Wheels Muscle Masters

Subaru spent years telling both motoring journalists and the general public how to write 'STi'. But for the third generation of the niche performance Impreza, the correct acronym for Subaru Technica International is all upper case.

Perhaps this is to mark the performance car's bigger, upmarket appeal and broad buyer base. Perhaps it’s to counter opinion – that while the car has shrunk, its performance prowess and potential has grown. Perhaps it’s just an exercise in marketing. That's the 'I' letter, not the car…

When it came to the overhauled hatch-bodied Impreza, which launched late last year, Subaru all but admitted the strategy was to broaden its mid-size car’s appeal. In doing just that, it sacrificed some of its flock of hard-core cult followers.

Up till now, the devout performance fanatics have fretted that the STI would be similarly toned down, de-tuned, and homogenised. Well, they need worry no more – though they will have to take the new STI with a grain or two of technology.


While sedan versions of the naturally-aspirated Impreza and turbo WRX are due later this year, there will only be one STI. Modelled on the WRC car, which will debut halfway through the current competition season (Subaru are still testing the car in the UK to ensure a win on its first rally), it will be hatch only. Subaru counters this one body style with two spec levels – an entry-level version at $59,990, and for the first time a Spec R variant adding 18-inch BBS alloys and leather Recaros for $64,990.

And unlike the Impreza hatch, for which the word 'polarising' is used somewhat kindly in place of other descriptives, it looks the goods. In fact, the only panels it shares with the WRX are the roof, bonnet and front doors.

Compared to the superseded car, the overhangs have shrunk, as has its pivot point, yet its wheelbase and width have increased. It sits, hunkered down, with resolved aerodynamic design cues that enhance visuals as well as stability (the claim is zero lift) without the need for shark fins, heli-pad spoilers, letterbox air intakes, or other aesthetic eyesores.

Safety is also up to the spec of its siblings with a five-star ANCAP crash rating, and the maximum four-star pedestrian safety rating. In the past, before the most recent MY07 update, the STI missed out on side airbags due to its wraparound bucket seats. While the seats are almost matronly in their enveloping embrace, the STI features six airbags as standard, along with ABS, EBD, EBA, and a new three-stage stability and traction control system.



The cabin itself is more cashed-up than credit card plastic, but still doesn't rival the fit and finish of some European brands with which Subaru hopes to compete. In saying that, the options list is very short and keenly priced in comparison - in fact, only one option of a $2990 sat-nav system is on the list. That stupid keypad security system is replaced with a more conventional alarm (hooray) and the cabin has a more solid - if not upmarket - sporting feel to it.

Vision is improved, largely because there isn’t a large plank of plastic dissecting the rear windscreen of the hatch, but NVH is still not ideal. While the sound of the flexing suspension filtering through the firewall has all but disappeared, the loud 18-inch Dunlop SP600s are relentless in their non-stop chatter and hum.

Thankfully, when the foot hits the firewall, the familiar turbo whine and boxer punch takes precedent.



We get a half-litre more than Japan in the engine department, as usual, with a slight reduction in peak power and torque for more attainable, flatter curves at lower revs.

The 2.5 litre boxer four, matched to that sublime short-throw six-speed manual, produces 7.3 percent more power (15kW) at 221kW, peaking at 6000rpm thanks largely to a dual variable valve timing system on both intake and exhaust. Torque is up 3.8 percent to 407Nm at 4000 rpm, and Euro IV compliance is met with a 11.2 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, claiming 10.3L/100km combined (on 98RON).


Combine this with a minimal weight gain of only 10kg despite the added technology, and the new STI pounds to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds– 0.2 seconds quicker than the MY07.

And speaking of which, there are three chunks of noteworthy tech that are new to STI. Subaru’s Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive), which debuted on the Liberty last year, offers three different engine settings – Intelligent, Sport and Sport sharp. The different modes can be selected with an I-Drive type dial near the shifter, and change the throttle response and engine map to suit your state of mind, or the size of your fuel bill.

One of the big flaws in the Intelligent mode was its restriction of power and torque in full throttle applications. Taking the fuel use down to that of a 2.0-litre nat-atmo car is all well and good for fuel economy, but not for overtaking or emergency avoidance. Thankfully, this problem is rectified in STI, with full torque available on full throttle.

Still, one would hope the throttle-sensitive Sports Sharp would be the default setting for most STI drivers.



A multi-mode Vehicle Dynamics Control also breaks up the stability and traction control settings to three stages: on, traction control and off. The stability control is light-handed, while TC allows a fair bit of yaw before a trace of intervention – in fact, a full sideways slip went unrestrained at the final turn at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania. And off - well, get it right or you’re off.

The final and most important tech addition is a multi-mode Driver Control Centre Differential (DCCD).

This allows incremental adjustments to the torque input to both front and rear axles, allowing the driver to adjust the ratio from a 41:59 rear bias to an even 50:50 depending on conditions and, to some extent, ability.

This is done either with three automatic LSD modes of Plus, Minus, and a default setting, or six increments of 1.5 percent to front or rear. The results are immediate – on the track, mild push in the front becomes rearward steer, and vice versa, with much more compliance from the front end on turn-in and mid-corner throttle.



Also maximising torque are a front and rear LSD (the former is torque-sensing), which picks up the outside wheel once the inside hints at spin.

But what will the fanatics make of all this electronic intervention? The good news is that the STI still has the bang-on power, the bang for buck and the chuckable characteristics that first made people see past its polarising features and love it for the drivetrain and driving experience. It is instantly confidence-inspiring in driver ergonomics, from its intuitive, snicky short-throw shifter to its spot-on pedal placement, weighted clutch and solid, graduated brake pedal. And from this seat of comfort, after only a short time behind the wheel the surrounding car comes to life when it's pushed.

It is a case of forgetting the old and embracing the new. Gone is the old car's fidgety, uncompromisingly firm ride. The hard, unforgiving stiffness is replaced by a slightly softened approach to suspension, the immediate turbo torque refined to a more linear and civilised power delivery. The ride on Tasmania's back roads was firm but yielding to corrugations and surface changes, and the access to torque makes the STI a much more liveable everyday driver proposition.


The bad news is that it can sometimes feel a little obviously electronic, though this is mainly in comparison to the STi of old. The torque and drive are not instantly predictable, and the car, while chuckable, doesn't immediately beg to be thrown around - finesse is required to get the best of the new electronics and chassis. The steering is still lacking on-centre weighting despite the trick diffs and minimal rubber, and can be a little remote in its feel at low-speed.

This STI does not reward in the same way - it pays dividends to the more sophisticated driver. Which makes sense, as it is a more sophisticated car.

Like every big change in life, we have to forget the old STi and embrace the new STI, and with it the new technology. We can’t stop the future – and this new direction of technology, sophistication and broad buyer base is where the future of STI lies.



LINKS
Subaru WRX STI and R Spec pricing announced
Road Test: STI
Blog: Rallying in the original Rex

	MY08	MY07
Type	Horizontally opposed, turbocharged	Horizontally opposed, turbocharged
Cylinders	Four	Four
Displacement	2457 cc	2457 cc
Bore x stroke	99.5×79.0	99.5×79.0
Compression ratio	8.2:1	8.0:1
Cam-train system	DOHC Dual AVCS	DOHC AVCS
Fuel system	Multi Point Sequential Injection	Multi Point Sequential Injection
Maximum power	221 kW/6000 rpm	206 kW/5600 rpm
Maximum torque	407 Nm/4000 rpm	392 Nm/4000 rpm