dino_martini
10-15-2007, 09:56 PM
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=122951
Debuting at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show on October 24, the long-awaited 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI stands at the very top of Subaru's performance lineup.
And as expected, the Tokyo showcar arrives in an all-new five-door hatchback look.
Subaru enthusiasts will doubtlessly be enraged at the idea of motoring in a hatchback, but we've discovered the STI is ready to do business.
The Way of the Five-Door
The new Impreza rides on a wheelbase that's 4.0 inches longer than before, but this is actually a fractionally smaller package, some 1.7 inches shorter although 1.7 inches wider. As a result, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI will weigh 3,263 pounds.
While the WRX is offered in a four-door sedan layout for the U.S. market, our sources suggest that the hot STI version will only be available in hatchback configuration. For the street, there will be two models of the STI fully equipped with curtain-type head-protection airbags, Legacy-style cupholders and even headlight washers, but later there will be a stripped version for competition use.
Compared to the base WRX model, the new STI incorporates a full set of aerodynamic trim pieces including a larger front airdam, a roof-mounted rear wing and an aero diffuser integrated into the rear bumper, plus big fender flares, all designed to smarten up its on-road presence as well as deliver an efficient aerodynamic profile. Even the vents behind the front quarter panels are functional, extracting hot air from the engine bay.
Different Power, Same Numbers
When it's unveiled in Tokyo, we'll see the Japanese-specification STI with its EJ20 turbocharged 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four, and it's expected to produce 304 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. Even more impressive is its torque output of 311 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm, and 90 percent of peak torque is available by 2,400 rpm.
A six-speed manual transmission is part of the package, and it carries triple-cone synchros on 1st gear and double-cone synchros on 2nd and 3rd. Subaru is also promising better fuel economy than the previous engine.
Of course, we'll see a turbocharged 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four for the U.S. version of the STI, an iteration of the EJ257 from the Legacy with revised intake ports and combustion chambers, plus a new turbocharger package.
Magic All-Wheel Drive
Like the new Mitsubishi Evo, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI will carry all the most sophisticated chassis hardware at the manufacturer's disposal.
The STI will highlight a revised version of Subaru's all-wheel drive with DCCD (driver's control center differential). This central differential combines a quick-response, electromagnetically operated clutch pack that actively varies the torque split between the front and rear wheels from 41 percent front/59 percent rear to 50 percent front/50 percent rear during cornering, thanks to input from an array of electronic sensors. A helical-type front limited-slip differential helps the front wheels carve through the corners, while a Torsen-type limited-slip does business at the rear.
The STI has Subaru's SI-drive like the current Legacy, a strategy to match engine performance to the kind of driving you do, but the three-mode torque management strategy is completely different.
The 18-inch wheels will come with 245/40R18 tires, which will be Bridgestone Potenza RE050s. Optional 235/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE070s are available on 17-inch wheels. The brakes seem to represent a step backward, as four-piston Brembo calipers (with STI branding) are specified for the front wheels.
With the conversion from strut-type independent rear suspension to a new double-wishbone arrangement, the STI promises a smoother ride and greater stability at high speeds. As Subaru sources emphasize to us, the new STI is meant to replace the outgoing model's raw, neck-wrenching performance with smoother acceleration and refined on-road dynamics.
Step Back, Subie Fanatics
The STI's move away from boy-racer image to something with improved interior quality and extra roominess is expected to impress a new type of buyer.
Not that Subaru fanatics care. Enthusiast forums like nasioc.com are rife with comments like this one, as "moaddict" says, "Dear lord the rear end of the STI is FUGLY FUGLY I TELL YOU!!!! I'd like to club one of their designers."
But over time, emotions have settled, as "hondaslayer" noted on the same forum: "It's happened with every generation so far. Subaru announces a face-lift, everybody screams bloody murder, [then] 25 percent of the screamers end up buying one, [and] 50 percent eventually like it [and] even find them hot. Twenty-five percent buy a VW and then come back in two years and buy a Legacy."
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.front.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.f34.1.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.prf.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.rear.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.dsh.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/subaru.wrx.sti.group.500.jpg
It's not too bad looking I guess. I saw a Impreza Sedan this evening and it looked pretty good.
