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Impreza WRX STI: Unearthed

One of the hottest speculative topics surrounding any upcoming model from

STI transforms from sedan to five-door hatch. Why? The hatch is a world-wide phenomenon. (Photo: Subaru)

any automaker of late has been about Subaru's new Impreza WRX STI. From the moment the new 2008 Impreza made its debut at the New York Auto Show, the discussion immediately centered on two things, its polarizing styling and when was the STI coming. The discussion on how it looks hasn't yet been settled, and probably won't ever be, but at least the new STI is just about here.

Subaru then decided to let the world know that the car would be coming soon, releasing a pair of darkened pictures that simultaneously said everything and nothing. As expected it would be based on the 5-door model, but with wider and more aggressive styling adding more fuel to the debate. Then shortly after those first official pictures, digital shots of the upcoming Japanese brochure were leaked onto the internet, showing multiple shots of the car, as well as specifications, colors and an on sale date of October 24th 2007, after its

Luxurious looking interior features nav, keyless starter and special seats. (Photo: Subaru)

international debut at the upcoming Tokyo auto show.

As usual, Subaru has chosen to look after its own market prior to the rest of the world, so these details apply primarily for Japanese market cars. The engine is a potent version of the horizontally opposed four-cylinder EJ20 2.0 liter turbo mated to a 6-speed manual. Horsepower is 304 at 6,400 rpm, while torque is rated at 311 pound-feet at 4,400 rpm. Our North American version, likely launching in the spring of 2008, will almost certainly feature the EJ25, a variant of the 2.5 as featured in the outgoing North American STI, with a much lower torque peak. The 2.0 is a high strung engine but is the powerplant of choice in Japan in order to homologate the car for World Rally Championship use where the rules state a maximum displacement of 2.0 liters.

Curb weight is listed at only

New exterior and wheels look fantastic. North American engine bound to be bigger. (Photo: Subaru)

3,263 lbs and there are seven colors to choose from (at least in Japan) White, Black, Silver, Dark Grey, Dark Blue, Red, and of course the STI signature color of World Rally Blue. Pink STI logos abound throughout the interior, on the seats, steering wheel and console to remind the driver they are piloting the most special of Imprezas.

The final piece in the puzzle thus far, is that Subaru has made the decision to offer the car with a six-speed manual and SI-Drive, the latter of which makes its first appearance in the WRX STI to complement the return of a Drivers Control Center Differential (DCCD) and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).

Immediately the word in our office mainly revolved around how much better looking the STI is than the regular WRX thanks to its chunky swept-up fenders and optional lightweight BBS wheels. No doubt it will drive much better too.

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