kryten

The P1 doesn't come with the larger brakes.

I've got an RB5 WR and drove a P1 for a bit to see if it was worth the extra: came to the conclusion it wasn't.

babber

Was about to say the same myself about the brakes. My MY00 has the same brakes as a P1.

Cheers Phill C

chrisp

Its funny the amount of people and mags that think the RB5 is 240 bhp standard. IT ISNT they also need a PPP as the engine was a standard MY99. At purchase time you could specify the WR sport pack which was a wing and PPP if memory serves me right .

The RB5 is essentially an MY99 UK turbo with a few cosmetic tweaks, 17" wheels and a fixed rear seat (?). Unless you really want an RB5 for the price you are better off buying an MY00 and adding the PPP and 17" wheels and I guess you would have money left over.

Make sure that if you buy an RB5 and you are told it has 237bhp that you get the Prodrive Performance Pack certificate to prove it .

cheers

chrisp

Neil Smalley

To be honest, on a normal road, and at non stupid speeds there won't be much in it. The P1 will be faster overall at the top end of each gear as it's engine revs to 1K more than the RB5's.

If you were to buy an RB5 and use some of the money you would have spent on a P1 on big brakes/suspension then a standard P1 would'nt be able to keep up on the track, or A/B road for that matter.

This is borne out in the fact that on track several PPP'd cars have been able to drive rings around standard P1's and STI's.

If you more straight line oomph, more 'kudos' and 'the best of the marque' then go for the P1. If you want a more 'complete' impreza than an RB5 with AP/Brembo brakes plus Leda(you'll still have change from 4K) will do just fine.

I'd love a P1, but need the extra space a wagon affords

Plantie

Sorry, mistake made on the brakes!

RB5 at standard is 218bhp with PPP they quote 237bhp but as said earlier, make sure it has the formal Pro-drive certificate.

Great, great car!!!

GO DRIVE AND BUY!

chopper

I'm currently in the market for either one of these cars. I'd appreciate the comments of anyone who has had the chance to experience both, as I'm not sure if the extra 8k is worth it for the faster P1 (insurance is double too!).

Plantie

The P1 is a great car and to be fair the best impreza out there in my opinion. I have an RB5 and I have had a few simple mods and have similar power to the P1 with an extra £8,000 in my pocket even after the mods. The RB5 is a good car but doesn't come with the larger brakes or tweeked suspension.
If you have a family the RB5 is probably the best as it is a 4 door. Insurance is an issue so get it checked out RB5 group 17 and P1 is group 20!

RB5 has been rated by many as the best impreza ever, even though the P1 is more extreme. Check out last months edition of EVO, they do a comparison of the RB5, P1, New WRX and UK300. RB5 came out on top - with PPP.

Regardless you love either of them there great!

Good luck and drops us a mail to let me know which one you go for!

Hope this helped!

Steve Breen

In the August 2001 EVO test (P1, RB5, STi, UK300) the P1 came out tops over the RB5 WR (ie with PPP).

"However, if you want the ultimate Impreza experience, the P1 delivers it. That it can do everything the RB5 does, only at higher speed and with such apparent ease, is mind warping."

Steve (aka EVO quotation specialist)

MattN

doesn't the RB5 have a fixed rear bulkhead or something? Would say that it would be much stiffer than a MY99.

biggest issue must be do you want 2 doors or 4.

IMO the P1 is best, after driving a few WRX's the RB5 WR my mate had just seemed under powered! Maybe just because the WRX's are more brutal but it definately didn't feel nearly as quick.

chopper

Thanks for the info everyone. This seems to confirm that what I should look for is a tidy RB5 WR - now the difficult bit...actually finding one for sale. Haven't seen a WR spec one in TopM or AC so if any of you scoobynetters are aware of one on the market, let me know!

MARK MORRIS

hi
i was in the same position, test drove the rb5 wr, didnt think it was worth the extra 7 grand on top of my current scoob, test drove the p1 as i was there, picked it up the week later, cost £32 extra to insure the p1 over the rb5 wr
mark

Petoir

Hi,

I had a PPP RB5 for 18 months and swapped to the P1 last month. They are quite different cars to drive. Took me a while to gain the same level of confidence in the P1 as I had in the RB5, simply because the RB is friendlier on the limit. The P1 is scary, and performs better when you really push it at high speed. I also prefer the style, two big doors, sti badges, prodrive badges, colour, lip spoiler, 8000 red line, and 285 BHP of the P1, but you're splashing the extra cash on top end power and poncy bits TBH.

