Weird horsepower question.

[Rookie88]

So snooping around led me to understand that my 87' 325es came with 121hp from the factory. My cousins 2012 impreza came with 148, but the e30 seems so much quicker. Is it because I have a 5 speed compared to the CVT (still seems slow in "manual mode"), or was the e30 rated at whp as opposed to at the crank, or a combination? Or neither? Just curious

[Rob Daman]

gearing, weight, and hp peaks i'm sure are different too. You also have torque ratings that come into play. HP numbers aren't the only factor for speed or fun.

[Rookie88]

Very true, I forget that the e30s are so light compared to a lot of modern cars. Torque isn't hugely different but the e30 does have more. I guess my main question, purely out of curiosity, is if the e30 was rated at whp or at the crank.

[Rob Daman]

i'm pretty sure it's always been crank so the numbers looked better.

[digger]

its always crank hp

[roguetoaster]

It could have to do with the fact that 2012 and up standard Imprezas are gutless, down on power compared to previous years, and not helped at all by their lackluster CVT.