Debuting at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show on October 24, the long-awaited 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI stands at the very top of Subaru's performance lineup.
And as expected, the Tokyo showcar arrives in an all-new five-door hatchback look.
Subaru enthusiasts will doubtlessly be enraged at the idea of motoring in a hatchback, but we've discovered the STI is ready to do business.
The Way of the Five-Door
The new Impreza rides on a wheelbase that's 4.0 inches longer than before, but this is actually a fractionally smaller package, some 1.7 inches shorter although 1.7 inches wider. As a result, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI will weigh 3,263 pounds.
While the WRX is offered in a four-door sedan layout for the U.S. market, our sources suggest that the hot STI version will only be available in hatchback configuration. For the street, there will be two models of the STI fully equipped with curtain-type head-protection airbags, Legacy-style cupholders and even headlight washers, but later there will be a stripped version for competition use.
Compared to the base WRX model, the new STI incorporates a full set of aerodynamic trim pieces including a larger front airdam, a roof-mounted rear wing and an aero diffuser integrated into the rear bumper, plus big fender flares, all designed to smarten up its on-road presence as well as deliver an efficient aerodynamic profile. Even the vents behind the front quarter panels are functional, extracting hot air from the engine bay.
Different Power, Same Numbers
When it's unveiled in Tokyo, we'll see the Japanese-specification STI with its EJ20 turbocharged 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four, and it's expected to produce 304 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. Even more impressive is its torque output of 311 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm, and 90 percent of peak torque is available by 2,400 rpm.
A six-speed manual transmission is part of the package, and it carries triple-cone synchros on 1st gear and double-cone synchros on 2nd and 3rd. Subaru is also promising better fuel economy than the previous engine.
Of course, we'll see a turbocharged 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four for the U.S. version of the STI, an iteration of the EJ257 from the Legacy with revised intake ports and combustion chambers, plus a new turbocharger package.
Magic All-Wheel Drive
Like the new Mitsubishi Evo, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI will carry all the most sophisticated chassis hardware at the manufacturer's disposal.
The STI will highlight a revised version of Subaru's all-wheel drive with DCCD (driver's control center differential). This central differential combines a quick-response, electromagnetically operated clutch pack that actively varies the torque split between the front and rear wheels from 41 percent front/59 percent rear to 50 percent front/50 percent rear during cornering, thanks to input from an array of electronic sensors. A helical-type front limited-slip differential helps the front wheels carve through the corners, while a Torsen-type limited-slip does business at the rear.
The STI has Subaru's SI-drive like the current Legacy, a strategy to match engine performance to the kind of driving you do, but the three-mode torque management strategy is completely different.
The 18-inch wheels will come with 245/40R18 tires, which will be Bridgestone Potenza RE050s. Optional 235/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE070s are available on 17-inch wheels. The brakes seem to represent a step backward, as four-piston Brembo calipers (with STI branding) are specified for the front wheels.
With the conversion from strut-type independent rear suspension to a new double-wishbone arrangement, the STI promises a smoother ride and greater stability at high speeds. As Subaru sources emphasize to us, the new STI is meant to replace the outgoing model's raw, neck-wrenching performance with smoother acceleration and refined on-road dynamics.
Step Back, Subie Fanatics
The STI's move away from boy-racer image to something with improved interior quality and extra roominess is expected to impress a new type of buyer.
Not that Subaru fanatics care. Enthusiast forums like nasioc.com are rife with comments like this one, as "moaddict" says, "Dear lord the rear end of the STI is FUGLY FUGLY I TELL YOU!!!! I'd like to club one of their designers."
But over time, emotions have settled, as "hondaslayer" noted on the same forum: "It's happened with every generation so far. Subaru announces a face-lift, everybody screams bloody murder, [then] 25 percent of the screamers end up buying one, [and] 50 percent eventually like it [and] even find them hot. Twenty-five percent buy a VW and then come back in two years and buy a Legacy."
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.front.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.f34.1.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.prf.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.rear.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/08.subaru.wrx.sti.dsh.500.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/general/08.subaru.wrx.sti/subaru.wrx.sti.group.500.jpg
It's not too bad looking I guess. I saw a Impreza Sedan this evening and it looked pretty good.