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Subaru WRX STI: Light My Fire
SUBARU WRX STI
LIGHT MY FIRE
Words by Carlo Brema
Photos by Andy Williams
I’m sure that for many of you it all started with a particular car. Whether it was the legendary red silhouette coming from Maranello, a muscle car seen in some movie or even the car that your parents were owning, it does not matter, what really matters is that everything started a precise day and that at the time you did not even realize it. From that moment on, they were no longer just cars, but something now taking shape within you and becoming – in most cases – a real obsession. And I would put my hand in the fire that a good half of you link this spark to an unmistakable blue shape, hyped thanks to a huge spoiler at the rear and the iconic gold rims. If then the sides were adorned with that magical 555 stickers there was no escape, being cursed was the only thing possible.
I’m writing these lines with woe in the heart and the awareness that every time we’ll talk about the Impreza or the WRX STI – like Subaru wanted to baptize the last series – will always be addressing the past or a hypothetical future, which at least for the moment seems an unattainable scenario. Subaru has held high the guard for 20 years, surpassing the life expectancy of the eternal rival Mitsubishi (Lancer Evo), but today the world is completely changed compared to that of a few years ago. Now there are hundreds of restrictions, taxes on power, filling up with petrol is like robbing a jewelry and severe limitations that have already crushed a beautiful stack of sports cars forcing the companies to revise their range keep growing. The WRX STI is not exempt and therefore leaves us, hoping that this is only a goodbye and that soon we will come back to talk about a new incarnation, a new generation that can continue to make our hearts beat and collect the torch left here by the last series of a car that dragged me into this fantasy world. We’ve driven it once again and it was exciting as I would have never imagined.
You have to know that when an interesting car arrives here at the office there is always a brawl for those lucky enough to review it and consequently drive it longer than everyone else. Any valid idea about the type of article, location for photo shoots or suggestions to build around a much more than interesting story, is a step towards the key of desires and that of the WRX STI means so much to me. As I told you a few lines above, if I am part of this world and I do not see cars as simple tram alternatives, it is precisely because every time I admired the deeds of a certain Colin McRae on TV my eyes were shining. I had to own one at all costs and I even managed to fulfill my dream, so patiently buying an immaculate 2002 model, the so-called bug eye. It had a very few kilometers and was almost completely stock, at least for the first three months in my possession; then starting from the exhaust system, pistons, valves, reinforced clutch, aeronautical braking system, suspensions … in short, I spent more evenings in the garage or at the workshop than with my girlfriend, which later became my wife, but the love for the Impreza was something special and after traveling more than 200.000km I decided, albeit reluctantly, to wave goodbye, waiting to find a more recent model, fresher and with which to return to feel like a young man full of dreams.
Being able to have the new and latest WRX STI all for me was not easy, in fact I sweated seven shirts well aware of the importance that would have held a farewell ceremony for one of the most iconic cars in motoring and not only for every motorsport enthusiast. As you well know, in 2014, the Pleiades sedan left the name Impreza along the way, becoming WRX STI (obviously next to the less powerful but still fast WRX): still the recipe has always been based on a turbo boxer engine, symmetrical four-wheel drive, three volumes and a large spoiler on the rear trunk. Set aside for a moment the legendary gold rims, in favor of the most fashionable blacks, the latest generation has re-presented the 2.5-liter engine with four cylinders and supercharged by a turbo that has maintained that slight lag that distinguishes cars that belong to those times (not so distant) in which speed was never obvious and thus not to be taken for granted. You sank the gas pedal and for a moment nothing happened, then the turbo came into play and glory would followed.
The hiss remains unmistakable and even the mumbling of the boxer, despite being too muffled by not caring about the four guns at the rear. Traction is obviously on both axles, as on all Subarus excluding the BRZ coupe, with a symmetrical power distribution between front and rear and the possibility of displacing a good amount of that where you want thanks to the SI-drive, which is nothing but an evolution of the old and dear DCCD. The STI must be driven constantly in Sport Sharp mode, not caring about fuel consumption or any other ridiculous restriction. It is a car born for one purpose only, to run harder than all the others. The fact of not having a livery on the bodywork should not mislead, the MY2018 has refined the 2014 version not only on an aesthetic level, but also from the dynamic point of view. If the look is more subtle with more streamlined light clusters, a different front bumper and lime calipers of the powerful Brembo braking system, what really matters to the faithful Subaru customers is under the bonnet and under the driver himself: I’m talking about the engine and the chassis. There are 300 horsepower and 407Nm of torque to push the ton and a half of weight and while on board there is huge space for 5 people and their luggages, the setup of the WRX STI proves to be quite comfortable for driving in the city without having the terror of bumps or manholes, but stiff enough to get on some curvy road and heel-toe there like there’s no tomorrow.
