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2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Preview

The new Subaru Impreza did not bowl the media over in ways that perhaps

The highest order of Impreza is arriving soon, and it's going to be good. (Photo: Subaru)

people were expecting. Journalists picked the new sedan and hatchback combo apart, criticizing, in particular, the styling, the interior and its lack of “Subaru” character. Even the WRX didn't manage to escape disparaging remarks, now pegged as being too soft and too refined. Many of these changes were made in an effort to attract new customers to the lower-volume niche brand, much like an indie band with a loyal but small following forced into a makeover by an agent pushing the record sales agenda. While the Impreza and WRX have grown up into a more mature, less exciting group, it's still rock and roll for the highest-performance Impreza, the WRX STI.

Given that the new Impreza's derivative styling has resulted in so much controversy, it seems appropriate to start here. It would seem almost improper for the STI to be a beautiful car, and thankfully it isn't. If the STI were an athlete, it'd appropriately be a boxer, aggressive, in-your-face, and ready to knock the wind out of you at a millisecond's notice. As far as looks go, the new STI suits the profile just about right. Subaru has taken the generic shape that is the Impreza hatchback and has toughened things up quite a bit. And you can bet your bottom dollar that all of these changes,

The WRX STI looks a whole lot like a rally car, and that's because it's the closest thing to a rally car you can buy for the road. (Photo: Subaru)

right down to the most minute and superficial-sounding, are present for their ability to improve the performance of the car. If you don't like the hatchback style of the Impreza, you're out of luck for the STI will only be made in the five-door body style. All STIs come with significant body reinforcements, and it would make little sense for Subaru to invest so heavily in the sedan, which is only sold in North America, not to mention that the hatchback body style is what's being homologated for FIA World Rallying next year.

Stare at the STI - if you dare - and it's apparent that this is no normal car, let alone a normal Impreza. Parked next to a WRX, the STI looks a thousand times more aggressive, lower, tauter and more muscular. Part of that stance is delivered by the extra 2.2 inches of body width, wrapped by flat-faced fenders that seem to barely contain its wheels. The STI isn't a car that needs to prove anything to anyone, so having a body kit as mean and as aggressive looking as this, is not to impress your pals, but to feed the brakes and the engine while making sure the front end of the car stays planted solid to the ground. Having no trunk lid poses little trouble to Subaru's engineers, as the roof-mounted unit continues the “my wing is bigger than yours” competition. As a plus, you can get some pretty cool looking 18-inch BBS alloy

Although they're not Recaros, the WRX STI's interior offers a little more flair than the standard car. (Photo: Subaru)

wheels, which are well worth the extra money.

Inside, much of the driver's surroundings remain the same as with the regular Impreza, but with a little more glitz and glam. The upgrades to the regular Impreza pay dividends in the cabin, which is assembled with much better fit and finish and higher grade materials. Most importantly to Subaru fans are the little touches that make the STI special – the shift knob, the gauges, the steering wheel and of course the seats. They may not be the Recaros that the Japanese version cars get, but they're leather-and-suede clad and heavily bolstered. Although it will rarely be mentioned alongside the performance specs, the new STI is roomier than before, offering superior back-seat comfort. Oh, and the hatchback body style affords owners with quite a bit of easily accessible luggage space, plus 60/40 split folding rear seats, a feature that the old car did not have.

Where Mitsubishi decided to overhaul the Evolution completely from the ground up for generation X, Subaru seems to be content with keeping its powertrain more or less the same, down to the point where domestic and

SI drive makes an appearance on the WRX STI, as does the control over the center diff. Interesting, no? (Photo: Subaru)

North American-bound versions feature different powerplants. The engine's code name is, for instance, the same, although internal changes to the intake and the block have been made for strength. It has the variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust valves, and the same upgraded components like pistons and con-rods that facilitate combustion. What you will find different has to do with torque. Subaru has managed to improve the torque curve and the torque development characteristics of this engine, plumping it up in the mid range. Part of this is in the name of seamless performance, but part of this alteration will make the car easier to drive on a day to day basis. Peak torque arrives some 400 rpm earlier, although the peak torque output has not changed at 290 lb-ft. As for horsepower, a bigger intercooler and better breathing ability enables it to make 305 horsepower over the old car's 293. This engine, however powerful it may be in a car of this size, appears to be less stressed than the domestic version, which uses a 2.0-liter flat-four (versus our 2.5-liter), yet makes more power and torque at 308 hp and 311 lb-ft.

Yes, that hood scoop is the real deal. (Photo: Subaru)

One of the changes to the STI's suspension follows in suit with the rest of the Impreza range in that it features a new rear setup that features double wishbones instead of struts. This gives the STI more stability in the corners, not to mention a slightly more supple ride. Reportedly it allows you to eat up any road with startling pace.

Proving that the new STI is as much for the Playstation generation as ever before, it's got more goodies, like the SI-Drive system, which allows the driver to change throttle response via a circular knob near the gearshift lever. Where on the Legacy it may change from smooth to performance, the scenario for the STI is from sharp to even sharper. Then there's the issue of stability control, something previously unheard of. It features three modes, on, sport and off, which decrease its interactivity depending on how brazen you like your driving experience.

It's a serious car for serious enthusiasts. (Photo: Subaru)

Last but not least is the system that Subaru calls DCCD, short for Driver Controlled Center Differential. This highly advanced piece of technology allows the driver to determine how much lock the center diff will allow in distributing power; he or she has a baffling nine different possibilities to choose from, which will alter the car's behavior significantly depending on driving style and road surface. Some will, of course, prefer to leave the system to its own devices.

As for the all wheel drive system, it's the same as it's always been, symmetrical for better power delivery, weight distribution and balance, and with helical limited slip differentials to ensure that every last ounce of power and torque hits the ground.

The thing about any vehicle wearing the badge of Subaru Technical international is that it'll be a brilliant drive no matter what the conditions are, no matter where on this planet you are. The ultimate test instead will be how this car performs against the new Evolution X. We'll put the two of them to the test as soon as we can get hold of them, but we'll have to wait until next year for the results.

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