I have always thought about which would be the better car.
What do you guys / girls think?

Any 22B! (But I may be biased!)

22B

Same as Tim!

22B but try and find one ;)

There were only 16 TUK and a few of those no longer exist AFAIK. Due to the rarity value probably going to cost you 10K more than a P1 as well ;).

P1

22B (without driving) is not worth the extra £ IMHO

Which call also be said for an STI5/6 Type R not worth the extra £ for a P1 IMHO ;).

22B

Never driven (or been driven in, for that matter) a P1 so can't comment.
Can say that the 22B makes me :D every time I get in it.
C.

Wilf - how can you comment if you have never driven a 22B,
Just been without my Type UK for a week and realised how much I missed it. The car is now part of me and brings an instantaneous smile to my face whenever I depress the loud pedal! It really cannot get any better than this :)
and yes I have driven a P1, and owned an RB5 and a standard MY99
Geoff

22B no question about it.

P1's are great, but to me the 22B is still the ultimate impreza.

Never driven 22b...but has to be viewed as the ultimate in desirability..tho lot more £££ than P1 ;)

22b for pure exclusivity but again rare,look in autocar etc but every one i have seen for sale with>50,000 miles has had an engine rebuild,also they will be all out of warranty now?you can still pick up a p1 on a 51 reg that will have 2.5 years warranty
martin

Geoff,

Local dealers got a 22b type UK sat in showroom and has asked if I want to drive it (am currently looking for a second car). Trouble is I sat in it in the showroom and it just didnt feel worth the extra 12k to make me want to try it. Trouble is my P1 felt alot newer and better kitted out inside. Prefer look of front of P1 with lower lip spoiler.

are you taking the pi55?

P1 felt a lot newer and better kitted out inside?

condition aside, inside only difference is P1 has standard dashboard not matt exclusive to 22B, and P1 has an airbag,it doesnt have manual or auto water spray.

so you are saying that your P1 felt newer inside because some of the buttons were replaced with blanking plugs and because the steering wheel said airbag in the middle?

I dont think the 22B is worth the money over say an sti 5 type r, but it is over a P1 no question. The 22b is about on road presence individuality and the drive, and I am so sorry but there is no angle from which the P1 looks anywhere as good as the 22B.

[ignore me] :D

[Edited by carl - 8/23/2002 3:40:47 PM]

In your opinion Adam ;)

Have to say I don't agree with you on the looks. Prefer the P1. But then I would wouldn't I?
Like the wide body of the 22. Is there a lot of difference in the drive anyone?

It seems that most threads which mention the P1 always end up flooded with replies saying that it is way overpriced/overrated when compared with the Sti 5 type r, as they both offer similar performance (maybe delivered differently?).

Therefore, given that the 22b seems on the face of it to offer no additional performance (on paper) compared with an Sti 5 type r or a P1, why would anyone bother forking out a load of extra cash for the 22b? so many people are quick to knock the P1 but then say how great the 22b is, I don't understand this at all.

The arguments that it is such a rare car, etc. seem a bit irrelevant as you don't see P1's or Sti 5's all over the place anyway!

Therefore overall if you take in to account Performance, Cost, Looks, Prestige, etc. the P1 gets it for me.

Cheers

Si

Wilf - go and drive it and then let us know what you think.;)
Definately horses for courses but a Thoroughbred Arabian Stallion allways wins the day in my book.
Geoff

This topic has definately brought us 22B owners out of the woodwork - We are such a defensive lot who like to justify the marques exclusivity.
have fun and buy what suits you mate, mine was also bought as a second car and now I cant keep out of the bloody thing

I've never even seen a UK 22b on the roads (or a show room) let along driven one.
Must say the P1 was an awesome machine, one which I'd dearly love. Although out of my poor little price range at the moment...

I can't imagine the 22b being too much better than a well sorted P1. Although the water spray is a gret idea. the Ultimate car toy!

the 22B is overpriced, but you are paying for the exclusivity of the shape and also the parts!

try crashing a 22B and seeing how much the bodywork costs to replace!

why do you think we have put so much into getting moulds made!

In the case of the 22B you are getting visible exclusivity for your money, the 22B looks like no other road going impreza, the P1 looks like every other type r.

In terms of performance, the P1 will probably be quicker on the roads in anything but a straight out drag match in the hands of normal drivers anyway. But behind the wheel the 22B is far removed from any other impreza, mostly due to the steering geometry, the track, the tyre width, and the quick rack (not exclusive to 22B).

Thats why comparing 22B and p1 is not like with like.

People knock the P1 because compared with sti 5 type r, you get all the cons and non of the pros, and even the pro of the warrnty is worth litle to the average owner who like to mod their cars.

There is no question that the type r is bettervalue than both the P1 and the 22B, but when I bought mine, I said sod the value, I have to have that car. That doesnt happen when choosing P1 over sti 5 type r because the distinction is much less significant.