If budget and insurance is an issue I'd go for the RB5 because it's an awesome car, very similar to the P1 on the limit and a little less wallowy in high speed corners. Similar speeds to 70/80MPH, similar torque means equal pull, although the P1 feels a little slower because it doesn't have the Banzai rush of the RB from low revs, 2500RPM, turbo on, BANG. P1 is smoother and progressive. 1500 - 8000 oh my god.

RB5 lacks the top end speed and 4th/5th gear rush of the P1 but there ain't much in it snaking across a B Road.

I don't regret the swap. And the most important point really is that I feel the P1 is the better car but nowhere near worth paying double the insurance, that is a killer and the hardest thing for me to live with.

Pete

Stelios

Doesnt the wr package for the RB5 also include suspension mods (Eibach+Bilsteins)beside the PPP? And does the P1 has similar suspension?

Dizzy

FYI : Thes an RB5 for sale at the maidenhead SGT subaru dealer.. saw it as I was getting my ball crushing 45K service done

( I think they give those justys out to make there other cars look better )

Chrisp... Your alloys n wheels are sooooo sweet once I've got my new breaks beaded in I'll really be able to push em. Have you got ur car back now?

Dizzy

[Edited coz of double post...]

[This message has been edited by Dizzy (edited 24 August 2001).]

Steve Breen

The RB5 WR only gets the PPP and high rear wing. It does not include any suspension mods.

Details on

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

You also get the 17's with the RB5, and i thought they did something to the suspension too?

Tony

Fat Boy

P1 comes with 17's as standard. Prodrive tuned suspension and prodrive tuned /set up engine.
Talk me throught the difference with a ppp? One is an aftermarket add on from Prodrive and one is there from the start from Prodrive. Don't you think that Prodrive would have tried to at least match the improvement or in fact exceed the performance of the PPP from the start with a car actually carrying their name ? Yes the P1's expensive and needed to have the big brakes from day one, but it's also worth every penny in my experience.

Both are great cars, one's 2 door, one's not . The rest of it is "my car's better than your's..." bollox.
It could be worse, you could spend £45k on a german Cortina (AKA M3) .

drive87

RB5 for sale in the Glasgow Herald this week, 15k miles ,mint condition, £17,000 and it is a Further- Enhanced model!

John Stevenson

Drive87, where are you abouts, mail me !!

---john---

chrisp

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dizzy:
<B>Chrisp... Your alloys n wheels are sooooo sweet once I've got my new breaks beaded in I'll really be able to push em. Have you got ur car back now?[/quote]

Glad you like 'em Tim and should suit the colour, car will be back soon hopefully.

cheers

chrisp

alanjack

So isn't the TERZO an equivalent to the RB5 then?

Web Guru

Yeah P1's are better but they cost more

Steve Breen

Fat Boy - The P1 has an STi engine, with very little to do with Prodrive.

The RB5 engine is the standard MY99 UK/Euro spec engine, the P1 is the higher reving 8000rpm redline engine found in the Japanese import STi. There is a big difference between them, and the PPP goes some way to close the gap but the character of the car is dictated by the two engines which are very different. The UK spec with PPP produces a lot of low down torque whilst the STi engine just loves to be reved.

The gear box ratios on the P1 are lower (the same as the 4 door STi).

The torque split on the P1 is 50:50 compared to a more FWD bias on the RB5.

Other diferences have already been noted such as uprated suspension on the P1, standard MY99 on the RB5. The P1 also has the STi steering rack which is more positive than the UK version due to solid bushes rather than rubber. Both are 15:1 though.

The P1 has an aluminium bonnet.
Oh and the P1 has two less doors

Both have 17in wheels.
Both have rear solid bulkheads.
Both have STi based interior trim.
Both come with standard Subaru 4 pots.
Both come with driving lights.

The RB5 has a unique (UK spec) blue steel colour (aka cool grey). The P1 shares its colour with the Terzo and 22B (plus several STi V Limiteds).

The best bet if we are comparing value for money here is to forget both RB5 and P1 and get either a standard UK MY99/00, or STi5/6 and add Leda, Brembos/AP Racing brakes, and a Link ECU set-up.

Steve

Neil Micklethwaite

Steve - You forgot to mention the P1 has the STi Strut Brace.

Chopper - I had an RB5 WR from new ( 27.5k ) and the P1 from new ( 31.5K + 1.5K for brakes ).

My insurance only went up by 120 quid in transferring one to the other.

BOTH are great cars IMHO and I would say I prefer the P1.

Although it would take a better driver than myself to fully utilise the difference in them.

The P1 feels quicker and you certainly notice the extra revs.

Test drive both and then have a ponder.

Whatever you buy - enjoy it.