Personality makes all the difference. Take, for example, one-time World Rally Champion Petter Solberg. He’s earned the nickname “Hollywood” – and droves of adoring fans – because, like a seasoned Tinseltown thespian, he’s honest, down-to-earth, and as likable as a puppy, regardless of whether he just clinched a championship or spun his WRC Impreza into a tree.
The same can be said for the street-legal version of his rally car: the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. When judged against its competitors, Fuji’s fastest often comes up short, but its fans don’t care. The STI is so likable because it wears its heart on its sleeve, because it has capabilities far beyond what you’d expect, and because it never pretends to be anything other than what it is. It’s just a good, honest, all-wheel-drive small car that happens to have enough power to light up Duluth.
Like its predecessors, the new, third-generation STI is based on Subaru’s Impreza WRX – itself a turbocharged riot of a compact car with a big fan base. Problem is, the current WRX has lost its way. Or, more specifically, the WRX’s Japanese product-development team has lost its way, somehow concluding that there is no longer a market for hard-edged funsters. In response to criticism, Subaru of America is reportedly working on an interim fix for the WRX, but, thankfully, no such mid-course correction will be necessary for the STI.
STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International, a separate motorsports engineering division at Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries. The STI (the car) is developed by STI (the division) and serves as a road-legal homologation special that allows the Impreza to compete in the World Rally Championship. And you can bet that Petter Solberg had a hand in its development.
| Chassis | |
| Brakes F/R: | ABS, vented disc/vented disc |
| Tires F-R: | 245/40 R18 |
| Driveline: | All Wheel Drive |
| Engine | |
| Type: | Turbocharged Flat-4 |
| Displacement cu in (cc): | 150 (2457) |
| Power bhp (kW) at RPM: | 296(220) / 6000 |
| Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: | 300(407) / 4000 |
| Redline at RPM: | n.a. |
| Exterior | |
| Length × Width × Height in: | n.a. × 70.7 × n.a. |
| Weight lb (kg): | n.a. |
| Performance | |
| Acceleration 0-62 mph s: | n.a. |
| Top Speed mph (km/h): | n.a. |
| Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km): | n.a. |
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