Tbh I'd rather the P1 and bag the extra cash for something else. P1's do not look like any other type r - if you think they do then I suggest a visit to the opticians in the near future. To me the 22b looks too dated. I dont think fat wheel arches and a 22b badge warrant the extra wonga.

I'm not saying I wouldnt have a 22b if I was offered one or if I could afford one without a second thought. But in my current situation the 22b doesnt appeal enough to fork out that extra £10-15k. Then again if we all wanted the same motor then perhaps we'd all be driving Fiat Multipla's :)

And no I dont own either so my view isnt biased.

P1 does have pros over STi R for me anyway:-

1. I can trade it in at most car dealers when I want to change the P1 for something else.
2. I can insure it for £500
3. I dont have to worry about octane booster and RON ratings
4. For me It looks nicer than a type R
5. It has a warranty
6. I am told by the car mags it is better set up for road use (I didnt buy it as a track car)
7. It didnt come with blacked out windows/graphics/gold wheels which I didnt want
8. Its a limited edition
9. I like the colour and the wheels

I didn pay the retail price for mine so it didnt actually cost me alot more than an STI would have done.

My point about the 22b is that of course I like it. Its just that I would only pay a premium of say 4k over the P1 instead of 10 or 12k. Anyway not going to drive it as (think) Ive now decided on an Elise to sit next to the P1.

how does the P1 differ in looks from an sti 5 type r?


wheels. well I suppose since all other imprezas ahve the same wheels and no one changes theirs yes the P1 does look special.

Rear wing, well the P1 has a high level rear wing, completely dissimilar to the sti 5 wing and the sti 6 wing. It must be different becuase it has a strip of fake carbon on the back, and once again, all impreza owners leave their wings standard so it must be a drastic difference once again.

front lip spoiler and little spot lights., I'll give you that.

so in essence sarcasm removed, the seriously special looks oft he P1 come from a 2cm lip spoiler underneath the front bumper and some spot light recessed into the fog light covers.

Drastic differences.

But then the 22B looks dated with its flared wheel arches! :rolleyes: If you look closely at a 22B you will see that the wheel arch flaring is done by replacement wings at the front (not tacked on bits) and seem integrated rear quarter panels on the rear. It changes the whole shape of the car smoothly wihtout looking tacked on.

So in essence you think the 22B looks dated because its wider?

ok, no question you are entitled to your opinion.

the question was 22B TypeUK or P1.

No brainer really, the 22B Type UK will be more desirable and hold it's value better and no doubt sell to a dealer faster than the P1. The market is flooded with P1's for sale, how many 22B Type UK's are there left? they only made 16.

I have driven them all, Jap spec 22B, P1, STi5 typeR and 22B Type UK. All over some distances too over a few days. To me the only one of those i would buy is the 22B TypeUK, it's fkin awesome!

I currently drive an STi5 TypeRA V-Limited, which is as close to a 22B you can get dynamically, with it's quickrack and the same box/diffs. I was very lucky with what i bought. I could afford a 22B, but i couldnt afford to run it properly. I could have bought a P1, but i didnt see the point in paying 10K more (and that is a genuine 10K!) for what is a less capable car to anyone who can drive.

22B Type UK's are the dogs bollox

Why is a 22b uk so much better?
Just curious.

Paul

It's not better, it's diferent.

The main diferences between a 22B type UK and a Jap spec 22B are the suspension setup, which is slightly more compliant, and the gearing, which is higher. It is also suposed to be remapped for UK fuel, but it still dets it's head off on SUL without an octane booster, no matter what prodrive may tell you.

I would go for the UK 22B because it's more marketable in the future as they only made 16, it's less of a financial risk, which unfortunately i have to take into account.

where is chuck when you need him. :D LOL

This may be wrong but from memory ;)

The 22B was handbuilt and seem welded and unlike every other impreza has a 2.2 engine as standard. The 2.2 offers more torque at lower revs so the driveability a lot is better. The UK 22B had it ratios changed which meant easier cruising at high speeds than the JDM 22B.

Basically built as a WRC look-a-like and the closest you could buy.

There are downsides to ownership and Adam has already explained them, getting parts esp. engine and bodywork is a bit more tricky and expensive but quite a few of the other components are shared.

I guess its what you are after, if you werent brought up on imprezas and have come to them after the 22B was launched you may wonder what all of the fuss is about. It not all about speed and power and which is newer. If someone offered me a "standard" F355 and a heavily modded MY03 1000bhp Skyline for the same price (which I could afford :D) the Ferrari would be in my garage no question. It may have less power but is that really the point ;).

As for looking dated :rolleyes: LOL whatever :D.

cheers

ChrisP

If anyone offered me an F355 and a 22b well..........