STi

Wheels Magazine
January, 2008

Right from the outset, Subaru's new Impreza has been a topic of hot debate from one side of the globe to the other. This radical re-interpretation of one of Japan's iconic AWD road rockets has lit up the media and cyberspace all year, causing far more comment and, yes, angst than Subaru probably ever imagined, wanted or thought possible.

While the standard-issue Impreza has come in for what can charitably be described as mixed reviews, feedback on the new STi has been far stronger and more positive. And no wonder, for dynamically, and in design terms, the new STi is far more on the pace; a car that's fast, fluent and more mature than hardcore Rexes of old.

We reported as much in Wheels last month (more here) when editor Bulmer enthusiastically flung a shiny, new, Japan-spec STi around Fuji Speedway. He concluded, "While some will rue the slight loss of aggression in terms of ride, power delivery and noise, we like this new-look STi a lot, and rate it a better all-round ownership proposition than its predecessors."

In Japan, customers get a unique STi, fired by Subaru's hard-revving 2.0-litre twin-scroll flat-four turbo. This engine, developed with one eye on the world motorsport stage, may be the ultimate in terms of factory road numbers, banging out a meteoric 227kW, 422Nm and spinning to a lofty 8000rpm.

But Australia, and every other export market in the world, will get a different donk - an updated single-scroll edition of Subaru's inimitable 2457cc flat-four turbo. In Oz trim, it produces 221kW and 407Nm and spins up to 7000rpm. So is Australia losing out? As it happens, the answer is no. Far from it.

Australia's new STi will launch in early February 2008, with an estimated price tag of $60,000-$70,000. However, to get a handle on how the new Aussie-bound WRX STi will look and perform, we've come to the unlikely surroundings of the small, clubby Honjyo circuit in Saitama, about 100km north of Tokyo.

Subaru knew what it was doing when it decided to turn the STi from a hardcore sedan road racer into a premium five-door hatch. Clearly, some STi stalwarts would walk away. But others - more monied and, ah, aspirational - would happily climb into the driver's seat, or at least that's the calculation.

Parked in the pitlane, the Aussie-spec STi is indistinguishable from the Japanese models. So it's hello again to a smart, pumped-up body with bulging front and rear guards, new rear doors, deep front air dam, rear diffuser and roof spoiler. Some design touches like the sorry Daewoo-esque rear lights carry over from the cooking Impreza, but all told, it's an impressive stylistic upgrade, topped off by multi-spoke 18-inch STi wheels.

The cabin is appealing and practical enough. Front buckets with Alcantara/leather are standard (Recaros are an option), and pink STi logos abound. It's a solid, well-supported driving position, but ahead of you the STi instruments look very ordinary, and the overall finish is nowhere near Golf-class.

Fire up the 2.5-litre engine and right away there's that gutsy Subaru throb (which Subaru internally calls "boru boru"). I for one love that unique boxer sound, and what the 2.5 loses in power to the Japanese 2.0, it more than makes up in easy-revving linearity, improved economy and cleaner emissions.

Have no doubts, the new 2.5 STi is quick. The new model is 10kg heavier, but punts out 15kW more to make up the difference. Torque is also up from 392Nm to 407Nm.

Expect 0-100km/h in around 5.2sec while, unfettered, Subaru says the new STi will race on to a top speed of 250km/h.

On the track, the power comes in smoothly and readily and there's plenty of torque at low revs. Yes, the Japanese 2.0 is ultimately more hardcore and exciting. But the 2.5 spools up eagerly, is better for all-round driveability and is still a fine engine in its own right.

The six-speed manual 'box is quick, easier to use, and now improved with triple-cone synchronisers. But for all that, it can be notchy - and despite Subaru's bullish stance that it doesn't need one, the lack of any sequential gearbox option is definitely a drawback, especially versus the new Mitsu Lancer Evo X.

The new STi sports an all-new chassis, with longer wheelbase, shorter overhangs, wider tracks and completely re-engineered front strut/rear multi-link suspension, coupled with plenty of internal strengthening. All the same, Subaruists will recognise some time-honoured traits, like the nose rising gently under power as the wurring turbo flat four gets into its stride. This is still, unquestionably, a Subaru.

On the short straights and tight, fiddly corners of Honjyo, the STi is easy to drive and agile, but softer than you might expect. Or hope for. Subaru is building one worldwide spec for chassis tuning, and while the car stays well-planted and sure-footed in corners, encouraging you to push harder, keen drivers might still long for more feedback and less bodyroll. Put simply, it's not as hard and sharp as the STi of old.

The Subie's steering is well weighted and accurate, nonetheless, and the STi turns in with authority and resists understeer well.

Powerful Brembos provide impressive stopping power that is resistant to fade, despite a hard work-out on the track.

Play with some of the new electronic chassis tricks, however, and the STi's behaviour starts to change. The new multi-mode VDC stability/traction-control system, for instance, has three settings: normal, off and traction - with the latter lowering the system's engage threshold. Through Honjyo's tight, second- and third-gear corners, the nose ran much wider in traction mode, suggesting that most people, most days, would simply leave VDC switched to 'normal'.

Some might wonder what the SI-Drive (from the Liberty) is doing on a car that purports to be the real performance deal. This electronic system varies engine/throttle settings and gives you an economy-oriented Intelligent setting along with Sport and Sport Sharp. But does it all really work? The jury's still out on that one.

More significant is the clever new Driver's Control Centre Differential, capable of varying the torque-split between the front and rear axles to suit your driving style. There's a torque-sensing helical LSD up front, and another Torsen LSD at the back.

Leave the DDCD in 'auto' and the system's brain does all the work. Alternatively, you can tweak the settings to provide a 41:59 rear-drive bias, or an equal 50:50 torque-split. So, plenty to play with, but here, at Honjyo, the finer points of the DCCD were not that marked. Maybe if we were on gravel or snow...

Talking of which, Subaru also brought along a VW Golf R32 for us to try around a short gravel track. The VW's stiff suspension contrasted vividly with the Impreza's longer, more supple wheel travel. But the Golf did feel more solid and better made, exuding that premium feel that Subaru wants so much for the STi.

In the end, alongside Japan's 2.0-litre WRX STi, Australia's new 2.5 is the same, only different. The Aussie-bound version is more characterful, not so hard revving, but easier to live with in the real world. It also offers better economy, with an official Japanese 10.15 combined test number of 9.6L/100km versus 10.3L/100km for the 2.0-litre, and, correspondingly, cleaner emissions.

What everyone is getting then is a new, more mature WRX STi. True, some of the visual and dynamic aggression has gone. But the new STi is still a fast, effective performance machine that delivers plenty of driver thrills. And that, in the end, is what counts.

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