fastboyslim

iTrader: (2)

What is the reason the JDM cars have better spec than the UK cars? There has to be a propper reason, not just the "they keep the good stuff for themself" i always hear.

Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda...it seems they all do it, send the rest of the world a lesser spec car but have some good ones on home soil.

Is it due to cost? I can see them not adding a few things to keep cost of sales down, things like the rear screen wiper, elec mirror's etc but for the life of me i cant see why we (UK) do not go twin scroll just for example. Just how much more can a twin scroll exhaust, sump, header and turbo cost over the single scroll system.

Anyone know of any more things the '05 JDM has over the '05 UK car other than below:

Forged pistons,
Twin scroll turbo set up,
exhaust set up,
elec mirrors,
rear wiper,

Cheers

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

I know what you mean, Ive been in plenty of newage Uk cars some standard and some modified and even owned a 04 blob 5 years ago, But for the first time I went in a mates JDM blobeye the otherday which was running 340bhp with a full exhaust and a remap, and I have to admit for what little mods it had it was a very quick car, felt more like a classic type r the way it went through the gears. Was never impressed with the newage cars, but oh my god the JDM cars are so much supirior then the equlivalent UK car!!!

daz1968

iTrader: (13)

I think you will find the jdm cars don't comply with eu regs, but as a sva import you get round it, there are lots of regulations for cars in europe subaru would have to build a car to suit our market, they have had to do the same for america.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Partly due to EC emissions, which the JDM cars find it hard to meet.

But a lot of it due to Jap greed. They don't refer to the UK as "Treasure Island" for nowt, you know

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Partly due to EC emissions, which the JDM cars find it hard to meet.

But a lot of it due to Jap greed. They don't refer to the UK as "Treasure Island" for nowt, you know

DIPSY

Clutch in start
5/6 gear different ratio
Hid's
10kg lighter
bigger intercooler on the 05 onwards blobeye
auto/manual intercooler water spray
front strut brace
235 on the 05 model against 225 tyre on the uk Sti
higher rev limit 8200rpm
There a warning buzzer when in reverse
Carpet mats
Sweeping dash on start up and red dials
All you hear is spool up of the Vf37 and hear the standard dump valve
indicator and lights arm is on right and wiper arm is on left of steering wheel

Gregsti01

iTrader: (1)

My gut feeling is the JDM cars were built as Subaru designed them,the cars that were exported were a compromise in order to suit the market outlet

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Or, to put it bluntly, take off as much as the market will stand, sell for what the market will stand. Also sell at £ for $

When the classics came here and people also imported, questions were asked as to why our slower, less well equipped cars sold for £22,000, (1998 price, new), where the Jap cars sold for around £17,000 in Japan.

The answer was that it cost lots to export them

That was completely blown out of the water when Honda started selling the CTR, built here, for £18,000 in the UK, while a hotter, better equipped version, sold for £14,000 in Japan.

NOW do you understand?

Thus has it ever been: the Japs have ripped us off for years.

pacenote

i think you will find its due to IM greed actually

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

What have IM got to do with Honda, (see above post), Sony, Canon, Nikon etc etc.

All either UK loaded, or sold £ for $

fastboyslim

iTrader: (2)

Good point mate!

eggy790

iTrader: (20)

so have the jdm cars ever gone to 2.5? or are the jdm hatch stis all 2.0 litre aswell?

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Exactly, IM greed and the mugs that we are in the UK suck it up.

Suberman

2.5 have indeed been fitted to JDM cars. The manual JDM hatch STIs still runs the EJ20 but the auto JDM STI hatch runs the EJ25. Not forgetting the 2.5L Forester STI as well.

djmisio85

Does the octane rating of available petrol have anything to do with it? (at least in the performance aspect).... as we get higher octane ratings in the petrol over here in Japan

At least its not as bad as what the Americans get Euro M3 E36, a supposed 320bhp or so...... American M3 E36 struggles to get 240bhp

pacenote

I was replying to this post, not the one mentioning honda etc....

I'll try again.

I think you will find it's due to the official subaru importers in the UK, International Motors, actually.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

In this case, I think it's both IM AND the Japs.

Subaru set prices, don't they?

Plus, given the greed of other Jap companies, it would be strange if this was ALL due to IM, no?

aXeL

Add to the list for the JDM:
Lightweight crash beams front and rear
Reduced 50lt fuel tank
Lightweight glass
Lightweight roof
No C-subframe
Stronger welds

Did all this digging when getting the weight off of my STI

DIPSY

Most of that list is for the Spec c which is lighter than a Jdm Sti

aXeL

Ohh, good point - it was specifically the Spec C I was looking at. Ok, so disregard all of that for a standard JDM.

pacenote

Subaru set the prices, yes, but IM set the spec, ie lowering the spec on a JDM car to cut the cost to themselves then selling it to the UK market at a high price and healthy profit.

daz1968

iTrader: (13)

I still think the main reason is because the jdm would not pass stringent eu regulations so they build a car for this market, the emmisions in europe are probably closer to us spec so thats why we got the 2.5, the higher gearing is probably to pass drive by noise tests, it was far easier to build a car for europe based on the usa spec than try to get the jdm one to pass. We are probably closer to the usa with what is believed to be car safety and green issues than japan, The sva test enables a small number to be imported but it would never get type approval for general sale in europe. Things can only get worse in the future with the constant tightening of regulations.

fastboyslim

iTrader: (2)

All the above is understandable but why not give us twin scroll? The turbo, manifold and sump cant cost that much more.

Gregsti01

iTrader: (1)

Every Impreza is built in the same factoy same line from 1998 I believe,It is a bit like buy a cd in New York £5 UK £14.99 then wonder why people download for free,it is called greed!!!!

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

IM buy in from Subaru at a set price per unit. Add UK Tax, VAT and profit and that's where the price differential is.

Emission laws aside, the better spec of JDM cars is well known. The UK spec will also effect the price, more goodies, more money, less of a profit margin on the car for IM in the long run.

Until Subaru get the ****e in one sock and bring in the direct injection engine then the US and European market will die on them.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My point exactly! And it's not just IM/Subaru.
Nikon D300, UK: £1200, USA: $1400, or £882!!!!!!!!

biggi

iTrader: (3)

Allot has defo got to be cost of labour, avv uk worker gets paid £12-£15 an hour, jap works us allot less than this, the cost of running a bizz in the UK is allot higher that the cost of a running a bizz in Jap, so I guess a decision must be made how Subaru would recoup lost revenues, and this is how they do it, give us the cheap stuff ok cheap is a big word but lets say they gives us the bottom spec stuff and charge us more as they know we will pay for it.

I have got to say I have never owned a UK subaru, but drove a few, boy am I glad I always went for JDM stuff.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

When you consider a P1 cost nearly £32K and a JDM STi V5/6 was £28k you have to wonder. I know people will say it's a Limited car but so where the V-Limited STi/Type R but they where still cheaper with more kit.