[ilvtofu]

A little late to the discussion but I currently have a 2011 STI hatch and just picked up the M2. Looking to sell the STI but do need to keep a second car as a 2WD car even with good winters will not make it up my driveway when it snows. I just don't see myself using the M2 as a year round car here in Vancouver like I did with my STI but if you live in a drier/warmer area, it's certainly feasible.

Right off the bat, just moving the cars in the parking lot you'll find that the clutch feel, steering feel, and shifter feel are all better in the STI. If you go with the MDCT, 2/3 don't matter though :P As a daily driver the M2 can get much better fuel economy if you aren't driving aggressively. A lot of others have mentioned NVH but I find that the 2015+ STI are actually pretty good and even rides better than the F87. If you are comparing to a 2005 then yes the M2 is miles ahead in terms of NVH, 2018 vs 2018 not so much.

For me, the main reason for getting rid of the STI is that tracking it got boring. The AWD is amazing and intuitive but also makes things too easy. That car doesn't scare me any more, the M2 with all the assists off is a much more thrilling car. At the end of the day, it's such an apples to oranges comparison but if you have no NEED to go with the STI (budget, back seat, awd) then why not M2?