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| DRIVE-First drive+Review Subaru Impreza WRX STi
It is an interesting article to read. The new STi version isn't as hardcore as the old one, but they said Peter Solberg thought the previous version was a little too hardcore, so the tone it down the new version. Subaru also has a R32 Golf (rather than a EVOX) at the racetrack for journalist for comparison purposes. Quote:
The polarising Impreza hatch has been suitably beefed up for STi guise, but will Subaru's performance flagship deliver where the regular WRX doesn't? By RICHARD BLACKBURN.
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So is the new STi the car the recently released Subaru WRX should have been?
To the caps-backward faithful who feel betrayed by the tamer, more genteel WRX, the STi version is Subaru’s shot at redemption.
As the six STi press cars wait in pit lane at the small Honchu circuit, north-west of Tokyo, they certainly look meaner than the standard WRX parked nearby.
Most of the car's panels are unique to the STi version. Only the roof, the rear hatch door and the rear doors are the same.
The wheel arches have been pumped out like a Chinese swimmer’s shoulders, allowing for a wider track at the front and rear. The big roof lip spoiler, which Subaru claims reduces lift and helps to balance the car, is reminiscent of those on world rally cars, while the bigger, 18-inch tyres with liquorice-thin rubber are screaming out for a set of tight bends.
But overall, the look isn’t as overt as the previous model’s wild rear spoiler, conspicuous bonnet scoop and gold-rimmed 'bling' wheels. The more civilized and sedate styling theme carries through to the cabin, which is well finished and well appointed, but doesn’t scream boy racer.
The Recaro seats are finished in alcantara (suede) and leather, the headlining and carpet are darker than the WRX, and there are discreet STi badges on the centre console, door sills and in the middle of the leather steering wheel.
Only a cherry red surround on the speedo and tacho dials gives a hint of the STi’s louder predecessor.
There are also six airbags, a welcome upgrade from the previous model's two front airbags, and a bare necessity for a car as swift as the STi.
Before we fire up the STis, we get a crash course in how to operate their myriad of throttle, centre-diff and stability control settings.
I recognise the first knob straight away. It’s Subaru’s controversial Intelligent Drive knob, which adjusts the throttle settings of the car to three pre-determined settings depending on the driver’s mood.
Cynics say it’s more marketing exercise than engineering breakthrough, but an adjustable throttle does seem to make more sense with a performance car than a family sedan.
You can choose either Intelligent for sedate freeway driving, Sport for a more spirited drive through a few country bends, or Sports Sharp for flat-out performance driving.
That decision, where we are, is a no-brainer. The next one, however, is where it gets interesting. You can choose to adjust the STi’s trick active centre differential to suit your driving style.
You can adjust it completely manually, have the car do it for you, or choose from two automatic settings that make the car biased towards either understeer (where the nose pushes forward) or oversteer (where the back drifts out).
The manual selector lets you loosen the car’s two limited-slip diffs and adjust the drive ratio to 59 per cent rear-wheel drive and 41 per cent front-drive for a more tail-out, rear-wheel-drive experience.
Alternatively you can tighten the diffs and distribute the drive 50-50, which will make the car behave more like a front-drive car. Subaru recommends this setting on looser surfaces like gravel, while the rear-drive bias is said to be better on grippy bitumen surfaces.
I decide on the auto mode, switching between the preset understeer/oversteer settings.
The final button is perhaps the most important one – the stability control. There are three settings, on, off and a third setting that gives more latitude to the driver, cutting in later and allowing a degree of slipping and sliding. Oddly, though, a single press turns the stability control off completely, while a long press switches to the more free system. It seems the wrong way around.
As soon as you fire up the STi, there is an audible difference to the WRX. The WRX has a disappointing lack of growl compared with the Volkswagen GTI and Audi S3.
While the STi doesn’t have the sweet exhaust sound of either, it does let you know you’re in a performance car.
The first thing you notice when you prod the accelerator is the power delivery. There’s plenty of torque available at low revs and the power comes on smoothly and strongly from the word go, rather than slap you in the back at about 3000rpm, which makes it easier to power out of low-speed corners.
Subaru claims the new 221kW 2.5-litre boxer engine will shift the STi from rest to 100kmh in about 5.0 seconds. They haven’t done local performance testing yet, but you get the impression they are hoping it will sneak into the high-four–second bracket. It sure feels quick.
The power gap between the new WRX and STi has widened, from 37kW to 52kW. There is also more torque. The previous STi had 392Nm of torque, while the new one puts out 407Nm. The new car is 10kg heavier, but that makes little difference.
Subaru’s performance division has also strengthened key areas of the bodyshell and shortened the front and rear overhangs to make the car better balanced, with less roll through the corners.
During our on-track stint, the car felt much sharper and better planted than the WRX, particularly through high-speed corners. But this is no out-and-out racer.
While the old model’s suspension was ultra stiff and the ride unforgiving on rough surfaces, the new double-wishbone set-up at the rear has been tuned for comfort as well as speed.
Heresy, you say? Well according to Subaru boss Nick Senior, even rally driver Petter Solberg thought the old one was a little too hardcore.
“Performance and ride comfort don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” says Senior.
After spending a short time behind the wheel, I’m inclined to agree with him. The new STi may not be as razor-sharp a device as its predecessor, but it remains a very impressive and engaging drive.
As for the driver aids, it really takes some hard pushing on a race track to pick up discernible differences, but pushing hard you could pick the tighter and looser diff settings. The stability control also works well and isn’t too intrusive, even in the tamest setting.
Steering is responsive and predictable, while the ventilated Brembo brakes pull you up swiftly without squirming. Perhaps the most revealing part of the drive program was at the end, though.
We were given an opportunity to drive the Impreza and a Volkswagen Golf R32 back to back – albeit at very low speeds – over a very rough bit of gravel to the side of the racetrack.
We’ll reserve final judgment on the Impreza’s ride until we drive it on Australian roads, but for the record the Impreza felt pretty comfortable over the rough stuff.
Perhaps the more telling fact, though, was that we were being encouraged to benchmark the car’s ride against a rival – and that the rival was a Golf and not a Mitsubishi Evolution.
That would never have happened with the previous model. I think Subaru might be trying to tell us something. | from - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
People might criticise Subaru for going soft, but when someone like Peter Solberg Serburg say something like this, I don't think others can really argue. I took this paragraph from another article. Quote:
Senior says the engineers have got the mix right with the Impreza.
And he says that world rally championship driver Petter Solberg was one of the catalysts for the change.
Solberg apparently told the manufacturer the STi’s suspension was too firm.
“Petter was at a dealer conference and told everyone that the ride on his rally car was better than the STi’s. That got people thinking,” says Senior.
| The rest of the article explains why the new STi is aiming for the euro hot hatches like the R32 and the S3 rather than the EVOX.
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11-09-2007, 11:23 PM
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