If by driver's car you mean it sucks to be anyone but the 5'9" 160lb driver in it, yeah. lol, JK. But seriously - I'd be willing to bet a V could get itself around a roadcourse faster than an STi. Look at their 1,2 inaugural finish at Sebring, and their tearing up the SCCA SPEED World GT in 04 (three victories, four poles, and five podium finishes). That car's 78% by weight the same as the showroom V. And you're doing so with a MUCH better interior, stereo, options, and well... you don't look like you're riding around in a tracked-up econobox.
Also, not sure how big you are, but for me the CTS-V just fits better. I felt like I was looming over the interior of the subbie. And that sucked. Also, I can take CEOs out for lunch in the V and not embarrass myself. Wanna do say a 10 hour roadtrip to Florida in the STi? Yeah right, don't know about you, but me I make it to about Knoxville or Atlanta or so then I'd get out and shoot it. Right after I put my ride-rattled-out teeth back in.
Also, anytime you want, you can put on the Nanny-me-less-please Competition Mode, or turn the stabiliTrack and TractionControl completely off, and pull one of these mambos:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-2/944597/Over1G.jpg
...waits for the 1.05G pic from a STi... tongue.gif
Plus, everytime you pull over 1G and then post a pic of it on the net, your member grows by an inch. True story. </font> As for track times you are comparing a car that is mod to hell for track use. Look at the SCCA Runoffs last year. Yes the V was first in T2, but the STI was classified in T1. If the STI was in T2 is would have been right behind the V and the STI had very little done to it as the team was just getting use to the car. The V was run by the top team and was prepared as well as the rules would allow. Stock for stock, equal drivers the STI should be quicker on a track.
Now take a V and place it in rally and see where it goes
Both cars are great cars, it just depends what you want in one.