2017 Subaru WRX STi Review

Although we’re late to the party, we’ve got our practical the famous boy racer. Cue the 2017 Subaru WRX STi.

What’s the Subaru WRX STi about?

The Impreza WRX STI may be the most well-known car to ever emerge from the Fuji Heavy Industry (they intend to change their name to Subaru Corporation though). When it first arrived, it shocked the world.

For your cash, you’d get yourself a cracking four pot engine with a little turbo mounted on it, forcing more air in to the horizontally-opposed engine. It’d then drive all wheels through a notchy manual.

The results speak for themselves. Subaru introduced the Impreza to displace their ageing Legacy rally platform, bringing incredible success. The mix of the Subaru and Prodrive developed chassis brought light for some of the best drivers to grace the world: Colin McRae, Petter Solberg, and Richard Burns.

Following the 3 WRC victories though, people argued that Subaru has softened up. Now, with their latest creation, I’m set to learn.

One thing to notice is that the brand new WRX STI has dropped the ‘Impreza’ badge, so that it is now referred to as the Subaru WRX STi. It’s an attempt to distance this turbocharged rally breed from the standard, a lot more civilised Impreza.

The 2017 Subaru WRX STi was quite controversial during its launch. To begin with, many people said it appears like its rival, the Lancer Evolution X. Some just didn’t like it’s appearance.

However, like fine wine, this look is needs to grow on me. I didn’t have an impression in the beginning, but having seen it personally, I could safely say I really like the car’s stance. It sits lower, wider and meaner compared to the previous STi saloon.

Of course, which means throwing away a few of its rally pedigree. But let’s be honest: most buyers aren’t likely to be putting this car on gravel on a regular basis, and less ride will hence be more beneficial over time.

Subaru has put some sense in to the WRX STi too. For instance, the hood scoop is a lot sleeker and lower, for improved visibility. However, the big, rear spoiler remains. It still includes a large gaping mouth and the red STi badge still sits proudly on the grille. It even has big 18″ alloys that hides the massive discs and Brembos, according to STi tradition.

Previous STi owners will see déjà vu in the engine bay. Here is the biggest disappointment for some, as the powerplant remains to be the dated, decade old EJ257, 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer 4. This implies roughly 300 hp and 407 Nm of torque. Still, it’s nearly tinny, that the STi’s stagnancy in the energy department implies that its opposition had time to catch up.

The STi is available with a six-speed manual with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. It manages 0-60mph run in 5.2 seconds, onto a high speed of 159 mph. It won’t make it as Greenpeace’s company car either, since it achieves 27.2 mpg combined and generates 242 g/km of CO2.

How Does it Drive?

That’s where the 2017 Subaru WRX STi can truly stretch its legs.

Subaru is thinking about pointing out that the improvements designed to this new STi is all inside. The automobile company has stiffened up the chassis, firmed up the suspension, and quickened up the steering. Additionally, it has torque vectoring, LSD and clever electronic brakes (more on that later).

Now, the WRX STi isn’t slow at all. It has 300 horses beneath the bonnet. It’ll get from naught to sixty in only over 5 seconds – that’s quick at all. The automobile pulls really strong, however the almost all it actually starts to provide at 4000 rpm. That is when the turbo kicks in and you may feel it shift.

The STi includes a close-ratio gearbox, so that it feels good throwing the gears around. The transmission permits short bursts of acceleration throughout. The 0-62 mph time is slower compared to the previous model, yes, but it is because there’s yet another gear you have to shift to before 62 mph. Essentially, you trade bragging rights for better drivability!

And that’s the crucial thing that Subaru is wanting so difficult to push. They’re trying to produce a more refined STi, much to the dismay of the purists.

It gets better still in the corners. That’s where you truly feel what Subaru is bragging about. The automobile grips, grips, grips and grips a lot more! The complete chassis is sorted out stupendously, body roll is kept to the very least, and there is some properly magical electronics employed in tandem with the driver.

The mix of limitless grip and staggering steering feel implies that the 2017 Subaru WRX STi darts around such as a mosquito.

Furthermore, the brakes remain amazing. They’re 4 pots on leading and 2 pots on the trunk, which bite hard and prevent this one 1.5 tonnes car well. The discs are massive, so cooling shouldn’t be considered a problem either. Furthermore, these Brembos can distribute brake pressure throughout to further keep carefully the car in balance.

It ought to be said though, if you’re expecting some kind of ride comfort…well, you won’t find any here. The prior STi already had this issue, and with even stiffer springs on the brand new one, you can only just imagine.

What’s it Like Inside?

Subaru has been making efforts to refresh and update the brand new STi’s interior. A very important factor I particularly liked in this 2017 version will be the bucket seats. They’re actually quite comfortable and hug you nicely while cornering.

They’ve also added soft touch materials for some of the trims, and the tyre is particularly nice with the sporty red stitching. The instrument panels are analog, simple and incredibly red aswell. There’s a centre digital screen to feed information to the driver on the highway though.

The air unit feels dated. However, the 4.3″ colour display on the dash is fairly useful; it feeds more intricate information regarding the drivetrain operation and intake manifold pressure.

There’s a lot of space for passengers, and the boot is decently sized at 460 litres. If you want more, you can always fold the trunk seats. Overall, it’s heads and shoulders above the prior iterations, but nonetheless needs attention when compared to competition.

THE KNOWLEDGE

The brand new WRX STi can be an absolute joy to ride. The bucket seats, the red scattered around the inside, the well-planned pedal placement, and the gigantic rear spoiler; this vehicle is merely begging you to operate a vehicle it hard. Again, the folks who are likely to buy this model will be an enthusiast of the automobile than not.

Verdict

May be the WRX STi still class leading anymore? Despite the fact that the Evo is dead, you may still find a lot of hot hatchbacks out there that are nipping on its heels, especially the brand new Ford Focus RS that is a serious contender to the Subaru.

The 2017 Subaru WRX STi however, continues to be hugely impressive. The performance around corners is merely mind boggling. It remains to be the most capable sports compact you will get today, and really, you can’t fail with one.