had the 2.5L motor with an VF52 turbo.
With at least catback on those things with their unequal length exhaust headers, you get one of the best sounds to ever come from a four-cylinder motor. Get a freer-flowing downpipe and the turbo lag is dramatically reduced.
But yeah, the thing did definitely fall on its face after switching to third (stock, anyway). Second gear is pretty tall as it is in those cars. The car hits just above 60 around redline in second gear. So it looks great for 0-60 times, that's for sure (it's one reason why a WRX gets to 60 about as fast as the STI). Speed aside, the suspension felt a bit too soft for a car with such sporting intentions. It also felt too high, wheel gap was massive (if you think the GTI is bad, take a look at a WRX).
And if any of you were wondering, I ditched the 2009 WRX because the exterior styling really bothered me A LOT (I had the sedan), the sound system was pretty bad (even though I had the "premium" setup), and the interior was extremely lackluster. That and it wasn't exactly as good of a long-distance driver as the GTI.
I really do miss the power and sound of that thing though... and AWD would be nice from time to time, though it isn't necessary for my daily driving. Not gonna lie, if the WRX styling on the 2009 was as it is now with the 2011s and their wide body kits, I probably would have kept it (especially since the 2011s supposedly got updated interiors and sound systems).
That said, I do, of course, really like the GTI. It's the best all-around car money can buy, honestly. Comfort, efficiency, refinement, practicality, all in one. Haven't found a better car yet. My preferences just happen to value performance a bit more than other things in a car.