We tested it on the Col de Turini, a sacred asphalt honored by one of the most iconic cars in the world of rallying, but we also drove along roads that we travel daily for our tests, roads for which we can sin with arrogance and claim that we know every single centimeter and therefore means that the conditions to bring it to the limit are not lacking. The response of the boxer is exactly as you would expect: you must first have the right gear and if the tachometer needle is slightly lower than 3000 rpm, you just have to wait that fraction of a second that allows you to prepare psychologically and then you are pressed to the seat thanks to a constant, overbearing delivery that relies on the exceptional four-wheel drive, which allows you to tackle bends of all kinds at obscene speeds. If in tight curves you play with the handbrake lever, in the wider ones you rely on the chassis and the aerodynamic load managed by the big spoiler at the back, not only a fetish of rare beauty, but a true instrument of downward pressure and, if needed, the ultimate picnic table for a break immersed in the mountains.
Even the gearbox has remained faithful to the legacy, a 6-speed that smells of racing and sometimes does not turn out to be impeccable, especially in the transition from third to second gear. You have to learn to deal with it, treat it with decisive actions just like you have to do with the brake pedal. Yes, the STI is able to do great things, but it wants to make sure that you are really sure to want it, that’s why it’s great as it used to be. Sure the SI-Drive sensitively varies the response of throttle and steering, but be assured that the real difference will be your feet and your hands. Drive without too many thoughts and the STI will be able to take you to the supermarket or to work, treat it like your slave dispenser of desires and draining the fuel tank will be as fun as you imagine. Did I mention that the grip is endless? Yes, I certainly said that, but know that you just have to turn off traction control and set the distribution 70% on the rear axle so to have in your hands a whole other type of car, something that likes to widen out of the corners, but at the same time able to pull you out while screaming and crackling the exhaust back there. All this with the comfort of leather seats, sat-nav, climate, radio and a perfect visibility, where you will feel the lack of an air intake on the front bonnet, unfortunately always carved inside the bonnet and not above it like it was until 2013.
During parking maneuvers you might have some visual problems as far as the rear concerns, but to help you there will be a camera, while you are considering becoming good friends with the gas station, given that consumption in the mixed cycle declared of 10.9 l/100km can’t be honored, because driving it minding fuel economy would be an insult to your passion and this car is for real worshippers. The others cannot understand it, someone respects it, but many are not yet able to understand that behind such a look there is not only a noisy engine and a great desire to attract the eyes. When you drive an STI you bring along a pinch of McRae, Burns, Solberg & company and now the weight of responsibility becomes even more impressive. You have in your hands a piece of Subaru history, the most representative piece, what made a shape and a combination of colors (blue and gold) a real symbol, like a red Ferrari, but in this case reachable from anyone with much more modest sacrifices. Regardless of whether it is one of the 55 Legendary Edition, model produced to celebrate the farewell, or that it is a “traditional” WRX STI or an Impreza WRX STI that does not longer have a stock rubber cap, remember that you are leading a burning fire. Keep the flame alive, other Subarists will greet you because they know what it means, they know that many children will look at you on the street and in that moment the same spark that brought you behind that steering wheel with that smile could fire a new passion. Even if from today we live in hope that this is only a goodbye.
SUBARU WRX STI
Layout – front-engine, all wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder boxer 2.457cc – turbo
Transmission – 6-speed manual gearbox
Power – 300 hp @ 6.000 rpm
407 Nm @ 4.000 rpm
Weight – 1.527 kg
Acceleration – 5,2 sec.
Top Speed – 250 kph
Price – from €46.590 (€ 50.590 as tested)
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