Subaru WRX STi
Teenage yearnings |
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By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: The rear spoiler obstructs visibility in the back. And as on other Subarus, the STi's door frames don't surround the window, which creates an insubstantial feel.
G-FORCES: The 300-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine is as powerful as many high-performance V-6s. The clutch is stiff and requires a little more effort than usual, while the six-speed manual transmission (no automatic is available) has a solid, mechanical feel. Steering is tight, and cornering is so firm it feels like the STi is clawing at the pavement. This is a vehicle that needs to be driven–not just operated–but once you're engaged the experience is a blast.
GIZMOLOGY: When you start the car and the gauges blink on, the needles race up to their maximum positions before settling in to their actual readings–a cool race car effect. Inside, however, there's little else to offer excitement. Climate controls are basic economy-style dials. There are cup holders but, not surprisingly, they seem like an afterthought. There's one in the center console, but a coffee mug or soda bottle gets in the way when you're shifting. The other cup holder pops out of the dashboard but is a far reach from the driver's seat.
KID MARKS: My 4- and 6-year-old kids loved riding in the "race car," which is about as functional as the basic Impreza sedan the STi is based on. There's adequate space in the back seat but few amenities. The doors are light and easy for younger kids to open and close.
HOT OR NOT?Hot, if you're a "tuner" into the rally scene. Not, if you're anybody else.
ENVIROMETER: The STi hasn't yet been given a "green vehicle" rating by the EPA. Mileage is 18 mpg/city to 24 mpg/highway. Requires premium fuel.
CRASH COURSE: The STi hasn't been crash-tested by the government or by private testing organizations. The '03 Impreza, with a similar chassis, rates nine stars out of 10 on the government's frontal crash test, and four stars out of five on the side-impact test. Details: http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/
2534.html.
PRICE POINTS: Base price is $31,545. Price as tested: approximately $31,945. (All prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: http://www.subaru.com/servlet/
showroom?model=IMPREZA&trim=WRX_STI
_SEDAN&command=overview.
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Model year tested: 2004
What am I doing in this car? That's what I thought for the first 15 minutes I drove the WRX STi. With a whale's tail rear spoiler and a hood scoop the size of a snow shovel, the STi has the gaudy look of a 17-year-old's shop project. When I was that age, I would have drooled over the STi and maybe even hung a poster of it in my room. But as a 30-something with two kids, I felt self-conscious driving it around, like somebody having an industrial-strength midlife crisis. The only thing missing was a cheerleader in the passenger seat.
Then came the 16th minute, when I broke free of rush-hour traffic and gunned the intercooled, 300-horsepower engine for the first time. My mood changed abruptly. The STi rocketed forward so fast that the tip of my conservative-attire tie practically flew into the back seat. Whoa! Where did that come from? I tried it again. Yep, that is some genuine power. A little farther into the drive I tested the STi's cornering. Nary a squeal on curves that, at similar speeds, would send most cars orbiting into the weeds. After 45 minutes, I found the STi's power and handling so exhilarating that I was looking for somebody in a Camaro or a Mustang to drag-race against. I was back in high school again, after all.
The STi is no teenager's plaything, however. For one thing, it lists at about $31,000–and that doesn't even include a radio. And there's way more technology beneath the sheet metal than an adolescent could ever appreciate. The STi is built on the frame of the Impreza, Subaru's entry-level sedan, but it's filled with performance machinery derived from Subaru Tecnica International (STi), the division that builds race cars for the rally circuit. That's how the STi juices 300 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine. There's a turbocharger, for instance, and the huge air scoop isn't just for show; it actually helps cool the engine. The rear spoiler has a function too, enhancing stability at high speeds. I never went fast enough to enjoy that benefit, but I can attest to the STi's swiftness. The meta-racer moves from 0 to 60 in less than five seconds, for instance, in the same range as the Corvette and the Porsche Boxster. There's virtually none of the lag usually associated with turbo boosters, and in a week of normal driving there wasn't a single instance when I felt I needed more power than I could get. Here's an interesting testament to the engine's gusto: Twice when I started the STi, the mere rumble of the power plant set off the alarm of the car parked behind me. The basic Impreza chassis has also been stiffened to steel-girder standards, which helps it master curves with the aplomb of low-center-of-gravity asphalt-huggers like the Corvette and the Nissan 350Z.
It takes a driving enthusiast, in fact, to appreciate the STi, since it skimps on amenities that everyday drivers demand. The rock-hard suspension and the wide racing tires provide awesome handling, but you need young vertebrae to feel comfortable in the STi: It picks up every crack in the road, and the ride can be jarring. The rear seat doesn't fold down, as it does in most sedans, on account of reinforcements in that part of the chassis. Snazzy racing seats jazz up the interior, which is otherwise utilitarian. The sound system and other features have been removed from the standard Impreza package to reduce weight (although the car is wired for a radio, which can be installed by the dealer). Instead, there are special controls that let you spray water on the intercooler to keep the temperature down and adjust the way power is split between the front and rear wheels. The STi, in other words, needs to spend weekends on a race track. Keeping it shackled on ordinary roads would be cruel.
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