The Star: February 22, 2018

The Star 43
Driven
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Impreza STi offers bang
for buck performance
• By Ross Kiddie
I WAS at considerable
speed on the Hampton
Downs motorsport track
in a Subaru Impreza WRX
STi with veteran New
Zealand race car driver Ray
Williams beside me.
He was explaining to me
the changes Subaru has
made to the centre differential
adjustment mechanism
which would compensate
for a slightly damp
track. I was momentarily
distracted by that, and was
exiting a corner just a bit
quicker than I ordinarily
would have when Williams
suddenly shouted: “Back
off.’’
I felt I had things under
control and kept my foot
buried on the accelerator, I
made the corner okay but
the ripple strips did rattle
the suspension a little and I
did collect an edge of track
marker cone.
That aside, there were
no other dramas, the track
experience showing how
quick, capable and thrilling
the STi is to drive in anger.
I felt quite privileged to
have that track time in the
STi, it is a true champion
in terms of output and
handling ability, and it does
so in an understated way.
It looks little different to
the WRX, and apart from
a few cosmetic details it is
hard to imagine it has the
goods which place it in a
high performing category.
While it could easily be
described as manic, such is
its personality, it is also an
easy-to-drive model at city
speeds, it is docile, and far
from a challenge in traffic,
yet stand on the throttle
and it lunges with turbo
boost that is dynamic.
The STi has a six-speed
manual transmission only
and, to my way of thinking,
you wouldn’t want it any
other way. The gear lever
slots accurately and has a
close, crisp feel about its
movement, there is little
chance of wrong-slotting
and the clutch, while firm,
is progressive with plenty
of pick-up feel.
Under the bonnet sits
a 2.5-litre, horizontallyopposed
(boxer), quadcamshaft,
engine that
Subaru rates at 221kW and
407Nm.
These are impressive outputs
thanks to high pressure
turbo boost, yet the
areas where these figures
are developed are met at
usable parts of the rev band
SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI: At home on race track
or road.
– 6000rpm and 4000rpm
respectively. The result is
a strong torque flow from
low revs until the point of
redline.
I didn’t explore the top
end of the rev band at all,
there is so much satisfaction
to be gleaned from
letting the turbo boost
through the mid-range.
• Price – Subaru
Impreza WRX STi,
$59,990
• Dimensions –
Length, 4595mm;
width, 1795mm;
height, 1475mm
• Configuration –
Four-cylinder, fourwheel-drive,
2457cc,
221kW, 407Nm, sixspeed
manual.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 4.9sec
• Fuel usage –
10.4l/100km
The engine has an angry
tone under load but that is
something the driver can
also gain enjoyment from,
it offers all of the right harmonics
and delivers with
a rush that ushers in vivid
acceleration.
Also, I don’t like placing
huge stress on mechanical
components so I didn’t
ask a lot from the STi
at launch, but it likes to
accelerate rapidly and is a
delight when it does.
Subaru claim a 100km/h
from a standstill time
of just over 5sec, while
against my stopwatch it
blasts through a highway
overtake in around 3.5sec
which are quick figures
and ones which satisfy, the
STi is quick in all gears,
it enjoys freedom and
responds accordingly.
Because I had that special
time on track I didn’t load
the car too much during
my home patch drive, I did
tackle some quick corners
west of the city and enjoyed
its firm steering feel that
feeds back all the nuances
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of the road surface and
what the tyres are doing in
relation to that.
New wheels and tyres
are fitted to the 2018 STi,
the wheels are up an inch
in diameter and carry
performance specification
Yokohama Advan
tyres at 245/35 x 19in, grip
is unyielding and that is
enhanced by all four wheels
providing drive.
The STi blasts between
corners with an acceleration
rush that is infectious,
strong brakes also provide
surety while turn-in and
accuracy are unsurpassed.
The brakes have also
received an upgrade, they
are bigger and are the latest
generation units from
Brembo, they look fabulous
in vivid yellow and work
just as well as they look
with strong pedal feel and
forceful retardation.
Through the sheer nature
of its purpose, the STi is
firm underneath, and while
there is some compliance, it
won’t absorb those ruts that
form many of Christchurch’s
roads. That is a small price
to pay, the STi is a car for the
enthusiast and it delivers in
other areas.
At $59,990 (high spec,
$64,990) it also comes with
bang for buck performance.
For 2018 the STi carries
a bit more kit, notably
additions to the EyeSight
driver assistance safety
system and those improvements
I’ve just mentioned.
Cosmetic enhancements
also add to the STi’s desirability.
Even though the STi is a
true sports sedan, it is also
the comfortable five-seater,
four-door sedan for which
we know the Impreza as an
all-rounder. It is engineered
from experience gleaned
from Subaru’s rally programmes
of years gone by
and is certainly one of the
most capable performance
cars I’ve had the pleasure to
be behind the wheel of.
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