Subaru’s STI takes performance to a new level of sophistication

Subaru’s STI takes performance to a new level of sophistication

2008 Subaru WRX STI
By: Jim Robinson

MONTEREY, Ca.: See the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI and two automotive axioms come to mind. Racing improves the breed. And, if it looks right, it is right.

Everybody has seen those electric blue Subaru World Rally Championship (where the name WRX comes from) cars hurtling through the air in the forest or scuttling around hairpin turns at speeds faster than the limits on Canada’s highways.

Much, and I mean much, of that expertise gained in building those cars and winning three championships along the way has found its way into the very special STI version of the already fast Impreza WRX tested on these pages earlier this year.

STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International, the ultra high-performance arm of Subaru. Build basically by hand, the STI takes a production WRX and enhances everything from the engine, drivetrain and suspension and even the interior.

Carmel Valley Rd in Northern California is a like a giant, 20-mile-long corkscrew with hairpin after hairpin punctuated by short straights that give you just enough time to catch your breath before the next set of twists and turns.

With more electronic and mechanical wizardry than any other road-going car I can think of, the driver is presented with the ability to change the engine mapping and torque distribution at will.

With the turbo at full song and the differential set for full sport I kept getting faster, braking later and turning sharper with every gear change and turn of the wheel. I was in “the zone,” meaning I was in full control and everything around me was in full clarity.

This has only occurred to me once or twice before and it was always the car, not me, that made it happen.

The STI begins with three differentials, a helical limited slip diff at the front axle and a TORSEN (TORque SENsing) diff at the rear. At the centre is the Driver Controlled Centre Differential (DCCD) version of Subaru’s famed Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive. The DCCD is probably the best system of its type you can buy on any car regardless of price.

The driver has a choice of three automatic performance modes as well as no less than six manual differential locking settings. For the first time, the DCCD integrates the pitch and yaw and traction control systems in three driver selectable modes.

It sounds confusing (and it is) until you play with it over a variety of terrains and road surfaces. Like Subaru Rally Team driver Petter Solberg, you will find yourself reaching for the DCCD toggle on the transmission tunnel to make changes. This is not a gimmick, but a system similar in concept to what Solberg uses in a race and one you can use to get the utmost from this splendid car.

Now just to confuse you a bit more, there is also the Subaru SI-Drive that lets the driver chose between three engine response curves via a rotary knob also on the transmission tunnel. The choices are Intelligent for economical highway cruising, Sport for more spirited motoring and Sport Sharp for when things get serious. These modes are displayed on the instrument panel.

I found myself sticking with Sport and the DCCD set on the centre setting for a 50:50 torque split. Later, I went for Sport Sharp with the DCCD set on the first of three automatic settings for more bias to the front for the sharp hairpins on Carmel Valley Rd. On Highway 1 on the way to Monterey, I toggled in Intelligent and with torque biased to the rear for surprisingly comfortable cruising. It’s hard to explain but, in practice, it’s actually simple to use.

It takes some experimentation, but once a driver gets used to the feel and feedback, the results would be truly satisfying to one who can appreciate what this machine can do.

The previous STI was “nervous” and stiffly sprung and steering response was abrupt. The last STI was about performance at the upper edge of the envelope.

The new STI widens the overall performance spread and is much more driver friendly.

Of course none of this would be possible without the power to make it happen and that’s what the 2.5-litre horizontally opposed or “boxer” four-cylinder does. The block is specially reinforced, featuring dual overhead cams with variable valve timing fitted with a massive turbocharger and intercooler so big it fills up the top half of the engine bay. The result is 305 hp and 290 lb/ft of torque hooked up to a meaty six-speed manual transmission.

With a rally-proven MacPherson independent suspension with specially turned KYB shocks at the front and a new twin wishbone independent system at the rear, the car is connected to the ground by special BBS alloy wheels sporting truly fat Dunlop SP600 245/40R 18 high-performance tires.

In addition, the vented disc brakes come from German specialist Brembo. I can attest the brakes and tires took everything I could throw at them without fade or the tire tread “nibbling” in high compression turns.

With the STI, racing indeed improves the breed, but what about looking right?

The previous model STI was festooned with gargantuan flared fenders and huge, hoop-shaped rear wing. It wasn’t just for looks, but necessary to make downforce for the racecar and these add-ons were included in the STI road version as well.

The new STI still has fatter fenders than the production five-door WRX but they are less pronounced. At the rear, there is a small lip spoiler on the upper edge of the liftgate. It’s all rather subdued, but according to Solberg, and he ought to know, the new STi is much better to drive, point and race than the previous car during shakedown testing for the 2008 rally season.

And when it comes to overall attractiveness, the previous STI was based on the box stock Impreza that was, frankly, dumpy to begin with. And then there were all those front-end treatments from the goggley-eyed headlight version to the last one with a grille that looked like the car has just bitten into a lemon.

And while wild spoilers and bulging fenders can add a brutish quality, that’s a styling trend that has now mostly passed. Catching eyes these days comes from flowing lines that have tautness about them.

The new Impreza WRX already had this but the STI with its 18-inch wheels, rear aero ground effects ducting, side engine heat outlets and that big air scoop now moulded into the hood, looks like it has the muscle to get the job done.

And what’s interesting is the interior is not gutted but has all the comforts of home like climate control, multi function monitor with navigation system, not to mention a complete brace of airbags and super sound system.

Add to that the utility of a five-door hatchback (there is no sedan version) and passenger room for five and you have supercar your grandma can drive to bingo.

And for an estimated price of about $50,000, it doesn’t get more fun than that.


SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI 2008 AT A GLANCE

BODY STYLE: Compact performance five-door hatchback.

DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, all-wheel-drive.

ENGINE: 2.5-litre turbocharged "boxer" four-cylinder (305 hp, 290 lb/ft).

FUEL ECONOMY: (Est.) 16.4L/100 km (17 mpg) city, 12.2L/100 km (23 mpg) highway

PRICE: NA but estimated at about $50,000.

WEBSITE: subaru.ca

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