Road Test: Subaru Impreza WRX STi

By Damien Tomlinson - 14/7/05

Turbo fans, rejoice. Two of the world's biggest and best grunt factories are waging a war on our streets, lobbing not nasty, explosive things (well, sort of), but great-value motorcars designed to ensure you get to work with a smile on your dial.

Of course, I'm talking about Subaru and Mitsubishi and their small-car-with-big-knackers WRX STi and Evolution VIII, respectively.

Having read about editor Torr's love affair with the Evo late last year, I just had to have a look at the STi to see what all the fuss was about. I personally haven't driven the Evo (of any persuasion, for that matter), so I can't offer a definitive comparison, but my humble opinion on the STi might help you if you weigh up the two if you're in that market.

For those who don't know, the STi is a souped-up version of the dynamic WRX, which has been responsible for catapulting Subaru's sales penetration in Australia across the board for the past decade.

The STi gains 27 kilowatts of power and 43 Newton metres of torque over the standard model - which equates to a blistering 5.45sec 0-100km/h sprint, a 0.25sec gain - and costs $16,000 more than the standard model. Doesn't sound like much? Well, if you get the chance to drive one, have a squint into the rear-view mirror and it'll become as plain as day on the face of that WRX driver behind you.

So, did the top-end Impreza impress this scribe? Given my seemingly harsh words about the Liberty 3.0R, the ho-hum cousin of the very impressive 3.0R-B, I wouldn't blame you if you're a little anxious about reading on. There are a few things the STi could do better, but generally, it's a very impressive car on all fronts. Anyway, read on...

The traditional gold-and-blue colour scheme works on very few vehicles - the WRX STi is one of them

The 195kW STi is right at home on the racetrack

Subaru's WRX STi comes standard with a security PIN system, which helps reduce insurance costs

Visually, the STi is unmistakably a WRX, and once you're used to its muscly veneer, you'll find that it's also instantly recognisable as an STi.

You may also notice that there are quite a few of these souped-up 'Rexes' on the road, and it's an unwritten rule that STi drivers wave to each other, and not to "normal" WRX drivers.

From the outside, the most obvious "enhancement", which is purely visual unless you're travelling at more than 200km/h, is the roof-height wing that rises from the boot lid, and an enlarged scoop on the bonnet.

More subtle changes are a few added ripples around the front guards, the omission of front fog lights, which are replaced with plastic panels sporting the pink STi logo, and a much beefier, single exhaust exiting under the rear bumper.

Inside, the STi gets the standard WRX interior look, with brushed aluminium-look console and drilled aluminium pedals, but adds coloured seat and door inserts, a new STi wheel, dials and a new stick to go with its short-ratio 6-speed transmission.

Touches of leather, most notably on the handbrake lever and steering wheel, finish off what is quite obviously a 'don't argue' interior.

Make no mistake: if you want to slide into the STi, you'd better come to work! This car demands your full attention, right from getting your PIN entered correctly into the dash-mounted security keypad. This bit of wizardry is Subaru's acknowledgement of the fact that this car is one of the most sought after pieces of machinery in the stolen car market.

While I'm sure it's intended to make you feel "secure", reading about how - if you're torn from the cabin at the lights by a car-jacker - the car will splutter and die a minute later, that passage of the manual only sent a shiver up my spine.

Nice to know, but it makes you realise that you will be turning some undesirable heads on the café strip (and I don't mean the police's... chuckle).

So, security PIN entered, the car is ready to go. Turn the key, listen for that familiar slow turning over of the Subaru starter, and boom - the car erupts in a seething joy of unbridled, free-breathing fury.

Some work at the gym may help with your take-offs, as this is a heavy clutch, no doubt designed with endurance in mind. Once you get the hang of it, it's no big drama, and you'll be snicking your heart out in no time.

So, off we go. Ease the clutch out, tickle the accelerator and we're away. It becomes obvious early on that this is a car that you must massage into life. At "normal" rates of speed and acceleration, this will behave like any other of Subaru's well-mannered Imprezas. Lend it to your mum to go to the shops.

But it's only when you start to gain confidence and hang onto the gears longer that you start to experience the whole Mr Hyde half of this brute's personality.

At about 3500rpm, the turbocharger begins to spring into life. No, not the backfiring Hoover-on-steroids type of gear that we hear bolted onto everything from Barinas to VL Commodores, but nonetheless an enormous boost.

At that point when the turbo cuts in, hang on, because you literally have to in order to keep up with the car. Feel like hitting a gap in the traffic, or like sneaking around a pensioner before your last turn before home? Do it with confidence, but be prepared to arrive at that turn a lot quicker than in your old Astina.

This turbocharged demon can scramble from 0 to 100km/h in 5.45sec, 0.25sec quicker than the "normal" Rex, but it feels a lot faster than that. It's almost as though 100km/h is just a checkpoint along the way to 600km/h, such is the acceleration available to the pilot as he eclipses the legal limit.

Of course, underneath the STi's skin is a lot of big-boy performance gear, including upgraded brakes, stiffer suspension and heavier, more direct steering. So after scaring the heck out of that pensioner, a light feathering of the brake pedal is more than enough to comfortably handle most 90-degree bends at 65km/h.

The most notable addition for the MY2005 STi is the addition of a driver control centre differential (DCCD), which adds a new button to the centre console and snazzy graphics up near the dials.

The interior isn't particularly luxurious, more hard-headed, which suits the cars demeanour

What this control allows you to do (a la Evo VIII) is to vary the bias of the drive between the front and rear wheels.

It was all too complex for this hack's feeble mind, but I rejoiced in leaving the control in "auto" and letting the electronic wizardry do the thinking for me.

What this new control means for the average punter is that the dreaded understeer, a problem with front- and all-wheel-drive cars, is eliminated.

If the car senses that you're going through that hairpin a little quick, it will throw up to two-thirds of the torque split to the rear wheels to get you around there like Tommi.

The startling performance of the STi is well documented, and it's all I had expected. Apart from the worst case of turbo lag I can remember, this is an accomplished pacer more than worthy of its street cred.

Inside the cockpit is a wonderful place to be. Held firm in the racing buckets, everything responding just the way you want it to, you can't help but feel confident on the road. Subaru claims combined highway/city fuel consumption of 11.29 litres per 100km, and it drinks 98RON, so as with all things, the fun comes at a price.

However, considering that you're blowing away SS Commodores and most of the HSV range using half the juice, it shouldn't be a problem.

If there's one thing I can fault in this car, it's probably its ride. The suspension set-up is so that it makes it plain that it prefers the smooth asphalt of a race track, not the potholes and shoddy surfaces of our city roads. Road noise was marked as well, though you'll only hear it when you change gears, such is the sweet joy of that rampaging donk underneath.

Overall: 4/5

Subaru's Impreza WRX STi is a fantastic performer. While it may not suit all tastes, for those with a penchant for speed and lots and lots of demerit points, it's the perfect marriage of aggressive looks and performance to match.

At $56,630, that's $5500 less than the Evo, it represents almost a bargain. Subaru has done a great job of presenting its fastest car in a no-nonsense way that will satisfy most punters. For those who are serious about turning heads among the damn-those-speed-limits crowd, you won't find a better look-at-me form of transport.