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Matt Brogan15 Apr 2015
REVIEW

Subaru WRX STI 2015 Review

It's fast, it's competent, and it commands respect – and driven right, it's a lot of fun!

Subaru WRX STI
Road Test


Remember when you had to drive a car? I mean, actually, properly drive a car. Think about when to shift gear, accurately steer and place the car on line, and be judicious in the application of throttle. I bet you can't. And if you can, you probably drive a WRX STI.

Many of the STI's peers do a lot of the hard work for you, leaving the 'driver' to simply point and shoot. Depending on what you want from a car (read: how well you can actually drive) that may be a good thing. But when it comes to the STI, much of the driving is left up to the driver – funny that!

It's an involving, and in some ways unforgiving experience that rewards application and penalises indolence. Get it right and the STI is gratifyingly quick. Stuff it up and you'll soon find yourself frustrated.

In essence it's a car that takes time to learn – a strange juxtaposition given how blunt its nuances are.

You need to feel and work with the STI's turbocharged boxer engine to best coax its abilities. Simply flooring the throttle won't work. You need to slip the clutch just slightly, feed the accelerator on, get the engine on boost, then follow through with a brisk, but progressive push of the loud pedal.

The gearshift's positive, mechanical action requires a little effort to place. It demands an assertive 'nudge' to engage at pace, met by an equally focussed and well-timed boot of the clutch. Time it right, and the shove from the Subaru's all-wheel drive system thrusts you forward with gusto. It's a response fitting of the claimed 221kW (at 6000rpm) and 407Nm (at 4000rpm) output, and one that unleashes a skirmish of speed appropriate to this flagship model (0-100km/h is claimed at 4.9sec).

The multi-point injected engine requires 98 RON (premium) unleaded, but is impressively efficient considering its figures. Subaru says the ADR Combined cycle average is 10.4L/100km, though on test we managed 8.8. Admittedly, hard bursts were curtailed to a minimum, and the freeway commute to and from work helped, but we still think it's a commendable effort.

Dynamically the WRX STI is a package that commands a little patience. The 1525kg (kerb) body is stiffer than before and the upside-down strut front and double wishbone rear a touch softer. The combination gives an initial sense that the body will roll (which it does) and yaw (which it really doesn't) through hard, sharp corners. But the grip is there, provided you manage the amount of speed carried with an adequate heave of throttle.

The electronically-controlled centre differential and Subaru's torque vectoring system will essentially do the rest – though we say that adding that it may be caught off guard by a sudden tug at the wheel, say in a very sharp switchback, which will induce a progressive tendency to understeer. Ordinarily it's not a huge issue, but with the 'sharper' hydraulic steering masking some of the feedback – and occasionally fighting the rack – there 's a call for the driver to be in tune with the contact of the tyres when pushing on.

In a way, you need to predict what's about to happen. It's a technique that comes from learning the car, and may not be one for the faint hearted. There's never a sense that the car is ragged or out of step, just that it's taking a moment to compute and adjust to the thousands of inputs it's receiving before getting on with the show. Trust it – but let it know whose boss – and it really does pay-off.

As we've noted before, the four-pot Brembos (two piston rear) of the WRX STI are a little susceptible to fade, though on a flowing stretch of road, they reward with decent bite. Ask a little too much, and they can become flustered, that progressive pedal suddenly diminishing as heat takes its toll. We never 'ran out' of brakes, mind you. Just occasionally got the impression we were trying a little hard.

The small corner window tucked in against the A-pillar and the lower-set bonnet scoop make the STI easier to place. We also enjoyed the figure-hugging seats and driving position generally, though couldn't say the same for the acres of hard plastics, uninspiring decor and no-frills infotainment package. The WRX STI feels a generation behind its peers in this regard. The landing buttons of the touchscreen are small and fiddly, the switchgear basic and plain, and the navigation of simple menus anything but (simple, that is).

It's peculiar that at the start of my seven days with the WRX STI I felt misplaced. It seemed awkward, out-dated in some ways, and a little uncultured and remote in others. By the end of the week we'd come to understand each other – and I found that its (numerous) foibles didn't really matter. This is a driver's car, plain and simple. It's an effort to understand, and a joy to drive fast – and there's something kind of edifying in that.

2015 Subaru WRX STI pricing and specifications:
Price:
$49,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/407Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 10.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 242g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

What we liked:
>> Mid-range power
>> Predictable handling
>> Rewards hard driving

Not so much:
>> Lacks low-end torque
>> Dated tech and interior
>> No hatch or auto option

Also consider:
>> Ford Focus RS (local timing TBC)
>> Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (from $52,990 plus ORCs)
>> Volkswagen Golf R (from $52,740 plus ORCs)

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Written byMatt Brogan
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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
71/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
15/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
14/20
Safety & Technology
12/20
Behind the Wheel
15/20
X-Factor
15/20
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