Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza has come along way since its introduction in 1993. Restyled on several occasions with more or less success, it has retained its ultra-sporty four-door sedan look since 2008, especially the WRX STI version, which is a derivative of the rally models and offers the sportiest package.
2008 saw the addition of a rear hatch for the most popular model in the Japanese carmaker’s line of vehicles, which had long time Subaru enthusiasts unable to recognize what had been their favourite sports car.
The WRX STI is dead, long live the 2011 WRX STI, which is a return to the source with a really big rear wing and everything that we’ve come to appreciate from Subaru and that includes the world famous blue paint job.
The gold wheels have been replaced by charcoal grey rims and under the engine cover is the tried and true 305 brake horsepower 2.5-litre turbo with its 407 Newton metres of torque.
There is little change to the interior. It is still sporty but just a bit austere, the seats could offer more comfort. This STI-S doesn’t come with Recaro seats, BBS wheels or GPS; this car is meant for purists.
We pushed the WRX STI to its limits and because it is such a fine ride it is hard to find any faults. Improved on several fronts like the shocks and the stiffening of the chassis, the 2011 version allows for higher cornering speeds with less under steer. The adjustable differential allows for varying the torque output between the front and rear.
The four pipe exhaust offers improved sonority, but even though this Subaru accelerates from naught to 100km/h in 5.1s it is more effective than sensational. The three engine mapping settings are more than just a gadget. There is a large difference between the Intelligent, Sport and sport Sharp mode. You’re not thrown back into the seat but the corners come very quickly when you decide to push its limits.
We must give Subaru a big thank you for their effort off coming up with a four-door version of such a legendary car. The hatchback model is still in the catalogue and will be the only version to receive the club full option package.
And this sedan for the purists among us also comes at an attractive base price of €41,600.
International
The Subaru Impreza has come along way since its introduction in 1993. Restyled on several occasions with more or less success, it has retained its ultra-sporty four-door sedan look since 2008, especially the WRX STI version, which is a derivative of the rally models and offers the sportiest package.
