Saturday, January 1, 2011

Car Reviws

Car Reviws

2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Limited Sedan, an AW Drivers Log:

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 01:30 AM PST

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: The STI is back, baby! Erase those horrid memories of the previous STI with abundant body roll and numb steering response. And Subaru has brought back the sedan, big wing and all. The funny thing is, as garish as it is, I think it's almost required to have that big shopping-cart rear spoiler on an STI. In tuner circles, it is part of the STI's mystique, and this one is designed in a way to not hamper rearward visibility too much compared with the one on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which is nice.

Back in fall 2007, I was in Japan for the world debut of the last STI. That was when Subaru binned the sedan in favor of the five-door hatchback and attempted to make the car more user-friendly and more premium to expand the car's reach. I remember talking to some Subaru engineers and I expressed my disappointment about a sedan not being offered, but they said a big factor in moving to a hatchback body was that the rear roof area added a fair amount of stiffness to the car.

If it did, I had a difficult time telling as I did a few hot laps at Fuji Speedway. Turn one is a very sharp right-hander, which required heavy braking off the front straight before turn in. Through that corner, the car had so much lean that I thought maybe something was wrong. Turns out, it was what Subaru wanted at the time to increase ride comfort, which it did, but it totally trampled the idea of what a STI was supposed to be in my mind.

And the increased level of cabin refinement made shooting down that front straight at Fuji seem far less exciting than it should have been. In the first STIs that came to the United States, you could find a stretch of road and bury the throttle and it would feel and sound like you were on fire, shooting forward with lots of engine noise seeping into the cabin. However, I guess the sensation is just something you lose during the course of refining a vehicle.

Getting back to the present day, Subaru has heard and, most important, responded to its loyal followers by returning the STI sedan to the lineup and made big strides in tightening up the car. The front suspension now features pillow ball bushings in place of inexpensive rubber bushings with steel sleeves, stiffer springs, thicker antiroll bars and a lowered the ride height. The result is a car that responds to steering inputs quicker and with far less body roll, dive under braking and understeer.

The changes are drastic and are enough to warrant us getting one for our long-term fleet. I can't wait for that. From my drives of this test car, I would like Subaru to tighten up the steering some to put it more in line with the lightning response of the Evolution, and I think one more tick up on the suspension stiffness could be achieved while maintaining the car's respectable ride comfort.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: I forgot how much I love driving the WRX. As Jon notes, there's little body roll here, and the steering is so much better. It goes right where you want it to. The suspension is tighter than I remember, and some of my fillings worked loose on a particularly harsh stretch of road.

I'm not a real big fan of the big-ass wing, but I understand why it's there. For the money, there's a ton of bang for the buck here.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR--AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: I know it's heresy to suggest this, but I may be partial to the everyday WRX over this higher-end, higher-output, higher-complexity STI version. There's a lot to love in a normal WRX, so unless you really need to be out there on the edge, it's probably way good enough for most folks.

That said, there is nothing quite like getting stuck in traffic on the main road and realizing that I was driving the perfect tool for a gravel-road detour to the same destination. Punch up the S-Sharp setting, grab a gear, punch the throttle and go--the last 10 minutes of my commute were instantly converted from a stop-and-go slog to an all-out, ear-to-ear smile blast through the back roads. The car positively loves hanging out the tail, allowed for the executing of perfect four-wheel drifts without ever worrying about snapping the back end around too far. Control, even on loose gravel, seems almost intuitive. Point, pedal, steer, shoot. What a great car.

I could do without the big wing, but I love the near-V8 muscle-car-like rumble Subaru engineered into this car's exhaust note. Down low, idling into a parking lot, everyone knows something special just pulled up. The STI certainly fits that bill.

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CHERYL L. BLAHNIK: I was excited to see we had an STI in the fleet and even more excited when I saw my name penciled in to drive it home last night. It's the kind of car that always puts a smile on my face. I love the fact that it looks really sweet and yes, I'm a huge fan of the signature wing. Like many, I missed the sedan when Subaru took it away. It looks sportier compared with the hatchback version we've been forced to live with for the past few years.

Most important, the car is fun to drive. I just drove to and from work on the expressways, and the STI had the power and agility to safely maneuver through traffic. This is a car that makes you want to take the long way home. I didn't get the chance to let loose on any of the gravel roads near my house, but I would imagine it would be a riot and quite capable in the snow with a set of winter tires installed.

The six-speed shifter makes it easy to bang through gears and to take off from stops in a hurry. I love it. And I just heard we're getting a long-termer, which I love even more.

EDITORIAL INTERN JAKE LINGEMAN: Full disclosure: I've been a fan of Imprezas since it was the two-door 2.5RS. So of course I loved this one.

Subaru styling has a habit of growing on me. When they switched to the round headlights, I liked the narrow ones. When they switched back, I liked the round ones. Now this style had grown on me, and the fact that they brought the sedan back makes it even better.

The wing is classic Subaru; it wouldn't be a STI without one. And Subaru raised this one up an inch or two, keeping it above the horizon in the rearview mirror. Well done.

The dark blue paint is cool and the gunmetal rims match well. It's a wild-looking car, lots of curves and movement in the front. It looks best at night, under a streetlight, with the super-white headlights on.

Power is plentiful, even without the Sport Sharp setting. I drove around for a bit last night, marveling at how the STI handles and accelerates, forgetting it wasn't even in the fastest mode. It fires up in “sport” mode, too. Most cars revert back to “comfort” or “intelligent” or “eco” when they're shut down, but Subaru knows what drivers want.

The engine is big enough to get the car moving without the turbo, which is key. If I want to relax and keep it under 3,000 rpm, it still gets off the line and goes a little bit.

The turbo lag isn't as bad as it used to be, but it will still throw you back in your seat. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my passenger's head going back every time it kicked in. The sound is lovely. It's a mix of exhaust bass and high-pitched turbo whistle that jumps up a few octaves as the revs increase. I could listen to that all day.

Peak power is at 6,000 rpm, according to the specs, but it seems to run out of steam around 5,000 or a little above. It beeps and flashes when you get to limit, but I rarely needed to shift that high.

It's still a bit in the middle though. It's loud inside, but no complaints from me on that, and it has some rattles in the back. The doors have a bit more heft, but the closing sound is still cheap. There's no iPod connector, either. I expect that in most cars, but not necessarily in the range-topping vehicles. It does have RCA cables, but for that you need the headphone jack-RCA converter cord, I have it but I doubt many other people do.

The interior is better than before. The leather seats in this topped-out version are comfy and relatively supportive, though I would have liked a bit more lateral stability. The heated seats are nice but Subaru put the button back by your right elbow, instead of your right hand. There are plenty of spots for it on the center stack; why not put it there? The light-up STI badge in front of the shifter is a nice touch, though.

Yikes, this is near $40,000 now? That's a bit much, but this is a Limited trim with leather, sunroof and optional navigation. Even so, I'm with Cheryl and I can't wait for the long-termer to get here.

2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Limited Sedan

Base Price: $38,070

As-Tested Price: $39,870

Drivetrain: 2.5-liter turbocharged H4; AWD, six-speed manual

Output: 305 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 290 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,384 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/18.5 mpg

Options: Navigation system ($1,800)

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